Tag Archives: travel

7 Awesome Reasons Denver Residents Look and Feel So Good

I’ve lived in Denver for one month now, and by the end of the first week it was clear to me why Colorado as a state and Denver as a city own the top of the healthiest lists. From activity to fresh air and an attitude that supports wellness, how could anyone not feel their best here?

Year after year, Colorado remains at the top of the list for healthiest states. The CDC’s map of obesity trends starts in 1985, and it wasn’t until 1990 that Colorado even showed up for having less than 10 percent of its population qualify as obese. The most current map is from 2024 and puts Colorado as one of only nine states with an obesity population under 25 percent. Fitness and hiking clothes seem to be The Official Denver Outfit, as everyone at brunch, the park, the grocery store, and the office seem to be dressed down and ready to move!

While there are no doubt more, these are seven killer reasons that Denver residents look and feel so darn good!

Very Bicycle Friendly. I’m confident I’ve seen more bicycles in the last four weeks than I’ve seen in the last four years. Whether for commutes, fun, or exercise, bicycles own the roads in Denver. As recent as 2024, bicycle commuters were 2.4 percent of Denver’s population, a number up 183% since 1990. Bike racks and lanes exist everywhere, making it a no-brainer for cyclists to get out and ride to work, to the grocery store, or just out for fun. B-Cycle has 83 rental stations and 700 bikes throughout the city, making it pretty impossible not to bike.

Vegetarian Food Abounds. You can throw a stone and find vegetarian and even vegan dining options. Bonnie Brae makes a titillating homemade vegan ice cream, Native Foods has a mock fast food menu that will knock your socks off, and the locally-based Chipotle even puts sofritas (organic tofu braised with chilis and spices) on the menu. Every restaurant we’ve visited (and there have been a lot!) has hearty vegetarian options that even the most carnivorous will consider noshing on. The Goodness Truck roams around near Ft. Collins serving their grilled brie sandwich — to die! And all around the area you can dine at farm to table events. (more…)

Posted on June 16, 2023 by Natalie K

Workouts and Wine: The Newest Trend in Napa

You might assume that a trip to wine country means that you have to kiss your weight loss and wellness goals goodbye. But that’s not the case. In addition to breathtaking views, tours of the vineyards, and all the vino a girl can handle, hotels and resorts in wine havens like Sonoma, Napa, and Santa Barbara are adding health and fitness components to the already perfect weekend package. (Talk about making a good thing even better!) Think green smoothies by the pool, bike rides through the vineyards, grape-themed spa treatments, and Pilates classes….all with a glass of wine in hand, of course.

So where should you go? Here are three places we learned about in a recent article on The Huffington Post:

Wine, Women, and Wellness

The Westin Verasa in Napa to learn about the growing demand for fitness and wellness activities for their guests. They now host a “Wine, Women and Wellness” event during Women’s History Month in March, celebrating women’s health and female winemakers. Seminars included demonstrations from raw food chefs, yoga instructors, and makeup artists who create products from the antioxidant-rich byproduct of wine: grape seeds. They even staff a Running Concierge. That is correct: it is someone’s job to guide you through the many paths and trails for a walk or run through wine country. They can ever lend you running shoes! Talk about eliminating excuses.

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Posted on May 27, 2023 by Katie McGrath

Experience Jet Lag? A New App May Help

With our managing editor Jessica recently returning from Japan, and our resident technophile Mike backpacking around the world, you could say we have travel on the brain here at DietsInReview.

Whether you’re going on a family vacation, weekend getaway, or business trip, traveling is a great way to shake up your routine and get you out of a winter-induced funk. Unfortunately, not all travel shake-ups are enjoyable, especially the dreaded jet lag.

Anyone who’s traveled across time zones has experienced this phenomenon, no matter if you’re off by a just couple of hours or half a day. Jet lag can leave you feeling groggy, disoriented, and unable to sleep at “normal” times; and that’s just in the short term. In the long term, jet lag can cause serious health problems like depression and disrupted metabolism. Disrupted sleep can also cause problems with memory, focus, and potentially lead to weight gain.

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Posted on April 14, 2024 by Elizabeth

The $3 Beef, Veggie, and Noodle Dinner: Backpacking Around the World and Still Eating Well on the Cheap

In the middle of March, I packed what I could carry on my back, headed to the airport, and took flight for New Zealand. I’ve never been out of the U.S. before; I could only hope I knew what I was in for. I’m not a wealthy trust fund baby, I’m not a young guy from Europe whose parents are funding a “gap year,” and I still have bills to pay back home. All that being said, traveling on the cheap was my primary objective. I stay in hostels, I use public transportation, and for the most part, I make my own food instead of eating out. The average meal here costs $12-14 NZD (that’s about $10 to $12 USD).

I’ve been in New Zealand for a few weeks now (flew out to Vietnam last night), and wanted to share with you one such quick, easy, and cheap meal many backpackers are familiar with. While the context here is eating cheap while traveling, you could do the same thing at home.

