Whether you are a runner/walker in need of some new scenery, or you just want to take that first step toward getting a little more exercise, we offer five great city walks to get the summer started. Not only do walking tours give you a chance to explore right here at home, an hour of walking (about three miles at a moderate pace) will burn about 200 calories for a 150-pound person. Tie your shoes, and let’s go!
1. Mile High Loop, City Park
This new trail will be officially dedicated at 11 a.m. Wednesday, but people are already using the trail that hugs the contours of the mile-high elevation throughout the park. Mayor John Hickenlooper and other city officials will unveil a mile-high marker on one of four spots that hit the 5,280 elevation on the west side of the Denver Museum of Nature & Science. After the ceremony, forestry superintendent Michael Swanson and horticulturalist James Klett will lead a tour of the newly designed tree walk that follows the loop. Learn about the park’s more than 3,000 trees and the city’s plans for an arboretum. Tonight at 6, the Darlington Electric Fountain and the H2Odyssey Interactive Fountain will be turned on and City Park Jazz will perform. Find a map at .
2. First Friday history, Art District on Santa Fe
Here’s a new/old twist on the art walks the first Friday of every month: a walking tour of the history of the area. The one-hour guided walk starts at 5:30 at the Byers Branch Library, West Seventh Avenue and Santa Fe Drive. Denver History Tours guide Kevin Pharris leads the tour north through the throngs of art-lovers along Santa Fe Drive, narrating the street’s culture in 1887, 1927 and today. No reservations necessary; first Friday tours (June 4, July 2, Aug. 6, Sept. 3) are $5. Two-hour tours on other days can be arranged for $20 per person. , 720-234-7929;
3. Architectural treasures, Downtown
Stroll through Denver’s architectural history on a self-guided walking tour of fanciful Victorian mansions to modern museums. Start at Capitol Hill and make your way down the 16th Street Mall, stopping at:
Colorado State Capitol, 200 E. Colfax Ave.
Free tours of the Capitol, with its one-of-a-kind rose onyx wainscoting, offer visits to the Senate and House of Representatives chambers. As you cross Broadway and Civic Center, note the Denver Public Library, designed by Michael Graves; Gio Ponti’s original 28-sided Denver Art Museum; and the neo-classical City and County Building.
Denver Art Museum, 100 W. 14th Avenue Parkway
Architect Daniel Libeskind designed the Hamilton Building to echo the jagged Rocky Mountains and the geometric rock crystals in the foothills.
Trinity Methodist Church, 1870 Broadway
In 1887, Colorado’s first licensed architect, Robert Roeschlaub, designed the Trinity Methodist Church in the Gothic Revival style. Built entirely out of rhyolite from Castle Rock, the church features a Tiffany stained-glass window and a huge Roosevelt Pipe Organ. Across Broadway, have a drink or snack at the historic Brown Palace Hotel & Spa, 321 17th St., built 1892.
Daniels & Fisher Tower, 1601 Arapahoe St.
Modeled after the Campanile at the Piazza San Marco in Venice, the D&F Tower was the highest building west of the Mississippi River when it was completed in 1910. Check out the basement, where Lannie’s Clocktower Cabaret hosts swing bands, burlesque and magic shows.
Union Station, 1701 Wynkoop St.
The 1894 Beaux Arts building anchors a $450 million redevelopment on 19.5 surrounding acres.
Denver Millennium Bridge, Riverfront Park
Connecting the redeveloped riverfront to the 16th Street Mall, this white steel footbridge looks like a ship’s mast. You can climb the stairs or take the glass elevator to the top for a view of downtown and the Platte River Valley.
4. Sipping and snacking, South Pearl Street restaurants
Every Friday, Becky Creighton leads a happy-hour tour of four restaurants in this lively district. Stops vary from week to week, and include Pajama Baking Co., The Crushery, Kaos Pizza, Black Pearl and Village Cork. Fridays 3-5 p.m. The $39-per-person tour includes tastings, drink samples and meeting chefs. , 303-495-5487
5. Monuments and memories, Fairmount Cemetery
Guided and self-guided tours along 20 miles of roads cover pioneers, politicians, distinguished Colorado women, military veterans, hundreds of roses and dozens of species of trees in this cemetery founded in 1890. At 11 a.m. today, the Nisei Memorial Day Service marks the service of Japanese Americans in World War II. On June 19, the Fairmount Heritage Foundation hosts a tour of the roses in bloom. Similar tours are avilable at the city’s oldest, Riverside Cemetery, founded in 1876.
Fairmount, 430 S. Quebec St., 303-322- 3895, fairmountheritage ; Riverside, 5201 Brighton Blvd.
Kristen Browning-Blas: 303-954-1440 or kbrowning@denverpost.com
Don’t overlook calves when toning your legs
When people talk about toning their legs, most focus on the thighs, an area that is often voted the most troublesome. But to get shapely, sexy legs, you have to work the entire leg, including the most important musclethe calf. Not only are the calves the most exposed part of your legs, peeking out under shorts and cropped pants, they are also a muscle that contributes to your body’s overall balance and circulation.
The best way to tone your calves is to use them. Your calf muscles are put to good use when you perform the most basic functions of supporting your body weight through movement. If you are already active, you may have to challenge them beyond your usual routine of walking, running or riding a bike. Try some of these calf- boosting tips.
Do calf raises. This is the go-to exercise for shaping and strengthening your calves. Start by standing with the balls of your feet on the edge of a step, your heels hanging off unsupported. Slowly contract your calf muscles and rise up onto your toes. Then, slowly lower your heels to below the level of the step until you feel a slight stretch in the back of your calves. Repeat 3 sets, 15 times each and gradually increase the repetitions. Vary by performing this exercise on a single leg at a time.
Jump around. When you jump, you naturally raise onto your toes and in turn work your calve muscles. Grab a jump rope and start with 5 minutes of jumping. Try a few sets of jump squats. Not only will your calves feel it, but your heart will be better off, too.
Dance. Ballerinas and dancers tend to have shapely, strong calves. Look for barre classes and other dance styles which are done in bare feet. If you cannot find an organized class in your neighborhood, try a DVD.
Stretch your calves after strength training. Bend over and touch your toes or hold a traditional yoga downward dog pose, pressing your heels toward the ground.
Life Fitness
