Reason to hike No. 38: Live 7 years longer

How would you like to live seven years longer? Then go take a hike.

For about 25 minutes. Every day. And keep the pace brisk.

That’s the finding of a new German study of men and women between ages 30 and 60. Those who walked briskly for 25 minutes every day within six months showed body changes that would help them better repair their DNR. Such repairs could add up to seven years to their lives by slowing the aging process.

An added bonus: It halved their risk of a heart attack during their 50s and 60s.

And the best part? If you don’t currently hike there’s still time to benefit from it. None of the people in the study were regular exercisers.

So start hiking now. And we’ll see you on the trail – for an additional seven years!

Learn about trail guidebooks available in the Hittin’ the Trail series.

Try these exercises to prepare for upcoming hiking season

With spring’s arrival, the time finally has arrived for hitting some great day hiking trails. If living in a northern or a mountainous climate, though, you may have just spent the long winter indoors. So while you’re itchin’ to get out, you may be a little out of shape, even for a short day hike. Go hiking without being in shape, though, and you’ll fatigue quickly – and for the next few days your sore muscles will remind you just how out of shape you were.

Good exercises for hiking focus on strengthening these four areas of the body:
g Heart – Hiking essentially is a cardio workout. To prepare for it, begin by walking short distances on a flat surface. Increase the distance and add a little more uphill terrain each day.
g Legs – You’ll feel the greatest burn in your thighs and calves. Exercises such as lunges and stepping on/off a small step will help.
g Back – Often your back will be strained by carrying a daypack or child carrier with your little one in it. You can do basic stretches such as hip bridges, side planks and side planks to toughen up your muscles.
g Shoulders – The pressure points for anything you carry on your back will be your shoulders. Adding a little muscle to them helps provide a cushion. You might try a floor press, a dumbbell row, and scaptions.

Even if you’re in fairly good shape, these exercises can be helpful in keeping you limber for your hikes. Consider doing them on the days you’re not on the trail.

Read more about day hiking with children in my Hikes with Tykes guidebooks.

Reason No. 18 to take kids day hiking: More effective exercise

Taking your kids on a day hike may increase the effectiveness of their exercise, a new study suggests. Researchers at the University of Essex in England found that cyclists reported an 8.3 percentage decrease in their feelings of fatigue after watching a video of green foliage, compared to a group of cyclists who watched video in black and white.

The upshot? Getting outdoors likely boosts mood, motivation, and self-enjoyment, the study notes. If you’re less fatigued, you may go farther than you would if playing indoors, even if that play includes a lot of tearing around.

However, the main factor in the boost appears to be the color green as opposed to nature itself, the study suggests. So hiking the desert may not increase the effectiveness of exercise as much as hiking in the mountains or other wooded area. Further, a hike during summer and late spring probably is more beneficial than one in winter or late fall.

Read more about day hiking with children in my Hikes with Tykes guidebooks.

'Hiking with kids? You’ve got to be kidding!' No, we're serious!

There are plenty of reasons to hike with children.

Listing excuses of why not to hike with children is easy enough: Kids wouldn’t enjoy it, I don’t know where there’s a trail, it takes too much time, I’m out of shape, it’s too expensive.

Unfortunately, the suggestion of taking children hiking tends to elicit from long-time hikers one of two reactions: They either say it’s impossible or they overestimate the abilities of their kids. The first group sadly misses out on a wonderful family experience and gives up a great pastime. The second group creates a hellish experience for themselves and their children and often come to think the first group is right. It is true that with children you’ll probably not hike as you did before, but you still can have an enjoyable time on the trails.

The novice hiker who takes along children always hits the trails with good intent: It’s a great way to spend time with the kids, it’ll be good exercise, it’s something their own parents did with them so a tradition they want to carry on. Unfortunately, novice hikers usually misjudge their abilities and fail to prepare. Especially when kids are involved, that can lead to bad experiences, injury and even death.

All of those arguments are fallacies. Kids generally love to be outdoors. There’s probably a hiking trial within a few miles of your house, even if you live in the middle of a major metro area. Hiking these trails often only takes a couple of hours or at most an afternoon. Walking a day hiking trail is a good way to get back into shape. Hiking also is very inexpensive, requiring very little gear or clothing that isn’t already in the closet and not requiring any hotels or restaurants. You generally don’t need to pay entry fees (and when you do they’re typically low), and usually there’s no place where a child can demand you buy toys.

More than likely, the real reasons you’re not hiking is because planning for a trip can be intimidating, and as a parent you have real fears for your children’s safety. This book will guide you through the planning process and giving you the knowledge to ensure you and your children remain safe. After all, both you and your children will benefit in a number of ways from hiking.

Read more about day hiking with children in my Hikes with Tykes guidebooks.

Why hike with kids No. 13: Prevent cancer

Hiking can lower the risk of cancer. 

Here’s another good reason o take the kids hiking: It’ll lower their risk of cancer.

Excess weight and a sedentary lifestyle can lead to at least 25-33% of common cancers, a report released earlier this year says. Researchers from the CDC, North American Association of Central Cancer Registries, the National Cancer Institute and the American Cancer Society co-authored the report, published in late March 2012 in the journal “Cancer.”

Other than giving up tobacco, probably the best ways to prevent cancer and death from it are sufficient exercise and keeping a healthy weight, the report said. About 572,000 cancer deaths annually in the United States can be attributed to diet and physical activity habits, including being overweight.

“You can improve prognosis and quality of life by losing weight, improving nutrition and exercising,” says Rachel Ballard-Barbash, associate director of the applied research program at NCI.

So how about a taking a hike every other day?

Read more about day hiking with children in my guidebook Hikes with Tykes.

Reason No. 3 to Hike with Kids: Exercise

Hiking is a low impact exercise that’s invigorating. It helps strengthen muscles, the heart and lungs, and builds stamina and endurance.

Walking certainly is necessary, especially at a time of high obesity in the United States – but why limit yourself to walking alone on a treadmill inside a building when you could be with your family breathing in fresh mountain air or feeling the breeze off an ocean through your hair? The faster you go on the trail adds an aerobic element to the workout, allowing you to tone muscle.

Kids have a lot of energy. Give them an interesting place where they can run it off, and you’ve made for a fun day. At the very least, running around in the fresh air is a guaranteed good night’s sleep.

Read more about day hiking with children in the guidebook Hikes with Tykes.