ZIP ON!

What's it like to fly above the forest and valley trees, and level with the trees? Now, this is not being in a plane or helicopter.

I can tell you that it's breathtaking and exhilarating. Zip lining is one of those activities you could spend the entire day doing. You look all around you and you're so high above the ground and it's like you're flying! This is the perfect activity for everyone.

In Hawai'i and on O'ahu? Kualoa Ranch recently opened a seven line/switchback zip line activity in Ka'a'awa Valley. Beauty at its finest. No matter where you look, where you zip, you're surrounded by the beauty everyone talks about Hawai'i having. Granted, O'ahu is the most populated and developed, but we often forget how much of it is being cultivated and looked after. Kualoa being one of those places, restoring a fish pond, raising health grass-fed cattle, which also happens to mean selling grass-fed beef. Not only that, they time to share and teach about the Hawaiian Culture. I went a little off track there, but it could be relevant, I'm building the experience here, and painting a picture for you readers :)

Our own little group consisted of my mom, dad and boyfriend (myself included, hah). The four of us  signed in and waited for our tour guide/bus driver to greet us. Before you board the small bus, you fill out a wavier and weigh yourself. We had eight people in our group, which resulted in our zip trip being around two hours. We were advised that having more than eight people means your trip could be as long as two and a half hours, not so bad. Once you start your journey you don't want it to end. On our way up to the valley, we saw some four-wheelers starting their rides or coming back and got some fun historical facts and even got a mini movie tour! I have to admit, it's pretty cool to see which movies have chosen this location. As we got closer to our zip headquarters, we were introduced to a zip line chant tradition....which I'll let you discover when you go. It's nothing crazy, just something fun to get you ready.

Can you spot the four-wheelers?
Photo: M. Rosson on GoPro

As we got off the bus we were greeted by our zip team, Angie, Chris and Elijah, all were fantastic! The had such a great rapport with each other and knew what they were doing. We couldn't have asked for a better crew to guide us and have our backs. The first zip is the shortest, I believe 200 ft, but after that it gradually grows. One is so long that you have to "coconut" or pull your legs in like a ball and mimize the air drag if your arms and legs are sticking out like a starfish. If you catch too much air this way you'll slow down quite a bit and get stuck in the middle, hah. But, don't fret, they'll zip out to you and pull you back.

Feeling adventurous? You'll have several opportunities to explore and bring out the "love of adventure" feeling inside. Get that zip hook all secured on a line and walk across two bridges. If you're the first one across, easy peasy, if you and the entire group walk across together, good luck keeping your balance! You'll get some good laughs and test your group communitcation skills.

At the end of the day, you'll have laughed, sweat and made some new friends. Don't be afraid to take a leap off the edge of the platform. Explore Hawaii's history and escape the busy streets and stores of O'ahu by being active!

Forget to mention, you're wearing quite a bit of equipment too, but you feel cool.
photo: M. Rosson on GoPro

Tips

• Wear sunscreen 
• Wear comfortable clothes (workout clothes are best)
• Wear covered shoes 
• Bring sunglasses
• Bring/wear a hat (you can wear the hat under your helmet, and at times you'll be thankful for the face shade)
• You can bring your GoPro or phone - BUT. strap it on tight and don't drop it. As they say...be prepared to say "aloha" to your device if you drop it
• Bring people! Zipping is more fun with your friends and family! 
• Get loose and have fun! It really is as fun as it looks

Protecting your eyes

Here's another reason to go pick up some sunglasses, they can be any style you like that fits your personal taste, as long as it blocks 99 to 100 percent of both UV-A and UV-B rays. If you wear contacts, you should ask you optometrist if they have the same protection.

Harmful rays from the sun can increase your risk for eye problems, like, cataracts and cancer of the eyelids.

Be sure to check in with your eye doctor to ensure your eye health. Being in Hawai'i, it's a sunny beautiful place, let's make sure we'll always be able to see it!

Hop back on track

Keeping healthy habits a daily thing can be difficult.
If you've done it before, you can do it again. The tough part is not falling off the wagon.

Keeping up the health eating in a world where sugar is found in pretty much anything and everything we eat. Yes, sugar, the one thing that makes us want to eat more and fall asleep later.

Just think about how hard you worked to lose that weight or tone up, it felt great once you got there, right? Now, you don't have to deprive yourself of a sweet every now and then, sometimes it may help to rev up your metabolism. But, when you're choosing sweets, try not to pick something that's high in calories. Almonds are always nice, or even a few dark chocolate almonds.

Fruits and veggies are also packed with nutrients and will definitely fill you up right away.
If you find yourself having a hard time staying on a healthy diet or workout routine, just think back and ask yourself what made you hop off the path.

Just know that you've done it before and you can do it again. If you haven't done it, just give it a shot! There are a myriad of resources online where you can find eating and workout tips. If you have a smart phone, you can even download some apps, complete with exercise videos, and examples to show you the correct form when working out.


Helpful websites:

Women's Health 
SELF Magazine
SHAPE
YouBeauty
Ellie Krieger

Obesity in Hawai'i

Luckily for our lovely state, we're ranked #49 on the most obese states, at 21.8 percent of people being obese, which puts us behind Colorado, according to an article posted by the Huffington Post.

I guess what could help that is people are all out and about at the beach and running around outside, gotta keep that figure in shape right? Let's keep that up. Though there is a problem of obesity in the nation, we can all help by promoting healthy eating, as well as knowing why we should put and shouldn't put certain things in our bodies.

Easy ways to avoid bad eating habits:

1.) Don't drink your calories: We all love a coffee, smoothie or milkshake on occasion -- or everyday. That's where it adds up...especially the sugar. Too much sugar will make us fat.  Drinking our calories is like drinking more than our days intake of sugar. It's easy to drink up to 400 calories, as well as non nutritious ingredients. To be safe, make your own drinks, you'll know what's in it, and you can alter it without feeling like you're getting on a worker's nerves.

2.) Eat to refuel, not because you're bored: Another big thing, eating because you are bored, and it gives you something to do. Eating is fun! It just is, tasting and enjoying the flavors of different foods. But hey, make sure you're eating to refuel your body, not beacuse you're upset, sad or even happy and think you need a reward. To curb sugar cravings (sugar is like a drug), eat snacks throughout the day, like apples and peanut butter, but of course not a ton of peanut butter. Have several almonds. Make sure these snacks are candy bars, or a bag of Cheetos.

3.) Eat breakfast: Some of us may not be fans of breakfast, but try to grab something, even if it's small. It'll get your metabolism up and running in the morning and keep you from wanting to over eat at lunch. Don't pick something like a donut, or a scone, save that for another day. Eat something with substance. A breakfast burrito on a whole wheat tortilla with some eggs and spinach, or make a kale smoothie. Google some recipe's for some health breakfast ideas, and create a daily plan for what you'd like to eat in the morning, lunch and night. Or just plan breakfast if the rest is too much to think about.

Little things here and there will help you stay healthy, all it takes is the first step to research information and try it out.