Getting back in shape all started with walking for me and it's something I still do. During the summer it's mostly hiking and one hike I try to get in once a week is what I call Carpenter's 8 at Palisades Interstate Park in Fort Lee, NJ. It's a combination of Carpenter's Loops I & II where I go up Carpenter's Trail twice creating a sort of figure eight.

The hike is easy for me to get to and it combines a wide variety of scenery as the trail goes along the banks of the Hudson River and along the wooded area on top of the cliffs.
In total, the hike is about 8 miles and takes me roughly 2.5 hours to complete. Most of the trail is fairly flat along the Shore Trail and Long Path but Carpenter's Trail is a 0.2 mile long, 300' climb on old steep stone steps. This really gets my heart rate up as if I was jogging. It's a pretty tough climb but a good workout. Sometimes I'll jog for parts along Shore and the Long Path.

I remember reading that stair climbing is a great workout for your butt and since I spend a lot of time with my butt sitting in front of a computer, I decided to include Carpenter's Trail twice in my route.

In this post I'll describe the route and include some photos.

When it’s hot, humid, and you’re hiking or biking hard, plain water isn’t always enough. This homemade orange matcha sports drink replaces electrolytes, adds quick carbohydrates for energy, and costs a fraction of store-bought options.

Sports drinks do more than quench your thirst. They help restore electrolytes like sodium and potassium while providing carbohydrates your muscles can use quickly. During the summer I do most of my cardio outdoors — hiking, biking, and jogging — and I sweat a lot. When I replace that sweat with only water, I sometimes end up feeling groggy and mentally foggy afterward.

After digging into it, I learned that drinking large amounts of water while sweating heavily can dilute sodium levels (a condition called hyponatremia). I’m not diagnosing myself, but I knew I needed more than just water on longer efforts.

The solution? A simple homemade sports drink with orange juice, sugar, salt, and matcha green tea. It’s inexpensive, customizable, and actually tastes good.