Why Hiking is the Best Fitness Resolution

Hello and welcome to the Conversations That Matter podcast. My name is John Harris. It is a new year, a new podcast, and for many of you, you have a New Year's resolution. Now the most popular New Year's resolution, as most of us know, is to get fit and healthy.

So for those who go to the gym, you'll notice new faces in January, but usually by March those faces aren't there anymore. The reason for this is because it's hard to break old habits. If you were already busy in 2018 and didn't have time to work out, and then 2019 comes, where are you going to find that time unless you cut it from somewhere else?

And so as things crowd in our busy schedules, we tend to lose focus and drive. I want to share with you something that has helped me maintain focus and drive in working out and it's really summed up in one word and that's hiking.

The Physical and Motivational Benefits of Hiking

Before you dismiss that because you say, I don't have time to go hiking. Well, neither do I all the time, but my motivation for even going to the gym or going for a run or doing something even inside, if it's just pushups, is partially because I want to be up to snuff so that when I do go on an exerting hike, I can actually physically do it.

So there's actually a purpose, a motivation that I have that helps me maintain myself in situations where I'm exercising. So let me break this down for you in three different components. I want to talk to you about the spiritual benefits of hiking last, but first, because that's my longest section, but first the physical benefits and the social benefits.

I'm going to try to sell you on this and hopefully persuade you that this is the best thing you can do for your body in 2019. Now a couple of weeks ago, I finished what's called the Catskill 3500 challenge and to put this in perspective, finishing this challenge has meant more to me than any of my college degrees.

And I have, well, I'm working on my fourth now, I think, yeah. So all the education, thousands of dollars that I've spent, don't think I've learned as much doing that as I have going hiking. At least not the same kinds of things.

The things that I've learned hiking are more important to me. And I've developed, I shouldn't say I've developed, but I've been developed as a person in doing this. It's been therapeutic, I think, in many ways.

And of course it's been physically beneficial for me. So what are some of those benefits? Well, let's talk about the physical ones first. If you're a Christian, you're familiar with the verse that talks about your body being a temple of the Lord.

Now, of course, that doesn't have to do with physical exercise. That's actually talking about sexual immorality. Don't do things that are sexually immoral because your body is the temple of the Lord. But there's a kernel of truth.

There's something encapsulated in that that is actually connected to physical exercise. And that is that our bodies and our minds are connected. Our spiritual side and our physical side are connected, and they have implications for one another.

Of course, the most profound of which would be perhaps sexual expression. But there's more, or I should say that's one of the most profound ones. But there's more to it than just sexual expression. We find in 1 Timothy 4, verse 8, that the apostle Paul tells Timothy that bodily exercise profiteth little, if you're reading the King James.

But godliness is profitable unto all things. So many times when we look at that verse, I think we jump to the second half. That bodily discipline is not, let's forget about that. Godliness is the important thing.

Well, it is. But let's not neglect what Paul said at the beginning of the verse. Bodily exercise actually does produce a profit. And the word for exercise there is actually, in Greek, gymnasia, is the same word that we get gym from.

So Paul is saying, okay, I can't say this with 100 certainty. I wish I could say it though. In the original Greek, Paul is saying go to the gym, but also do your devotions. No, it's not quite that simple.

Maybe there's a version like the message that says that. But the implication is there that bodily exercise is important. And of course, in the next book that Paul writes to Timothy, he actually compares spiritual discipline to, among other things, an athlete who's running for a prize, who's so focused he's got tunnel vision on that prize before him.

And you can develop that kind of focus, in a sense, while you're hiking. There's a sense of delayed gratification because you're looking forward to that view that you're going to get at the top. That's kind of the reward for all your labor.

And it is rewarding once you get there. You feel like you've accomplished something and you're enjoying the fruits of your labor. So I'm jumping ahead of myself here though. So we're talking about physical benefits.

Now hiking is natural. I want to talk about the, at least for my body, what I think it's done. I've been doing it for, well, more seriously doing it for almost 10 years now. And what I've found is that I, because I'm not just taking a walk in the woods, I'm actually hiking mountains.

And sometimes that involves climbing and other things. I kind of have a full body workout. It doesn't mean I'm, I'm, you know, I'm not trying to get like jacked or buff or anything like that. I'm just, I'm healthy because I'm engaging muscles and I'm engaging them, most, most of my muscles in a natural way.

The twisting, the turning, the calibrating, the trying to get around obstacles that are in your path. Sometimes I'll do bushwhacks that have even more of that. But of course my legs are getting probably the best of the workout, but my arms too.

