I went for a hike with my friend Greg today, although he didn't want to be mentioned in my blog so I will just refer to him as "Ice-G". Anyway, Ice told me that the best form of exercise was a moderate hike that included slight elevation changes with periods of flat terrain for heart rate recovery. Apparently, walking only helps circulation and digestion (even though I think anything that gets me off the couch has to be good for me), jogging is horrible on the joints (ankle, knees, hips) and strenuous hiking of the uphill variety isn't much better than jogging. So we went for a moderate hike of three miles and I have to admit it felt pretty good.
The photo above was taken while on the hike and shows that the weather this time of year is perfect. It is a panoramic of several shots stitched together. Click on it to see the larger size.
2 comments:
Jerry, although mostly correct, has omitted some pertinent information with regard to walking. "Only" is a bit strong. There are many additional health benefits to walking such as improved cardiovascular fitness, weight loss from calorie burning, etc.
Hiking was mentioned as a preferred fitness activity to walking based on its easily measured improvements (time and distance are shorter), hiking can be challenging for all levels of fitness, and overall health impact and improvement can be obtained in a faster period of time.
With respect to the "strenuous uphill hike", I say the harder you push yourself the better. Always remember to stop and enjoy the view; just be easy on those joints coming down.
Good Times,
Ice-G
Thanks for your input and clarification Ice.
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