Take a Hike.

For the past several years, I believe, my family has gone hiking on the 4th of July. And on many other summer holidays as well. This year we opened up our trusty book of hikes in Utah and picked a new one. It was up above the Brighton ski resort. Lets just say all this rain and cold weather we have had left us with a nice surprise of SNOW. Yes, we hiked through snow on the 4th of July.

The best part? Coming down. My family loves to hike weekly near our house, and usually I hate coming down. It just seems to drag on. But this time, because of the snow, we got to SLIDE down the mountain :) It was a blast!

It was a great way to spend the 4th...both because it was with my family and because it was spent outdoors being active!

Hiking is a great alternative to in the gym or at home workouts. It gets you moving in a new place with lots of fresh air and beautiful scenery. It uses completely different muscles than running, biking or playing sports. It is great for conditioning your heart, especially the longer the distance and the more up and down it is. When your heart has to work harder to go up, then slow down and recover, and then go up again, it is conditioning it to increase endurance.

Be sure to wear proper attire, like sturdy shoes and layers. Luckily we were prepared with gloves and jackets so hiking through the snow wasn't a problem. We passed some hikers on the way down that weren't ready for the snow, and that can make for a miserable hike!

So next time you are looking to mix up your workout and get some good cross training in, as well as breathe in some fresh air...take a hike!

~Do you hike for cross training?
~What is your favorite hike?