A few months after I became a hiking fiend in the summer of 2004, people started telling me, “Tom, you’re getting skinny.” Well, a few did. Often they’d ask me what happened. What I told people was that Tony Soprano…
Fitness
Health, fitness and first aid for hikes, camping, backpacking and other outdoor activities.
Knees and poles
by tmangan • November 16, 2005 • 0 Comments
Outdoor Sports Blog gives the skinny on keeping your knees in shape for trail duty. One bullet item: Use trekking poles, especially when hiking downhill. Trekking or Hiking Poles not only help to avoid or reduce knee pain when hiking…
Walk away your blues
by tmangan • November 10, 2005 • 0 Comments
From a suburban Boston story on getting out in the dirt: Lot’s of people say they get depressed at this time of year, which is sad. But regular, vigorous exercise and exposure to daylight have clearly been shown to alleviate…
A dig at the ‘REI Generation’
by tmangan • November 8, 2005 • 0 Comments
I found a great rant about training for hiking last year. Yesterday’s post about treadmills reminded me of this guy’s post, which I tracked down this morning. I call “the REI generation” the crowd of casual hikers who want to…
Training on a treadmill
by tmangan • November 7, 2005 • 0 Comments
Let me start by saying I am categorically opposed to training with a treadmill. The whole point of hiking is to get off the treadmills/ellipticals/weight machines and out into the world. The best way to train for an activity is…
What to do when your heart gives out
by tmangan • October 31, 2005 • 0 Comments
Keep walking. Here’s a story by a 40-something hiker whose heart almost failed on him in the past couple years. Walking seven miles with 500 feet of climb is a really big deal if you’re a candidate for a heart…