Add Hiking to Your Spring Fitness Routine

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Spring is here and you can finally move your workouts outdoors! If you are looking for a creative way to get more out of your spring fitness routine, try hiking.

If you are looking to add a new activity to your spring fitness routine, try adding hiking to your weekly routine.

Hiking is a great exercise for weight loss. But you might not want to rely solely on hiking and that’s it. A good fitness routine is balanced between cardio and weight training. Here are some tips for adding hiking to your spring fitness routine.

Don’t Rush Into Hiking

A really important thing to remember before you add hiking to your fitness routine is that it is not something you will master right away. Just like you can’t run 10 miles after never running before, you won’t be able to go on 10-mile hikes on the first day either.

As you start organizing your fitness schedule, make sure you allow yourself time to adjust to hiking. Start with short hikes of a mile or less in distance. Once you get used to those, gradually increase the length, time, and difficulty level of the hikes. You are more likely to spend time out on the trails if take hiking one step at a time. Trust me! You will enjoy the trails if you don’t wake up so sore you can’t move the next day. Start slow! This smooth transition makes it a lot easier to stick to the workouts.

Get Friends or Family Involved

Another way you can add it to your fitness routine is to include others. Hiking is a perfect way to include family or friends in your spring fitness routine. Since you aren’t going for speed, it is a great way to catch-up with a friend. When you start hiking, ask a friend if they want to join you. The hike may just be a gateway to doing other fitness activities together.

It is also a great time to allow your child(ren) time to explore nature. Get your kid(s) excited by playing a game. I-spy is great for a nature walk. This doesn’t have to be something you do alone! In fact, it is a lot more enjoyable with a friend or family member. Teamwork is what it is all about!

A guide to how to add hiking to your spring fitness routine

Find New Trails

As you begin getting more advanced in your hiking adventures, add new trails to the mix. Perhaps you want to try more incline. At least one day a week, you could add more elevation gain or hills and shorten the distance. This is going to increase the difficulty level, but it also helps to burn more calories.

Mix in Other Workouts

For the hiking to truly fit into your fitness routine, you need a good balance of workouts. If you want to hike 2 days a week, perhaps you hike over the weekend, then during the week, you have a few days where you combine other aerobic activity with some weight lifting days. This can be out of the house, in a gym, or right in your living room. If you are looking for some ideas for workouts that you can do at home or in a park, check out this workout.

Try adding hiking to your spring fitness routine. It has benefits beyond physical fitness. Each trip to the trail will show you something new. Enjoy your hike!

I’ve teamed up with some blogging friends to share some favorite spring things! Each gives a way to enjoy your time after your hike. Jennifer is sharing some fabulous spring cocktails and Bex is sharing an outdoor reading guide!

We’d LOVE for you to share your favorite spring things by linking up below!