Outdoor Recreation. Hiking for Fitness.
THE ATTRACTION OF OUTDOOR WORKOUTS
What if you could escape from cardio-equipment, packed step classes and prime-time club crowds, even if only for a few hours? Imagine walking down a dirt road, a back-country trail or through a park — where every step carries you farther away from concrete walls and “business as usual.” Picture yourself surrounded by trees or wildflowers, spectacular mountain ranges or panoramic city views. After all, running a health club doesn’t have to mean offering exercise programs indoors only.
Fitness hiking is a way to condition oneself in nature, while spending quality time alone, with workout partners or with family. It’s a way to exercise your mind and body outside the hustle and bustle of a busy facility. For this reason, the attraction of outdoor workouts is becoming tough competition for many clubs.
“More and more people are skipping the gym to go mountain biking, in-line skating and hiking,” says Laurie Pehar, consultant and activities director for six Southern California Spectrum Clubs. “Even though our clubs are crowded, people are kind of bored with the same old stuff inside.”
There’s no denying it — walking is still the nation’s most popular activity. Walking and hiking require a minimum investment. You can do it inside or out, in any climate or weather — any time. And, almost everyone can do it. For clubs, off-road walking and fitness hiking may be the easiest way to tap into sports-oriented and/or family communities.
“People who have kids and those over 50 are the largest markets for health and fitness,” says fitness industry entrepreneur Sharon McPherson of Club-Sport Pleasanton in California. “Families are making up a majority of our memberships. Athletic clubs are looking at this statistic and saying, ‘How are we going to keep these people, or attract them, as members?’ One approach is to offer on- and off-road walking programs for the entire family, advertised and promoted as ‘quality time fitness.’”
According to McPherson, many clubs cater to an educated public that’s looking for the mind/body connection to carry the feeling of working out into everyday lifestyle. “The outdoors is an important part of our lifestyles,” she adds. “As educators, we should promote not just ‘come to my step class’ and that’s it; rather ‘come to my class, then go for a hike, then tomorrow come back into the club and do strength training.’”
“It’s all about getting and staying in shape, mentally and physically,” says personal trainer and recreational sports specialist Jerry Tyler. “Indoors and outdoors, I offer my clients as many different options as possible to keep them interested and, hopefully, to develop fitness as a lifestyle. My goal is to provide training for a well-balanced fitness program — whether that means training with weights and aerobics, or going skating, biking and hiking.”
Tyler says the freedom of fitness hiking is as important to his clients as indoor strength training. “The most important element of fitness is that it should be hassle-free, inexpensive and fun. And, as a fitness professional, activities like fitness hiking are kind of selfish. It gives me a break from the real world, too. I enjoy the ‘workout’ as much as my clients do.”
In fact, many personal trainers look at activities like fitness hiking as a means to redefine the phrase “one on one.” “Relying solely on the trail, without being surrounded by equipment and other club amenities, provides the opportunity to really get to know my clients,” says Gerry Stoneman, an avid hiker and owner of G-Force Personal Fitness in Carmel, Calif. “Compared to an aerobics class where the instructor stands in front, separated and away from the students, hiking is interpersonal. There’s nothing wrong with getting to know your clients and students on a more intimate level. This type of communication has been missing from our industry and needs to be addressed. Activities like off-road hiking that take us away from our old, familiar comfort zones can set the scene to discover who our clients really are and what their true needs are.”
Hiking for fitness
When you hike, physical exertion is a functional part of the excursion. Fitness happens as a result of necessity. It’s the ultimate fitness experience because of constant physical and mental challenges. Hiking on trails and dirt roads requires relaxed concentration, mental and physical agility and endurance. Ground surfaces on trails vary. In the course of one hike, you might walk on dirt, grass, gravel, sand, or through swampy meadows or rock stairways. You have to be conscious of every rock, stump, twist and turn in the trail to maintain balance. You might discover new territory. Impulsively you might decide to take a detour to scramble across a boulder field, cross a stream or do an off-trail hill climb.
Program suggestions
Before jumping into a fitness-hiking program, the following issues should be addressed:
* As with any special activity, have participants sign a liability waiver.
* Regular aerobics shoes, even many walking shoes, are not acceptable for unpredictable terrain. Lightweight hiking or off-road running shoes are more appropriate, or shoes with heavier tread and a wider sole surface for stability.
