{"id":21097,"date":"2014-05-13T18:00:00","date_gmt":"2014-05-13T18:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/breakingmuscle.com\/\/\/uncategorized\/hiking-a-fun-way-to-get-the-family-moving"},"modified":"2021-11-22T01:08:56","modified_gmt":"2021-11-22T06:08:56","slug":"hiking-a-fun-way-to-get-the-family-moving","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/breakingmuscle.com\/hiking-a-fun-way-to-get-the-family-moving\/","title":{"rendered":"Hiking: A Fun Way to Get the Family Moving"},"content":{"rendered":"

One of my regular activities involves Saturday morning trail runs with other women. We belong to a group called WOOT<\/a> (Women on Okinawa Trails), and we enjoy breaking up the monotony of weekday pavement runs by taking to the trails.\u00a0Last summer, we realized that hiking the trails would open up opportunities to encourage less active family members and friends to get moving.<\/strong><\/p>\n

One of my regular activities involves Saturday morning trail runs with other women. We belong to a group called WOOT<\/a> (Women on Okinawa Trails), and we enjoy breaking up the monotony of weekday pavement runs by taking to the trails.\u00a0Last summer, we realized that hiking the trails would open up opportunities to encourage less active family members and friends to get moving.<\/strong><\/p>\n

We\u2019re Not Moving Around Enough<\/h2>\n

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention<\/a>, statistics published in 2013 suggest that 60% of American adults do not get the recommended amount of physical activity.<\/p>\n

Furthermore, the University of Rochester Medical Center published in its Health Encyclopedia<\/a> that 50% of adolescents do not get enough physical activity and on average they spend 7.5 hours a day on TV, computers, games, and cell phones.<\/p>\n

What these statistics imply is that an equally high number of Americans will invariably suffer from various health problems as a result of inactivity<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The American Heart Association <\/a>recommends at least thirty minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity at least five days a week for overall cardiovascular health, and moderate-to-high-intensity muscle strengthening activity at least two days a week for additional health benefits.<\/p>\n

For children (six to seventeen years), the duration of aerobic activity should be sixty minutes a day, and muscle strengthening activities are encouraged at least three days a week.<\/p>\n

For some, finding time to exercise is legitimately difficult. But let\u2019s face it, most people choose not to exercise<\/a> because they favor other types of activities.<\/p>\n

Maybe the key to getting people moving is to stop showing them all the reasons why they should exercise, and show them instead some physical activity options that might actually appeal to them<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The Reason to Choose Hiking<\/h2>\n

Hiking is a physical activity that may potentially appeal to a large and diverse group of people. It\u2019s a physical activity that does not require a certain level of fitness, a certain skill set, or expensive clothes and gear<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

All that\u2019s needed is a decent pair of hiking shoes and maybe a hydration pack<\/a> or a hand-held water bottle. Obviously, those who venture into more adventurous forms of hiking will want to invest in additional and more quality shoes and gear, but for the beginner hiker none of these extras are necessary.<\/p>\n

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Some of you may be asking at this point how hiking is any different to walking, and if walking seems like a pretty boring activity, then why would hiking be any different?<\/p>\n

Besides the obvious answer that you\u2019re expecting – that you get to appreciate the beauty of nature and the outdoors – hiking can be an activity that everyone in the family is able to participate in, hence it makes for a great family day out<\/a>, or on a larger scale, a family and friends group event.<\/p>\n

One way that our trail running group has attempted to turn hiking into a fun family and group activity is by advertising it as more of a social versus sporting event<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

We encourage friends to bring their friends, and our kids\u2019 friends to bring their friends, and so forth. For the young ones, we try to make the event enjoyable<\/a> by providing \u201cnature hunt\u201d challenges and offering prizes.<\/p>\n

The kids get so caught up in finding answers to clues along the trails that they forget they are even exercising. Likewise, the adults are typically so engaged in conversation that their fluctuating levels of exertion often go unnoticed.<\/p>\n

The Benefits of Hiking<\/h2>\n

But on a more serious note, hiking provides some great benefits for adults and youth alike. First of all, hiking is a low-impact activity and therefore ideal for beginner exercisers, or individuals who are younger, older, overweight, or who suffer from arthritis or osteoporosis<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Such individuals can enjoy the fun aspects of hiking while also reaping the following benefits:<\/strong><\/p>\n