Take a hike! Springing into Spring

As the snow melts and the ground begins to thaw most people are itching to get back outside. The majority of New Englanders slip into a faux hibernation during the winter as an attempt to avoid the harsh weather. New Hampshire is home to a multitude of state parks and vast country side that offer its residents beautiful walking and hiking trails. Fresh air, nice views, and interaction with nature are just a few of the many perks of exploring the great outdoors. In addition to those, hiking can be a powerful cardio workout that can lower your risk for heart disease, decrease blood pressure, decrease blood sugar levels, increase strength of your legs and core, improve balance and increase mood stabilizing chemicals in the brain.

It’s important to remember a few things this spring as you transition into a more active lifestyle. Start your season off slow, choose a shorter trail with low elevation and even surfaces in order to assess your tolerance level. It can be helpful to use apps such as AllTrails to determine the difficulty level of trail prior to doing it. This particular app rates trails from easy to hard and allows hikers to put remarks about the trail in the comments section. You can then progress from the easy trails to the more challenging trails at your leisure in order to avoid injury and a potentially dangerous situation.

If you’re new to trail walking and hiking, you may be nervous about the aspect of balancing on the uneven surfaces that make up a majority of our trails in New England. If this is the case, you may want to consider adding trekking poles to your regimen. They will not only provide you with increased stability but also increase your cardio workout by requiring the use of both arms in addition to your legs. If trekking poles don’t decrease your concern then you’re probably a good candidate for balance therapy. A physical therapist can provide you with exercises that will help improve your balance on different surface types as well as on one leg versus both legs. Answer two simple questions to determine if you need balance therapy: Can you balance on one leg for 30 seconds or longer? Can you stand heel to toe for 30 seconds or longer? If you answered no to one OR both of these then I strongly encourage you to report these findings to your Doctor before proceeding with your hiking plans.

Stretching before and after hiking is very important for the musculature in your legs. It can be as simple as a 5-10 minute routine before you hit the trail head. A few suggested stretches are: bending down to touch your toes, putting your hands on your lower back and stretching backwards, lunging forward to stretch your calves, and rotating your trunk from side to side. These should be performed at least 10 times, holding each for 5-10 seconds.

Hydration is key during any exercise activity. It’s suggested that you drink one to two glasses of water before heading out for a hike. Limit the consumption of caffeinated or alcoholic beverages before and during the activity. Make sure to plan ahead and pack fluids to replace the fluids lost during your hike. You can alternate plain water with an electrolyte enhanced beverage/sports drink. Remember, hydration is no joke – hiking in a dehydrated state can lead to heat stroke, muscles breakdown and kidney failure.

Prior to hitting the trails, it’s recommended to use the buddy system in case of emergency. Bring a friend or at the very least let a loved one know where you’ll be. Some trail heads have sign-in books, the purpose of these is to let the Park Rangers know how many people are on the trails at any given time. They can determine whether you have safely completed your hike by checking to see if you marked your sign-out time in the book.

This article was written by Dr. Kaitlyn Hamel, Physical Therapist at Seacoast Spine & Sports Injuries Clinic of Portsmouth and Hampton, NH.