* Cross training on stairs or an indoor stair climbing machine is excellent conditioning for fitness hiking. If your students can climb four sets of stairs without getting winded, they’ll be fine on the trail.
* Start your program with off-road walking on flat terrain.
* Follow your general class format guidelines: Warm up, take heart rate checks, cool down and stretch.
* Use regular walking technique until you begin to explore irregular ground surfaces (which challenge balance and agility). The more difficult the trail, with rock and tree stump diversions, agility becomes a natural part of the required fitness components.
* Try not to constantly look down; instead, expand visual skills to scan the area immediately in front of you all the way up a distance in front and to the sides.
* After becoming comfortable on the flats with steady state workouts, introduce timed or informal cardiovascular intervals. Do this by timing more intense walking intervals, adding hill climb diversions or walking on irregular terrain.
Safety
The trend for health clubs to offer fitness hiking instruction has brought about concern over the quality of instruction and safety of those who take these classes. Chicago attorney Frances Krasnow, who specializes in health club law, says it’s not likely anyone will sustain injuries through off-the-premise health club activities any more than participating in sports or exercising at home. “If anything, injuries would be reduced because of precautions taken by health clubs,” she says.
Before participating in specialty outdoor activities, Krasnow suggests fitness professionals be prepared to answer lots of questions and provide information about the activity. For example, if your club is planning a day hike, will there be an EMT group leader and/or medical facilities nearby? Is there education or clinics offered ahead of time about off-road safety, including equipment needs or hiking technique? How about conditioning classes with instruction on the proper ways to warm up and stretch?
Following are some hiking safety tips. Depending on where you live and work out, these may vary. For example, poison oak and ivy are prevalent in certain parts of the country, as are insects like chiggers and ticks. Become knowledgeable about the flora and fauna of your region by going to the library to do preliminary research. Safety considerations for off-road adventuring:
* Dress for the weather; workout gloves to pad the palms of your hands are a good idea.
* Tell someone where you’re going and when you’ll return.
* Pace yourself if you plan a long day trip.
* Bring lots of drinking water; don’t trust natural water sources, which may contain parasites.
* On the trail, pack-animals (horses and mules) have the right of way.
* Don’t take shortcuts on switch-back trails; you’ll erode the trail and cause washouts in the rainy season.
* Use a map and/or compass.
* If walking alone, wear a loud whistle; it’s a good idea to be skilled at basic self-defense.
* Dogs are legal on National Forest land and on dirt roads; bring a leash to keep them away from other animals like horses and mules. On the trail a dog can easily double your mileage. Keep him on a leash so he doesn’t tire half way. Dogs are not allowed in National Parks.
You might be reading this article thinking, “Sounds great, but I live in the city. Where can I go fitness and off-road hiking here?” With little research, you’ll be surprised to find out that there are off-road maps available through a variety of sources in every city.
I guarantee you’ll find lots of resources through these agencies: parks and recreation departments, motorcycle clubs, national parks and forests, city planning commissions, chamber of commerce and tourism bureaus. Beyond those sources, try the nearest U.S. Forest Service and National Parks Service offices. Call local information for any of these phone numbers.
If you exhaust your efforts and can’t find a park, plan a travel day hike destination once a month for your membership. Staff it with no more than one fitness leader per 20 members. Encourage participation first and fitness second. Make sure members have the option to stroll if necessary with no pressure to keep up. You’ll all come back refreshed and excited about the next excursion!
Fitness redefined
The exercising public has begun to redefine the term “fitness” to include involvement in outdoor recreation as a regular part of their lifestyles. Fitness hiking can fill this need if presented as a non-intimidating option; it’s really just another way to walk.
Off-road activities
Here are some off-road activities your facility may want to schedule. Some require special equipment, skills training and a high level of fitness; others require only a good pair of shoes and unrestricted curiosity.
* Discovery hike — like a scavenger hunt
* Family walks
* Nature excursions
* Bird watching
* Star-gazing
* Wildflower walks
* Geological hike
* Basic orienteering
* Dog walking
Day-hike necessities
* Day pack
* Water
* Food (nutrition bars are good)
* Pocket first aid kit
* Swiss army knife
* Sunscreen
* Insect repellent
* Lip protection
* Map