Photo Yevhenii Dubrovskyi, Unsplash
Hill walking provides a natural full-body workout, for free.
And walking is one of the things we can do in lockdown so if you have a hill near you it could be just a thing to stretch those legs (or spread those legs as Chris Hipkins recommends lol), and get an endorphin fix.
It might be a steepish street nearby, some stairs at the park or if you are lucky an actual hill to climb in your neighbourhood.
Hillwalking builds and strengthens the ankles, calves, knees, thighs and hips. It’s a way to make the workout more difficult without increasing the risk of injury. It also gets the heart rate up so great cardiovascular exercise too.
Plus, you have full control over exercise intensity by altering walking speed and/or the choice of steepness of grade, but with a much-decreased potential for damage and setbacks of shin splints or runner’s knee as compared to running.
If you don’t have an incline to tackle, regular walking is the next best thing. It helps keeps the body in working order and improves lung fitness as well as conditions such as hypertension (high blood pressure), high cholesterol, helps alleviate joint pain and muscular pain or stiffness, and diabetes as well as making your bones stronger and improving your balance.
It will also improve your mood! Research shows that just 10 minutes of walking can lift your spirits. As well as improve your sleep at the end of the day and help kickstart your immune system.
And it also helps maintain a healthy weight and lose body fat, so an excellent way to walk off any lockdown baking.
Reminder to always wear a mask when walking during Covid 19 lockdown periods.
