Walking And Hiking

Walking and hiking

Hiking and walking - this simple type of movement offers a wide range of experiences. It is suitable for beginners as well as for well trained people. You can hike anywhere and at any time of the year. A brisk walk after work, a long hike in the countryside, mountain hiking with a backpack and sticks - the scope for activities is great. Depending on how fast you walk and what weight you are carrying, you burn up calories and train the body more or less intensively. In addition, exercise in nature promotes physical and mental well-being…

navigation

• Continue reading
• more on the subject

• What is being trained?
• What are the health benefits?
• equipment
• Hiking with children
• Geo caching
• Whom can I ask?

What is being trained?

Regular hiking and brisk walking improve endurance and strengthen the musculoskeletal system. An optimal training effect is achieved with moderate exertion, ie you should exercise enough while walking that you can still talk without getting out of breath. Another positive effect: hiking and climbing "over hill and dale" on unpaved paths train the surefootedness and improve the reaction when walking - an optimal fall prevention for everyday life!

Danger! When hiking in the mountains, make sure not to overexert yourself. The requirements of a tour (orientation, surefootedness, endurance) should not be underestimated. Most alpine accidents while hiking are caused by overloading the cardiovascular system as well as falling, stumbling and getting lost.

What are the health benefits?

Brisk walking with a faster pulse can reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases, especially in inactive people, strengthen the cardiovascular system and have a positive effect on blood pressure. The prerequisite is regular walking once a week or more often. It is important to stick with it permanently so that walking becomes part of everyday life.

equipment

For walks or brisk walking distances, comfortable everyday shoes are sufficient to feel good. The shoes should not pinch, otherwise blisters can form on the feet. When hiking in the field, ankle-high shoes with non-slip profile soles provide a secure hold. Slightly softer soles offer more walking comfort than shoes with stiff soles, which are intended for mountaineering in high mountains.

The weather can change on longer hikes - appropriate functional clothing protects against cold or rain. Several thin layers of clothing help regulate body temperature well. When hiking in the mountains, sunscreen, headgear and sunglasses protect against the stronger ultraviolet radiation. Poles with hand loops transfer part of the strain when walking from the legs to the arm muscles and the shoulder area and thus protect the leg and ankle joints. Going downhill quickly puts a particularly heavy strain on the joints. For longer hikes over an hour you should drink regularly (e.g. water, herbal or fruit teas, diluted fruit juices).

Emergency equipment for mountain hikes also includes a small pharmacy with bandages and a bivouac sack. Take a mobile phone with you so that you can call mountain rescue in an emergency (Alpine emergency number 140). However, network reception is not possible everywhere in the area.

Here you can find safety tips from the Austrian Mountain Rescue Service and the hiking brochure from the Board of Trustees for Alpine Safety.

Hiking with children

When it comes to exercise, children have fun first - this is especially true for hiking. Sufficient walking breaks with games and time to discover nature offer variety and recharge the "batteries" of young hikers for the next route.

Geo caching

With geo caching, you are looking for a kind of "treasure" outdoors - an exciting activity for young and old. The aim is to find a hidden box, the coordinates of which can be found on the internet, with the help of a GPS receiver. Depending on the level of difficulty, the hiding place can be a tree stump in the forest, a crevice in a rock or something similar. There are now countless hidden objects in a wide variety of places waiting to be found. Once you have discovered such a box, you can make a note of it in an enclosed notebook and you may be able to follow further instructions.

Whom can I ask?

"Fit Sport Austria" offers guided hikes as quality-tested exercise offers throughout Austria. You can find more hiking offers at the Alpine clubs