Hiking your way to a healthier lifestyle

Ahh, the great outdoors: The weather is perfect, bug spray is selling fast, shorts are replacing jeans. The snow is melting to show the trails that we haven't seen for months. Whatever the case, with the mountains just right there, why not take advantage with a pair of hiking boots?

Getting on your feet and heading outdoors is one of the best things you can do for yourself, according to Isaiah Castilleja, a personal trainer at Qi, a workout facility downtown. Hiking, he said, is an especially beneficial workout.

"It's a workout in two ways," said Castilleja. "First, it's a cardio workout. Anything over a 20-minute hike is great cardio. Secondly, it is resistance training."

By simply carrying your weight with the uphill resistance, you are toning your muscles. Also, according to Castilleja, as you move up the mountains and the elevation gets greater, the altitude lowers the oxygen in the air, making your body work harder to walk. This burns more calories and makes for a better workout.

Many long-term hikers notice that the hiking gets easier. According to Castilleja, this is common and often hikers will drop back, thinking that they aren't getting as beneficial of a workout as they once did. "This is called the plateau principle," said Castilleja. This is the point where hikers' bodies have finally adjusted to the conditions of the trail. This, according to Castilleja, should not stop hikers from hiking. "It is always beneficial to go," he said. "The big thing is not to stop."

Castilleja suggests choosing a different trail, taking a steeper incline, or just choosing to carry a heavier backpack. These options will diminish the plateau principle and force your body to readjust again.

This plateau principle is seen not only in hiking but in most every sport. Melissa Levy, a certified personal trainer at Design Fitness, said anyone who is doing the same workout every time will hit this point, whether it's a daily five-mile run or hiking a three-mile trail.

"I would say the best thing you can do for your system [to not hit this plateau] is to crosstrain," said Levy. "If in one day you do a trail five miles uphill, then the next day do a ten-mile trail, or bike instead."

To prep yourself for a season of hiking, Levy suggested hitting the gym. Get on the treadmill about four times a week and work hard on an uphill incline. You'll want to set the treadmill on an incline level of 10 or above, said Levy, and keep a steady pace for 20-35 minutes, which, in a few weeks, should prepare you for the great outdoors.

If you are just beginning hiking, start small. "One of the biggest things I see is people who think they can take a long trail and wear themselves out," said Castilleja.

But if hiking isn't your thing just yet, try just walking or biking to the store instead. "Just choosing to get out and do something is good," said Castilleja. Any movement is good movement.