Hike Healthy

Following on from my previous blog, this time I was pondering what it was I had to do in order for me to feel comfortable and happy out walking, and to enjoy my days out.

I think I've had a fairly active life and always much prefer being outdoors. As a child, I was encouraged to get outside. Television time was limited and we didn't have the internet or mobile phones, so we made our own entertainment. We had a large dog, I was pony mad and helped out at the stables every weekend and in the school holidays for years and I played a lot of sport at school. I discovered a love of walking in my late teens and this has continued up to the present day, and we also enjoy running, mountain biking and swimming.

Any form of hiking or climbing is hard work, there's no doubt about it, but with some effort, you can thoroughly enjoy your days as well. There's nothing better than achieving whatever goal you've set yourself that day, be it a mountain top, a multi day hike, a bike ride or just a bit of a longer dog walk. Try not to be put off by the weather, as you will need to get out in all conditions, in all seasons and on all types of different terrain. The following things have helped me over the years.

Building fitness - There’s no sugar coating this; it is essentially a lot of hard work and commitment and you do have to put the effort in. You don't want to go at it too hard if you're just starting out or you’ll probably end up being put off. For me though, regular and repeated exercise has been the key to maintaining and increasing my fitness levels. It was no good visiting the Lakes perhaps three or four times a year, doing nothing in between and then expecting to be able to comfortably hike 10 miles over 7 or 8 hours. I had to maintain a level of fitness in between visits and that has meant walking every day, which I enjoy and really notice if I don't do it. In fact, I actually feel guilty if I don't do it. We always set ourselves a target mileage to achieve and try to walk faster than usual. We try to mix our walking up a little so it's not all on the flat, but there aren't many decent hills where we live, and you do need to climb hills to prepare for the hills. If we only have limited time or a flat walk, we mix it up with bursts of jogging then faster walking. We also take our mountain bikes out and we swim, do pilates and gym work for strength and suppleness and we always take the stairs.

Building stamina - I think this is where I've seen my biggest improvement. Over the last two decades, going for longer, harder and higher walks has meant that today, Bro and I know we can walk continuously and steadily for 10 hours over mountainous terrain, quite comfortably. Walking speeds have also increased as my legs and back became stronger. The key is to increase the length of your walks, walk faster,  include some running and always include some uphill, even jogging uphill. Any regular movement or sport will help though.

Getting enough sleep - I find this both easier and harder as I've got older. I'm usually beginning to nod off at about 10pm and go to bed around then. I do find I wake up in the night, but I'm usually awake by about 6am and I think seven hours is about right for me. There are the occasional nights when my mind's buzzing and I lie awake until the small hours, but I know I'll sleep well the next night, so I try to be relaxed about it. I always sleep with the window wide open, even in winter and usually have the curtains open as well. 

Eating well - We don't eat processed foods, we always have plenty of fresh fish, fruit and veg, we limit tea or coffee - both decaf - to one cup a day and we eat lots of pulses, grains and beans. We don't have too much red meat, we try to reduce the amount of carbs we have and we try to eat seasonally. We're not perfect - we like the odd chocolate bar or biscuit, but everything in moderation. We always have a decent breakfast before a walk - granola with yoghurt and blueberries and a bagel or slice of brown toast, or porridge with honey and banana in the winter, and always a good meal after a big walk. We drink lots and lots of water throughout each and every day. I very rarely have alcohol, although Bro does occasionally have a pint of ale.

Preparing yourself - We keep toe nails short so they don't bang against the end of our boots. We look after our feet, treating anything like corns, calluses and dry skin immediately and keep feet clean, warm, dry and moisturised as much as we can. We moisturise faces and hands and use lots of sunscreen and lip balm. I don't wear lots of make up or jewellery on the hills, hair is tied back and underwear is comfortable. I would’t advise wearing new boots on a long walk as I did recently and suffered some discomfort in my knees on a couple of long descents. Make sure your kit is tried, tested and comfortable before you set off. Make sure you stretch and warm up properly before you set off, and warm down when you return. Try to maintain a good, positive attitude and try not to complain if it rains or you're finding it harder than you thought, or the day will probably be even more miserable. It will get better!

With some effort, perseverance and preparation, you should be able to enjoy your days out, comfortably and easily.