What can you do to see beautiful scenery and have new a new experience? Hiking is one of the leisure activities that you can enjoy doing.
Hiking is a long, vigorous walk meant to explore the unknown for recreational purposes. Hiking enables you to gain different experiences and knowledge. It is common in countries of Canada and the United States.
In hiking, you don’t need an expert or special equipment to do it successfully. What it only needs is little knowledge and training for you to start. It can either be long distance or short distance.
Depending on your fitness and age, you can start with 1km with an increase in the proceeding hikes. Don?t start with long distance hiking, simply because you might fail to finish the hike.
Hiking is usually in a demarcated place or area to show the starting and the ending point. Where you start is the same sport where you end the hike.
The trails have markings to guide the hiker from not taking the wrong path. The hiking paths brings different relief as it can be steep, flat, and moderately raised in some areas.
Before going hiking, you are to ensure that your fitness is okay. It would help if you were sure by building your confidence by working on your fitness regardless of age.
How do you prepare your body fitness for the hiking activity?
1. Psychological Preparation
People fear to face the unknown. Psychological preparation makes you to have a positive mindset. Imagine if the bad weather comes while hiking, and unfortunately you?re wearing sneakers with the sliding sole. It seems more horrible than anything you can ever think. You have to focus on both the positive and negative possibilities.
Try to develop a positive attitude and specify your goal. Basically, in any activity, you need to know your expected outcome.
Whenever you feel discouraged, try to focus on the beneficial aspect of hiking.
Lastly, what achievement will you have after hiking? View the outcome psychologically to enable you to have that self-drive and kills the fear of long-distance hiking. Success comes with visualizing the outcome.
2. Focus on the Strength of Your Legs
Since the legs are a crucial part of hiking, you need to develop their strength through;
- Squats
Squats works on enhancing different muscles on the joints. Place your arms attached in front of the body, with legs on the ground. Let the legs to be a part and stay at that stance for 5 minutes on each interval. Ensure you feel pressure on your legs. Your legs strengthened.
- Lunges
Lunges are done for muscular strengthening . It also improves body fitness. You gain stability and even body mobility.
- Calf Raise
Usually done after the main exercise to avoid cramps and spasms. How do you do calf raise?
Stretch one leg behind with both hands at the front. Press the heel on the ground on the front leg. Ensure you feel stretched on your back calf. Do it repeatedly for 10-15 presses.
- Aerobic Exercises
Often aerobic exercises are done to increase the blood flow to the legs. Stable and continuous blood flow on the legs strengthens the legs. Which exercises are you to do?
Involve your body in walking, swimming, or water aerobics and cycling to improve your legs.
- Tandem Balance Exercises
Tandem balances increases pressure on the legs making them strong and gain balance.
With one foot on the ground, take a heel to toe position at intervals of 30 seconds. Do the exercises for several rounds.
- Hamstring Stretch
Just like calf stretch, use one leg to support the entire body. Ensure the pin is on a step in front of you. Lean forward to feel a stretch in the back of your thigh.
3. Practice Hikes
Practice is a sign of perfection in any area. Practicing hikes makes you know your area of improvement as well as your strength. You have to visit a place with excellent terrain for hiking.
Should have both levels and raised ground to make your body react accordingly. Depending on the area’s relief, you will have a clear picture of how your organization can respond to any stress.
Don’t forget to carry a water bottle with a packed bag on your back. The weight in the pack makes you develop the strength through exertion of pressure on the body. You became aware of the regulation of body temperature and the speed you need during hiking.
4. Strengthen Your Back
What is the main reason for you to strengthen your back?
While in the adventure of hiking, as a hiker you have to carry water and a pack. Make your back secure through practicing. The practice makes you ready to carry the backpack.
Which are some of the exercises that you need to do to do this?
- Do push-ups. Load your back to build the muscles on your back and shoulder area.
- Pack step down
- Pack step-ups
5. Final Thought
Highlighted in this article, are only a few of the many preparations to be done before hiking. You can explore nature in any part of the world with hiking.
Before hiking, prepare yourself both psychologically and physically. Don?t wear shoes or sneakers that makes you uncomfortable. Such undersize shoes or sneaker cause blisters on your feet.
As the editor of the blog, She curate insightful content that sparks curiosity and fosters learning. With a passion for storytelling and a keen eye for detail, she strive to bring diverse perspectives and engaging narratives to readers, ensuring every piece informs, inspires, and enriches.
