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5 Ways to Get Your Feet Ready for a Hiking Trip
If you plan on going on a hiking trip, you’ve probably made some of the preparations: you have an idea of where you’re going and how long you’ll be there. But when it comes to the “crunch time” of really packing up and being totally prepared to head out, many people find that they’ve put off too much until the last minute.
That’s why you’ll want to start getting your feet ready today. With these five tips, you’ll build up both foot muscle and skin strength so that you can enjoy the hiking trip for the fresh air and views without thinking about your feet.
1. Walk barefoot as much as possible going into the trip.
Many of us walk around with socks and sandals, even around the house, and while this makes us more comfortable, it doesn’t exactly put a lot of stress on the feet. Why is this a bad thing? You want to put a little stress on them to get them stronger and work them up to a toughness that you’ll need once you finally hit the outdoors.
2. Trim your nails and check for possible ingrown nails.
Toenails grow slowly, so it’s sometimes tempting to ignore them. But before you go hiking, trimming your nails will help you to avoid jamming them and breaking them. Check for ingrown nails as well – if your toes look clear and are pain-free, chances are you don’t have any. Get your toenails round and short.
3. Exercise with your feet.
Even a little bit of walking every day will help you get your feet used to activity. For the more ambitious, you could try small hikes and jogs, but as long as you’re working out and using those feet muscles, you should be pretty good.
4. Wear comfortable, thick socks.
This can go without saying, but it’s worth the reminder: socks are crucial to keeping your feet comfortable. Test out a few before going and make sure they don’t hole up easily. You might even test them by going outside and using them – just make sure to wash them again!
5. Make sure your shoes are comfortable.
This will depend on your feet type and the type of terrain you plan on tackling, but if you have a pair of shoes or boots that you’ve taken hiking before and don’t put unnecessary strain on your feet, you’re off to a good start. Don’t bring a brand new pair of shoes on your hiking trip, as these sometimes need “breaking in” time and can give your feet blisters.
Photo Credits: David Plotzki
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Five Reasons to Make Hiking Your Next Hobby
When someone asks you what you like to do in your free time, are you sick of having nothing to say? “Well, I watch a lot of TV” isn’t exactly a great conversation starter. If you’ve been feeling like a couch potato lately and want to spice up your life, guess what? I have a suggestion for you. Take up hiking! Hiking is a great hobby that means exercise, fresh air, and, of course, a little something to talk about. Here are five reasons to make hiking your next hobby.
Reason #1: Regular exercise. It seems like a strange thing – suggesting “exercise” as a reason to go out and, well, exercise, but hiking is a great form of exercise that includes challenge, variety, and great views. Many people dislike exercise because of the monotony it can mean. Hiking isn’t exactly logging miles on the treadmill. Hiking is about going out and experiencing the world and the variety it has to offer. You’ll feel like a million bucks after a good hike.
Reason #2: Having a life. When someone asks you what you did with your weekend, do you always wish you had something more to say than “Well, nothing”? If so, give hiking a try – at least once – and see how much better you feel about your life. As with many things worthwhile, it will take a little bit of discipline to get yourself out there, but once you are, you’ll be glad you did. Sometimes it pays to avoid the easy comforts.Reason #3: Challenge. Why does hiking feel more fulfilling than walking on the treadmill for 30 minutes? Because the treadmill can often be flat, dull, and boring. Hiking is a hobby with challenge. You’ll often be walking on an incline, which means more exercise, and you’ll encounter different terrain and views along the trail.
Reason #4: Pride. Staying at home and lounging around feels good in the moment, but you have to ask yourself at the end of every day if you’re glad about what you did that day. Many times, we look back on the times we’ve had and regret the days we spent seeking comfort rather than enjoying life to its fullest. You’ll feel proud of yourself when you finally get out of the house.
Reason #5: Meeting new people. When you go out hiking, it’s hard to miss other hikers out there – with a shared hobby, you’ll have something to break the ice!
Photo Credits: brewbooks
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How to Hike for the Sights
While not all of us live in northern Arizona (think Grand Canyon territory), that doesn’t mean there aren’t sights to be hold when out hiking. Whether you live in the piney upper regions of the midwest, the forrests in the Pacific coast, or down south by the beaches, there’s plenty for everyone to see – you just need to know how to go see it.
