We’re so fortunate to live in an area with so much outdoor adventure. From Mt. Bachelor, Smith Rock, Paulina Peak and everywhere in between; there are mountains, lakes, rivers and forests waiting to be explored. Bend is an outdoor playground for everyone to pursue their favorite sports, including professional athletes.

When you exercise outdoors it’s important to nourish your body, inside and out.

Eat well when you dine out

How you feel has a lot to do with the food you eat, it’s your fuel. Just think about how you feel after eating pizza with a beer versus a grilled chicken salad and iced tea. When you dine out it can be hard to find healthy, normally portioned options. Who needs a burrito the size of their head (we still love you Super Burrito!)? While delicious, it is probably best eaten AFTER a long day in the saddle of your favorite mountain bike trail. Stick to foods that give you energy without weighing you down, or causing gut rot, on your favorite hike. Luckily Bend has quite a few restaurants that serve healthy, nourishing meals, here are a few of our favorites: Active Culture, Fix & Repeat, Mother’s Juice Cafe, Root Down Kitchen, Kanona Cafe, and Deeply Rooted. If we missed your favorite place let us know!

Dial in your diet

To feel your best while working out you may need to pay more attention to what you are putting in your body. Some of what you eat could be causing inflammation, or what and when you are eating could be the culprit for achy joints and body discomfort. Consider working with a Naturopath (we love Dr. Rob Neilson at Hawthorn Healing Arts) and/or a Nutritional Therapist if you have any issues. They can work with you to figure out what works best for your body. You might need a food sensitivity test to discover what is interfering with your goals.

Don’t neglect your largest organ

Your skin is your largest organ – it can weigh up to eight pounds and cover 22 square feet. That’s a bit mind blowing! The products you put on your skin are absorbed into your body so look for brands that use non-toxic, organic ingredients.

Before you break a sweat remember to apply sunscreen and, if possible, wear clothes that are SPF protective. We like AOS Broad Spectrum Sunshade Lotion Mineral Protection, it’s made right in downtown Bend, and it’s reef safe. For more information on what makes a product reef safe check out this Reef Safe Sunscreen Guide.

After a workout it’s good to hit the shower to remove excess sweat, oil and germs. Bathing can dry your skin, and it gets even more parched in our Central Oregon air, so moisturizing is important. If you get a massage at Halcyon Bodyworks we make our own body butter in house with organic food based ingredients. Here is our recipe so you can try it at home:

Halcyon Bodywork’s Body Butter Recipe:

• 1 cup Cocoa Butter
  (we order from Thrive Market place. Use this link and get 40$ off your first order)
• 1/2 cup Coconut Oil
• 1/2 cup Sweet Almond Oil
  (you can sub any liquid oil such as Avocado Oil or Jojoba Oil)

DIRECTIONS:
Melt the cocoa butter and coconut oil in a bowl over a pot of boiling water. Stir until melted. Take off the pot and add in the liquid oil.

From here you can pour it into a container of your choice…. Or if you’d like a whipped body butter you can wait until it cools and starts to set up. Then, with a hand mixer mix until stiff peaks form.

The body butter will last for a few weeks, however, if you decide to whip the body butter it will melt if it gets above 70 degrees.

Take care of those aches and pains

If you find yourself stiff and sore after exercise, professionals can help. We support a lot of amateur and professional athletes with massage. Depending on the situation we recommend neuromuscular massage, deep tissue treatment and cupping to relieve muscle tension, boost blood flow and increase the range of motion in your joints. Other modalities that treat exercise-induced muscle soreness are Acupuncture (we love Dr. Rob Neilson at Hawthorn Healing Arts), and Chiropractic (you can see Dr. Jeff Craig right here at Halcyon Bodyworks or Dr. Amanda Armington at The Wellness Doctor).

Since you’re here and we know you like Central Oregon adventures here are a few of our insider tips:

• Mountain Biking – if you need help finding the right gear talk to Dan at Pine Mountain Sports
• Skiing & Snowboarding – purchase tickets to Mt. Bachelor early in the season for discounts
• Backpacking & Hiking – check to see if you need a Wilderness Permit before you hit the trail
• Rock Climbing – on rainy days hit the Bend Rock Gym or The Circuit Gym (for bouldering)
• SUP and Kayaking – a full moon in summer is great for enjoying the stars (and cooler weather)