Healthy, Happy Trails

A gym alternative that's got everyone breathing fresh air.

By Cynthia Dermody
From Reader's Digest
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Get fit while enjoying nature's finest season!
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Skip the gym and head for the great outdoors.
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But when hiking, you have an infinite variety of workouts and levels -- and better scenery than in your gym!
Now that the weather's warm, give the StairMaster a break and take a hike. "There are only a certain number of dumbbells," says Seth Levy of the American Hiking Society. "But when hiking, you have an infinite variety of workouts and levels -- and better scenery than in your gym!" No wonder the number of hiking outings has increased 20% since 1998.

Walking on a flat trail for an hour, a 140-pound person can burn as much as 300 calories. Pick a more challenging spot with hills, and you burn 445 calories or more. Hiking also builds flexibility and strength. Going uphill firms the calves and glutes, while downhill jaunts tone the quadriceps. To exercise your upper body and take pressure off bad knees, try trekking poles, which look and work like cross-country ski poles.

Get started on June 4, National Trails Day. Use the trail finder at americanhiking.org to find a hike near you.
From Reader's Digest - June 2006
 
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