What You’ll Need:

Fantastic Noodles / Ramen Noodles / 2 Minute Noodles
Cubed beef / chicken / tofu chunks
Vegetables of your choice

I went with beef, broccoli, potato, carrots, and fresh green beans. Everything you see in the picture below cost about $12 NZD (about $9 USD), and is easily enough for three meals for one person. At $3 bucks each, you’ll be hard pressed to beat it, especially for a meal as filling as this.

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Posted on April 14, 2024 by Mike Beauchamp

The 5 Fitness Events You Should Attend this Summer

When you’ve been stuck in the same fitness routine for a while, finding some inspiration can be just the ticket to shake things up. Let’s face it: when we get bored we’re much more likely to quit. Changing things up could make you more likely to stick with exercise, whether it’s trying out a new group exercise class or learning a new sport. Spending time with other fit-minded individuals can also provide a major dose of motivation and help you break out of a fitness rut.

Here are five different fitness-focused events happening in the summer of 2024 that will enable you to network with others, make new friends, and discover the latest trends in fitness:

Blend Retreat
When & Where: June 6-8, Park City, Utah
Who attends: Healthy living bloggers and readers, anyone with a love for food and fitness
Cost: $115
The Details: The Blend Retreat is back for a second year in Park City, Utah (in the gorgeous Canyons Resort) and is sponsored by Silk. It’s a weekend for like-minded individuals from all around the country to come together for three days of fun, great food, fitness and friendship. A ticket to the retreat gets you three meals (two breakfasts and a 5-course gourmet dinner), a cocktail reception with free drinks, coffee and tea all weekend, two sponsored snack breaks, a guided hike with pre- and post-hike snacks, two bootcamp-style workouts led by qualified fitness instructors, a t-shirt, an amazing swag bag filled with products from over 25 different vendors and entry into a closing ceremony raffle with big ticket items from various sponsors. For more information and to register, visit Blend Retreat’s website.

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Posted on April 1, 2024 by Lauren Martin

Our Favorite Vegetarian Restaurants in Albuquerque

When the state question is about your preference of chile, you know you’ve come to a good place to find great food. What you may not know is Albuquerque, New Mexico is one of the most vegetarian-friendly places you can eat in the entire country. Whether you’re looking for traditional New Mexican cuisine or something further outside your comfort zone, Albuquerque won’t leave you disappointed.

Most restaurants use the freshest ingredients they can find to ensure each dish, meatless or not, is full of signature ABQ flavor. With a host of nationally recognized vegetarian-friendly restaurants, the city is bound to leave meat eaters wanting to eat their veggies – and then some!

Enjoy our picks for coolest vegetarian restaurants in Albuquerque, New Mexico – and be sure to tell them we sent you!

Annapurna’s World Vegetarian Café

A local vegan restaurant specializing in Indian cuisine, Annapurna’s specializes in Ayurvedic vegan fresh food. It’s all organic and made from local ingredients. Each dish is meant to target six tastes: sweet, sour, salty, bitter, astringent and pungent, which means every vegan and vegetarian dish is bursting with flavor. Desserts abound, too, even featuring a vegan sweet potato pie. And if you need a more centered take on happy hour, join them for Chai Daily Happy Hour.

Yelp Rating – 3.5 out of 5 stars (more…)

Posted on December 11, 2023 by Elizabeth

Our Favorite Vegetarian Restaurants in New Orleans

Vegetarian eating in the Big Easy is easier than you might believe. In what other city could you find a restaurant with a vegetarian menu perfect for date night and a place where even veggie eaters can satiate their hot dog cravings? From fancy to fast, New Orleans offers some of the freshest vegetarian food on the Mississippi.

Each restaurant on our list has its own feel while remaining true to the heritage and personality of the city they call home. So next time you’re taking it slow in NOLA, check out some of the best vegetarian food the city has to offer. Whether you’re looking for lunch, dinner, or a mid-afternoon pastry, New Orleans is definitely the spot for vegetarians to indulge.

Enjoy our picks for the coolest vegetarian restaurants in New Orleans, Louisiana – and be sure to tell them we sent you!

City Greens

Serving up salads and wraps in a city known for its rich cuisine is daring, and it’s exactly what City Greens is doing. Customers create their own wrap or salad filled with pretty much anything they can think of. We’re especially fans of the Raw Shaved Salad with beets, Brussels Sprouts, and fennel. City Greens also posts where each of their ingredients comes from, so there are no surprises about what’s in your meal, proudly alternating the menu by seasonal availability.

Yelp Rating – 4 out of 5 stars (more…)

Posted on December 11, 2023 by Elizabeth

Our Favorite Vegetarian Restaurants in Madison

In a state known for cheese, the likelihood of finding a decent vegetarian restaurant is non-existant. Isn’t it? That’s not the case in Madison, Wisconsin, home of Camp Randall Stadium, the Aldo Leopold Nature Center, and a surprising vegetarian dining scene.

Diners who love their veggies will be happy with the variety of food they can find in Wisconsin’s capital. With everything from burgers to baked goods available, the hard part of vegetarian dining in Madison isn’t trying to find a restaurant, it’s deciding which one to try first.

Enjoy our picks for the coolest vegetarian restaurants in Madison, Wisconsin – and be sure to tell them we sent you.

