Late June in Colorado doesn’t ease you in. One week you’re comfortable, the next you’re doing trail miles in 90-degree heat with full sun from 7am. If you’ve been active all spring, you know your body has to shift gears — and so does your recovery routine.
The Altitude Factor People Keep Forgetting
Loveland sits at just under 5,000 feet. It’s not Estes Park, but it’s high enough to matter. At altitude, your heart rate runs higher during the same effort. Your muscles use oxygen a little less efficiently. And hydration depletes faster than it would at sea level — even when you don’t feel like you’re working that hard.
That means recovery takes longer, especially in the first weeks of summer heat. The fix isn’t to stop moving. It’s to give your body a little more support than you needed in May.
What We’re Hearing at the Shop
This time of year, the most common question isn’t about sleep or stress — it’s about soreness. People are hiking Horsetooth, biking the Big Thompson Trail, hitting the free fitness classes at the Foundry downtown, and then wondering why their legs feel like they did twice the work. The answer is: they kind of did.
What Actually Helps
For post-workout soreness, the Colorado Fresh Nano Amplified CBD Roll-On ($85) has become a quiet staple in a lot of people’s kits. The nano CBD absorbs faster than standard formulas, and the blend of arnica, camphor, and tea tree gives it an immediate cooling effect. It’s Colorado-made, THC-free, and rolls on clean without the greasy aftermath.
If the soreness is more of the deep-muscle kind — the stuff that shows up 24 hours later — the CBDfx Muscle & Joint Cream ($35) is what we point people toward. It comes in a cooling formula and a heating option. Use the cooling one right after activity. The heating formula works better the next morning when you need to get things moving again.
And if you’re trying to stay properly hydrated while keeping your focus sharp, GoodLeaf’s Nano CBD Hydration Drops ($80) are worth knowing about. They use a pH 9.0 alkaline water base with nano CBD and lion’s mane, designed to absorb faster than a standard tincture. We’ve had runners and cyclists come in and make them a daily part of their water routine.
The Simple Part
Colorado summer fitness is worth it — the trails, the altitude gains, the views. But it’s also genuinely demanding. Taking recovery seriously isn’t slowing down. It’s how you stay in the game through July and August when the mountains are at their best.
We’re open Monday through Saturday 11am–6pm and Sunday noon to 5pm at 677 E. Eisenhower Blvd. in Loveland. If you’re putting in the summer miles, come by and we’ll help you figure out what belongs in your kit.
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Consult your healthcare provider before starting any new supplement.
