Healthy living made easier every day

A triathlete, mom and self described fashionista talks about what makes life at Daybreak more fulfilling.

Editors Note: This is the first in a periodic series of posts from contributing authors who write on topics related to Daybreak.  If you have an idea for a post, please email info@daybreakutah.com.
I live in Daybreak.  Inevitably, when I tell anyone where I live, the question that follows is always, “How do you like it?”  My answer: “Love it.”  Sometimes they leave it at that and sometimes they ask what I love about it.  I know you are dying to know too, right?  There are a lot of things I really like about it: the colorful homes, the tree-lined streets, the quaint boutique shops and restaurants.  But what I really LOVE about Daybreak is how well it not only works with, but encourages, my active lifestyle.

Picture this: a beautiful Summer morning, it’s pretty early.  The kids are still in bed.  I get up, throw on my running shorts over my swimsuit, lace up my shoes and I am out the door.  It’s about a mile and half from my house to the pool.  My ipod blasting drowns out the sounds of morning.  I wave to a neighbor or two.  The sun is still low in the sky.  There is nothing better.  On my way to the pool I pass by the lake.  I take a deep breath and try to let it all sink in.  At the pool I pull on my cap and goggles (super cute) and jump in.  It takes my breath away for just a moment and then I’m off.  I let my mind go blank for the next 750 meters (more if I’m lucky).  As soon as I have accomplished my distance goal, I throw my shorts back on, still dripping wet, and push myself on the run back home.  Just thinking about it makes me sigh.
My run-from-home-to-the-pool workout is one of my favorite things on earth!  But there is so much more.  Even in Winter (hate its guts) I can still get my fitness fix at the gym, conveniently located approximately 1.7 minutes from my house.  What I love about the gym is the opposite of what I hate about gyms in general, its not a meat market!  Rarely are the treadmills full and they have lots of great weights, which is perfect for me.  Its so easy to get to the gym that I can run down there even when I only have half an hour to spare.
I can’t believe that I haven’t even mentioned the trail around the lake.  It is a perfect 5K!  My favorite running distance.  I know, I’m kind of a wuss when it comes to running.  I am telling you, there is nothing better than a run around the lake in the evening.  Just don’t run with your mouth gaping open in case you run into a swarm of friendly neighborhood gnats (a constant companion during the early Summer in Utah).

My husband and I play doubles on the tennis court for a double date with our friends.  We have a kayak in the garage that we throw on top of the SUV and paddle around the lake for an hour (great arm workout).  The kids find pure joy in the splash pool just down the street, and I love to get together with my old volleyball friends and attempt to relive the glory days on the sand volleyball courts.  When my husband says we need to install an unsightly basketball standard in front of the house, I point him in the direction of the outdoor courts.  Our family loves to ride bikes around the lake, I have a beach cruiser for just such occasions.

As far as my triathlon training, I really can’t imagine a better place to do it.  I have the pool nearby, a perfect, car-free run course, and ample bike route options.  “This is getting good.”  Umm, yeah!  Could it get any better?

Daybreak has lots of coolness to offer.  But the most important to me is the way it fits my lifestyle.  Plus, in the Summer time, I feel like I live on vacation.  All I need is a baby sitter and I have the perfect date with my husband, a stroll to the pool and a soak in the hot tub as we watch the sun set.  If you have the means, I highly recommend hooking yourself up (you like Ferris Beauler, don’t you?)  I’m pretty sure, if you are into an active, healthy, totally radical lifestyle, that you will like Daybreak too.

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Aly Brooks has been a resident of Daybreak since 2005.  She is a USA Triathlon Certified Race Director for US Trisports and manages the Daybreak Triathlon and South Valley Half Marathon (among others).  Read more of Aly’s musings on life and style on Style Please!, her personal blog.