The Green Owl

“Vegetarian cuisine for people who love food” is their motto, and The Green Owl certainly delivers. One of the only exclusively vegetarian restaurants in Madison, The Green Owl serves up meatless dishes like the popular BBQ Jackfruit sandwich, using the fruit as a substitute for the traditional pork. The restaurant also hosts specialty dinners like a vegan Thanksgiving.

Yelp Rating – 4 out of 5 stars (more…)

Posted on December 11, 2023 by Elizabeth

Our Favorite Vegetarian Restaurants in Wichita

When you think living and eating the vegetarian lifestyle, cities like Portland and Seattle immediately come to mind. But Wichita? Out here in beef country? You probably aren’t expecting much green to eat when you land here. This city is always surprising, and the number of vegetarian-friendly restaurants that are not only good, but totally worthy of your money and appetite, are growing more and more abundant all the time.

Often using locally sourced ingredients and catering to the more common carnivorous appetites that abound here in Kansas, Wichita’s veggie eateries rival some of the best places to eat in the country. Plus, every meal comes with a side of that sweet Midwest hospitality!

Enjoy our favorite vegetarian restaurants in Wichita, Kansas — and be sure to tell them we sent you.

The Flying Stove

One of the most fantastic food trucks in the country, so says Forbes, always features at least one vegetarian option that would appeal to the most meaty of eaters. Their menu rotates frequently, and rarely brings back the same thing twice. Fresh local ingredients made monthly specials like the Black Bean and Quinoa burger and Mexican Fruit Cartel big hits with their hungry, traveling legion of fans. And the truffle fries – made with fresh thyme and truffle oil – fuhgettaboutit it.

Yelp Rating – 4.5 out of 5 stars (more…)

Posted on December 11, 2023 by Natalie K

5 Snacks Disguised as Meals: Stay Full on the Go for Less than 500 Calories

By Janis Jibrin, M.S., RD, Best Life lead nutritionist

What to eat when you’re stuck in a junk-food-infested office park, stretch of highway, or other nutrition wasteland? Try one of these five meals, all of which contain foods you can keep in your purse, desk drawer, or office fridge, or can be found at a coffee shop. They range from 370 to 480 calories.

trail mix recipe

Oatmeal topped with dried fruit and/or nuts and a 12-ounce nonfat or 1 percent latte

Approximate calories: 370

Nutrition highlights: This dish is rich in calcium and cholesterol-lowering soluble fiber (from the oats), plus it offers phytonutrients from the coffee, dried nuts and fruits. It’s my go-to at Starbucks and other coffee shops.

Trail mix (2/3 cup)

Approximate calories: 450

Nutrition highlights: Nuts, seeds and dried fruit offer vitamins and minerals, phytonutrients and healthy fats. Make your own to control the ingredients and avoid a sugar rush. Try our Sweet & Nutty Trail Mix. (more…)

Posted on December 4, 2023 by BestLifeDiet

Hiking Everest and 450 Miles Across Spain Helps Kay Cherryholmes Find Her Way to Health

By Kay Cherryholmes

One day I googled myself and I was caught off guard by a blog link that had me tagged as one of his Top 10 Most Inspiring Athletes of 2024! I had met the guy while hiking and considered him a dear friend. At first I smiled; feeling like I had somehow been a positive in his eyes, then almost immediately it read that he met me while hiking in Nepal to base camp of Mt. Everest and that my BMI was that of a mack truck!

Instantly real tears fell. Not tears of his writing, but tears of truth about my struggle to achieve fitness. Who was I kidding? Mostly myself it seems. I grew up a competitive gymnast. I was always on a scale and measured my success based on a number that ranged between 114 and 119.

Fast forward from age 14 to age 44 and I had been married, divorced, raised two children as a single mom, and was completely disconnected from the fitness I knew as a young adult. My mind, however, continued to crave challenges, even in a 230-pound body. For all the struggle that it took to walk up into the Himalayan mountains 80 pounds overweight,it never began to stop me. He wrote that it was my perseverance that got me on his Top 10 Athlete list.

I always describe myself from the shoulders up as a ‘Michael Phelps type‘ and from my shoulders down more of a ‘John Belushi type’. I am part extreme athlete, part party girl. Too much brie and wine and not enough cardio.

After more than a decade of athletic events where I have fought with the struggle of weight in competition I decided that my next adventure would be a 450-mile walk across Northern Spain; the Camino de Santiago. It is a spiritual pilgrimage that took me through the heart of many regions in Spain. Once again I would carry the extra weight on my body and an additional 30-pound backpack with all the necessary gear I would need in my 40 days of hiking.

I wanted to remove myself from all of the excuses at home that get between me and a stronger, more fit body. I left behind the wine, cheese, friends, family, dishes, laundry, job, dog, television and my comfy new couch. They’d all become specks of home reality in my rear view mirror as I landed on Spanish soil. I would be forced in to my own mind and body for hundreds of miles and countless days. I wanted answers and to be accountable to myself. I would have no other choice but to face the dragons in my head, that for decades have defined my mindset and impacted my choices. (more…)

Posted on September 26, 2023 by GuestBlogger

Tag Archives: travel

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