This beginners guide provides you with 12 simple and effective lifestyle habits that can assist you in getting into shape for hiking. The bonus? These habits can be utilised for long-term wellbeing, fitness and energy!

Let’s do this!

1. Get a check up from your GP

Before you start a fitness routine or make major changes, it’s a good idea to get a checkup from your GP. Check your blood pressure, blood and let them know what you prepose to change.

2. Walk around your suburbs

Start by walking around your suburbs and work yourself up to power walks. Choose a pace that is challenging and build yourself up to keep the pace for a minimum of 30 minutes. Walking at an upbeat pace is beneficial for your heart health and lungs. It’s also pre-training your legs for hiking. If there are inclines or little uphill areas in your suburb, don’t shy away from them. Walk up and down them – practice for declines out on the trails!.

Tip: If you have an iPhone, check out the “Health” app that is already on your phone (white background, pink heart). This has probably already been tracking your steps! If not, you can set it up and where ever you go with your phone it will automatically be tracking your steps and how far you have walked. Cool huh? This is a great way to see what you are doing on a daily basis.

3. Resistance and strength training

Strengthening your entire body – legs, core, back, arms, neck – will aid in shaping up for hiking. That’s right! Your weekly workouts of squats and pushups are useful for your hikes. Workouts that get your heart rate up prepare you for hiking. And well – it’s healthy for your cardiovascular system! Also, opt in for full body functional strength movements.

We can look “muscular” or “fit” but lack strength and stamina. Be careful of “trendy messages” that discourage cardio. The right amount of cardio is beneficial for your heart and health. It has multiple other benefits like helping with depression, anxiety, energy, endurance with hikes and an overall sense of wellness. Cardio does not have to be limited to treadmills. High intensity workouts incorporating full body and explosive movements can boost your cardio, strength and muscles.

Tip: We are diverse, us humans, so we respond to exercise differently. The best advise is always – listen to YOUR body.

4. Program for fitness or PT

Consistency is what gets us the results. But also knowing what to do for your body and goals can help you to stay motivated and move you beyond your limitations. Getting a Personal Trainer, joining a class, working out with a friend or doing a training program can start you off on the right foot. Learning correct technique and exercises from the get go is a skill you can use for life.

Tip: Contact us for a tailored fitness program personalised to your needs, goals and fitness levels. Our programs are designed to help you build a strong fit body for health and hiking. It also includes breath work training (our next pointer)!

5. Practise breath work

It’s important to learn how to breathe correctly when you are exercising as this can benefit your hikes especially for long distance, inclines and difficult sections. Forcing exercises without being conscious of our breathing can limit our strength, performance and focus. Being out of breath can sometimes be mistaken for being “unable” or thinking you are not fit enough. But it may be a matter of constricting the airways and forgetting to breath. By being conscious of how you breath and learning proper breathing techniques for exercise you may find that you excel in difficult exercises and are able to endure more than you could before!

Tip: Contact us for breath work training.

6. Take care of your mental health (brain, mind, thought life)

What does mental health have to do with getting in shape? Everything. Getting in shape is a mental discipline. Making changes can be challenging and by taking care of our mental health it can make a difference in results and how far we go. Mental health is about looking after your brain, mind and thought life. And it can be a great way of understanding yourself, your limitations and your strengths.

Tips: It may take some time to figure out what is right for you. Here are some ideas:

• A Psychologist or coach can be helpful if you find yourself going back to old habits. Forget the stigma in society – talking to someone can be a game changer!
• Journalising whether you are a writer or not is a great way to release pent up worries, anxieties and overthinking.
• Talking to a friend or someone you trust can provide you with support and a sense of belonging.
• Meditation can enrich your mental space, clarity and breathing.
• Prayer can boost your faith.
• Nature can help with stress and anxiety.
• Art and music can be therapeutic.

And there are many, many other amazing ways for you to take care of your mind and brain health.

7. Hike with other people

A great way to increase motivation towards fitness is surrounding yourself with like minded people. If you lack support in your life it’s great to be around like-minded people for a sense of belonging and encouragement. And well – it makes the journey a lot more fun when you can share adventures!

Social anxiety is very common and can make it difficult for us to meet new people. On our group hikes we have connected with many people who have social anxiety who were very nervous before attending. However, positive stories come back that they found new friendships (which have lasted years!) and they had no regrets about coming along. The amazing thing about hiking together is it’s less awkward meeting people. There will be others who feel the same way and don’t know anyone. Plus, walking and talking is really down to earth (pun not intended!).

Check out our meetups and meet some new people!

8. Change your diet

Nope, this doesn’t mean go on a diet or take extreme measures! Unfortunately in this day and age food has become such a delicate topic and there’s a lot of fear surrounding food. It’s important to eat foods that nourish your body and provide nutrition as it aids in energy, weight-loss, focus, mental strength and the overall health of your body. And guess what? What we eat also impacts our brains! A healthy (or unhealthy) way of eating can make all the difference in how you feel, think, act, exercise and well, hike. What you eat daily can also assist you in getting into shape physically and mentally which will benefit you on the trails.

Recommended: Before making major changes, see a nutritionist or GP. Everyone responds to foods differently.

9. Manage your weight loss in a healthy way

When we are overweight it can take up more energy and cause us to feel sluggish. It’s important however to approach weight loss with care. Extreme diets and exercise programs generally lead people to lose weight and then gain it back, plus more! Quick fixes are not often a healthy or long-term approach to keeping weight off. Let the journey unfold in a healthy way by making manageable realistic changes consistently. If you’re someone who starts out excited and finds yourself giving up a short time later, set smaller goals that lead to the bigger goals. Rather than trying to tackle everything at once give yourself a chance to adapt to new changes as this can lead to longer lasting results.

10. Create the habit of drinking water throughout the day

Water is so vital for our health and it will assist in getting into shape. When we are busy it’s easy to forget about drinking water. Many people don’t realise they are dehydrated and experience symptoms without realising that a lack of hydration may be the cause. Brain fog, low energy, lack of concentration, frustration, lethargy, water retention (bloating, puffiness) are just some of the symptoms of dehydration. These symptoms can have a ripple effect leaving us feeling too tired to work out or focus. But it can also be dangerous to our health, wellbeing – and brain. Get into the habit of drinking water frequently throughout the day. During hikes it is important to stay hydrated and not wait until you are thirsty!

Tip: If you drink coffee, aim to have a glass of water before or two glasses shortly after (not all at once) to replenish the body. Caffeine is a dehydrator and if you are already running low on water, it can further dehydrate your body. Get a check up from your GP if you experience symptoms related to dehydration and ask them about the importance of water for your health.

Stay hydrated while hiking: Kathmandu Apparition 5L Active Pack Running Cycling Hydration Backpack Raspberry/Lime 5LTR

11. Set goals but enjoy the journey

If you have your eyes set on a trail but you don’t feel your fitness levels are quite there yet – this is awesome! Yes. Awesome. In life, it’s great to have big goals as it can motivate your everyday actions in a positive way. While you are working towards that ‘mountain’ goal – you can have the most incredible adventures and victories today. Creating a lifestyle that focuses on small, medium and large goals is a great way to enjoy the present while working towards the future.

12. Just Start

The obvious one is – just start! Find some easy trails to begin and get a taste for the outdoors. Utilise your weekends if you work full time and make a bucket list to do some trails nearby. Here’s a list to get you started: Places to Explore in Perth Western Australia.

Was this helpful? Give it a Facebook thumbs up below and share it with your friends. 

Article also featured on We Hike WA sharing Western Australian trails and brain health. You can find them at @wehikewa wehikewa.com.au