Running is one of the best exercises out there, but it can impact our joints severely from time to time. If we are training as much as possible for a marathon, we can feel this in the aches and pains we experience more as we get older. But, this is why it’s important for our bodies, and our minds, to mix up our workouts from time to time. Not only is it beneficial to your body to keep it guessing, it’s a great way to stop you making excuses not to work out! If we do the same old exercise route, we can get bored. So, let’s mix up your outside workout.
Getting On The Bike
Much less of an impact on our joints and muscles is getting on a bicycle, and hitting the road is a very common pursuit for people. Not only is it an all-body workout, it’s a fantastic cardio workout that is as beneficial as running. But you’ve got to be careful, depending on where you are, you may be constantly battling with traffic. And this is why you have to ensure that safety is paramount when you are hitting the road. If you’re cycling at night, make sure you are wearing the appropriate safety gear, because if you end up in any sort of accident, you’d rather not end up calling a bicycle accident lawyer. And if it’s popular amongst your friends, it’s always handy to have some legal help on standby, such as the George Salinas Law Firm to give you some advice should something ever happen. But, for all of the dangers out on the road, you can always bank on a good workout when you’re on the bike.
Hiking
As far as a cardio workout is concerned, you may not consider hiking to be that strenuous, but this means you’ve got to choose a challenging terrain. Going up and down mountains is a very challenging pursuit. But if it’s something that hurts you, then hiking up and down difficult terrain gets your body used to different types of surfaces. This can serve you in good stead if you are planning on running a marathon because your body has to adapt to the various terrain. Because it is such a low impact exercise, you are letting your body adapt easily to the environment. And this is something that we don’t always consider when it comes to running, because it’s such a high impact sport, that we need to give our bodies that time to rest and recuperate, but we can’t be sedentary and inactive either. This is where hiking strikes the right balance. Going up mountains means that we have to adapt to the decrease in oxygen, but the terrain provides enough of a challenge.
Of course, running isn’t just about the muscles, it’s about our breathing and improving our VO2 max, and this is where hiking and cycling come into their own. Remember, we need to mix up our road workout from time to time, and so, by either getting on the bike, or heading up a mountain, we can give our bodies the challenge it needs, but also the opportunity to rest those weary joints.
Speak soon,
Lotsa love
AG xxo
GalsGoss 