Hiking has a million benefits as a hobby – it gives you fresh air, builds endurance, and gets your focus away from the office or the house. It gets you outdoors again, but one of the great payoffs to hiking is surmounting the obstacles, making your brief little journey up a hill, and truly earning the sight at the top. This gives you exercise more meaning than running laps in a gym or running like a hamster on a treadmill.
Here are some quick tips for hiking “for the sights,” and how to go about finding the best sights in your area:
- Ask those who know – If you’re not doing this, then what’s wrong with you? Of course you ask those who know – ask the hikers, ask the people you see “out there” and find out the best sites i your county. This is one of the easiest ways to do it, and people will be eager to give their recommendations if you look like you’re really willing to take their advice. They might even rank a few sights for you, from best to worst. Take advantage of the social aspects of hiking and learn about the sights in your area.
- Snoop around – If you want to quickly find out a sight to see for your first hiking trip, take to the internet. You’ll be able to take a look on Google Maps and even see pictures form particular areas, and this will give you a hint as to what’s out there. If you live in especially rocky areas, this will simplify your search, and if you live in some more desolate regions, you’ll find the best places to link up to. You can’t go wrong with a quick search on the internet as long as you take your snooping seriously.
- Explore – Duh! But you might find even greater satisfaction if you don’t look for the sights ahead of time, and simply go hiking in search of the sights. Exploring is a great way to get outside of your head and back into nature, focusing on the adventure itself oand not the latest annoyance at work or the stress at home. Going exploring has something primeval about it, a certain childlike quality that many of us miss in our adult days. Get out there and don’t read the stories; make the stories.
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These are just some of the ways to hike for sights, but you’ll never get to enjoy any of it if you’re not eventually out there, pushing one foot in front of the other. Go out and hike, and the sights will find you.
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Exercise Benefits of Hiking
If you’ve ever been hiking, walking, or even running outdoors, you know the feeling of gratification that occurs when you open that door back into the house. You remember how it feels good to be back out of the cold – or the heat, depending on where you live – taking a shower and feeling like you’ve really done yourself a favor. “Hmm,” you wonder. “Why don’t I do that more often?”
Well, why don’t you. There are plenty of benefits to exercise, but what are the benefits of using hiking as your form of exercise? Here are some quick benefits you’ll notice when you start taking those treks into the wilderness:
-Fresh air and sunlight.
Depending on the day, of course, sunlight can be a variable, but when it’s there, you get a nice dose of Vitamin D that humans have been wired to enjoy and soak up since the days of Adam and Eve. The fresh air also does wonder for the lungs, gets you outside of your head for a while, and allows you to fucs on what’s important. Many people even forgo the iPods and mp3 players – why distract yourself? Being outdoors gives you a mental energy and focus, a sharpness that will last you throughout the day, which is why so many people enjoy going in the morning.
-Leg strength.
Hiking has its challenges, and for that you should be grateful – without the challenges, there’d be no growth happening. Hiking is a great way to build lower-body strength and stamina, giving you a confidence about being in the outdoors that you didn’t have before. After you’ve hiked ten miles through some treacherous woods, you feel like you can beat anything, and after habitual hiking, you’ll find that your legs grow stronger, healthier, and ready for action. That’s personal growth you can’t buy.
-Endurance.
Endurance is also one of the hallmarks of the hiker, particular those especially-devoted hikers who can’t get themselves out of the woods. Keep in mind that while you’re enduring out there, getting out of your comfort zone, you’re also building endurance for next time, constantly building up your ability to enjoy this fundamental exercise. The more sweat, the better – you know you’ve accomplished something when you finally step on the bottom of that hill, soaked in sweat, looking up at the hill you just conquered. There’s no feeling that substitutes for the natural high of endorphins that comes with endurance.
These are just some of the benefits of hiking. To experience it for yourself, in short, get out there! You don’t know what you’re missing until you try it just once – and you never know; you might get hooked.
Photo Credits: footloosiety
