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Camping and hiking to stay in shape...
Camping and hiking go together like not too many activities and there are some serious benefits to it physically. It's probably one of the most natural ways for you to get into shape.
To begin with you're in the great outdoors when you're camping like this and all the good things that go along with it, i.e. sunshine, fresh air, etc... You can actually see the difference in the quality of air when you get away from the big city life. The smog disappears and you have nice clean air to breathe. You a couple of options when camping and hiking. One is to go from campsite to campsite, tearing down your gear and setting it up again at the end of the day when you've reached your destination. The other of course is to hike in to your base camp and do day hikes that will b ring you back to the camp you started from. Either is good in my opinion. I actually enjoy the extra work of hauling my gear around. I don't really know why, I just do. On the other hand I also enjoy doing the day hikes. They usually include scrambling up some difficult hills and small cliffs. You get a little dirty but there's certainly some satisfaction at the end of the day when you're cooking up your food at the campsite. You feel like you've earned it.
You may not have considered that camping and hiking can be good exercise. You probably know it, but just don't give it much thought. Even if you're the type to work out at home a few days a week I can almost guarantee that you'll find muscles you didn't know you had when you're trying to make your way through the back country. There are often only game trails that are not frequented by other people. Basically just a thin line in the grass or bush indicating which way to go. There will usually be obstacles like logs and fallen rock and all sorts of other things. You'll be required to maneuver over these obstacles and when you're carrying your gear (or not in some cases) it can be very difficult. You learn just how much you use your muscles for simple things like balance. As usual though, you need to be prepared. I know you hear that time and again as you read through this site but I can't stress enough how important preparation is. If you think you're going to leave your site to go exploring for the day then you would be wise to have a map of the area and a compass or even a GPS. I prefer the GPS because with it I can mark the spot I'm standing right now as a waypoint and using the GPS I can be brought right back to that spot. However trees and clouds and high cliffs can limit the use of a GPS so a compass is a good alternative. It really doesn't matter what you use. The important thing is that you use something so you don't get lost.
Other safety issues with hiking of course would be sprains and strains, poison ivy, insect bites, animals. Be prepared folks it really doesn't take much to be ready. You'll then be able to enjoy the exercise benefits of hiking with no worries. It's the best most natural way I know of for building muscle, burning fat, raising your heart rate and generally improving your health. Not to mention the "one with nature" type of serenity you fell when you're getting away from it all. Have other questions or ideas about camping and hiking? Type them into the search box below for answers...
Click on the link to return to the top of the camping and hiking page or click on camping vacation to return to the previous page. Go back to the homepage for more information on camping . Thanks for your visit.
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