If I'm coming down a steep mountain, I'm constantly grabbing onto trees and pulling myself up by saplings. So all your muscles are engaged and they're getting engaged from different angles. And that's an important thing.

Your muscles aren't doing the same thing over and over. They're, they're doing different things. I don't, I don't know that that's necessarily muscle confusion, but it's kind of, you know, going towards that, I guess, that you're, you know, I'm going to grab a tree differently the next time I grab a tree than I did the previous time I grabbed it, right?

I'm going to have to put my foot on a rock that's, the distance between my feet is different than it was the previous time I was trying to step up on a rock. So there's kind of a full body workout thing going on and it's natural.

This is the way your body was meant to, you know, you're not getting yourself in a contorted position in some kind of machine. So I think that's been very important. And I've noticed for me, I don't, I hate to compare myself necessarily to others.

I'm not an expert hiker. I'm not the most fit guy out there necessarily at all. But I've had people that, you know, are in military training that are, I remember this was probably about, I don't know, eight, seven, eight years ago, I had a guy who was very fit, worked out all the time, but he was exclusively doing things that, you know, going to the gym and doing the same kind of movements over and over, going for a run.

And he was very disciplined, but when it came to doing practical things like hiking, he was winded. He just couldn't do it because hiking is not just strength training. It's mostly cardiovascular. So you're, you have both of those things going on.

So you develop a lot of endurance doing that. So I think it's a beneficial way to work out. And if you're going to try to have a new year's resolution in 2019, that is geared towards fitness, I think hiking would be a good choice for you just from a purely physical standpoint.

It also lifts your spirit. And I talked about that delayed gratification, but I think just being out in the woods where there's sun shining on you and clouds and trees, and you hear natural sounds around you, there's something about it that lifts your spirits.

You don't get that in the artificial environment of the gym. So let's talk about some of the social benefits. Hiking is something that you can participate with others doing. You can have a bunch of friends come out.

Now, of course, if you're doing it, if you're, if you're exerting yourself a lot, you don't want to invite someone that's going to have a hard time. So you might have to take it a little easier, but in general, it's, it's different than going to the gym.

For instance, when you hike, you pass people on the trail, let's say you can say hi to them. And oftentimes you do, and they say hi back, and you might have a conversation about the beautiful view or what kind of a tree that, you know, you're looking at that's right next to you or something along those lines in the gym, you're not saying hi to anyone you pass.

So there's, there's more of a friendliness, there's more of a social component to it. And it's a, it's a great healthy way to, I think, interact with people, especially if you're trying to get to know someone.

If you're a Christian that wants to disciple someone, take them out in the woods. It's the same concept when you're looking at a campfire, men often have this situation where it's hard, especially if you're getting to know someone for the first time to really be open with them, look them directly in the eye and, you know, pour out your guts, so to speak.

And I don't blame guys for having a hard time with that. I'm not like that either. I don't know you yet. And, you know, that's that's a kind of a vulnerable thing to do. But when you're looking at a fire for some reason that that does something, and I think it's the same thing with hiking.

When you're hiking and you're both heading towards one common goal, you're going to be more open with each other. You're not looking at each other constantly. You're looking at the trail ahead of you.

And maybe occasionally looking at each other. But there's a social dynamic at work there that just lends itself to great conversation. So so you can meet people on the trail, you can bring humans along with you and you can bring dogs along with you, right?

If you're a dog person, they can go hiking and dogs love to do that, obviously. So what are the spiritual benefits? This is where I want to talk about, I think, the most important aspect of this. We find throughout the Gospels, Jesus is constantly going up to the mountain.

That doesn't say he's going on a hike, but he has to hike to get there. Right. And it's interesting in the Old Testament how often the high places were just, you know, if a good king came along, they were destroyed.

If a bad king came along in Israel, he would set up high places for pagan worship. And of course, that's wrong. That's totally wrong. But there is some association we have with being up high and worshiping Tower of Babel.

Right. And it could be very good or it can be very bad. In the case of Jesus, it was very good. He went up to the mountain to be alone with the Lord, to pray, to seek him. And he would do that sometimes all night long.

And of course, if he did that, being the son of God, how much more do we need to do that? It takes a hike to get there. Well, unless I guess you could drive, I guess, if there's a road. Right. The important thing is being alone by yourself with God.

But I think the location, it can have its benefits. It seemed to have for Jesus. He liked to go up to the mountain. And I found that for me personally, going to a high place where I'm alone after especially physically exerting myself, it lends itself to prayer because I'm seeing the beauty that is before me, that the creator of the universe has put there and displayed for his pleasure.

And I'm getting to enjoy that. And I just want to thank him for it. And it just naturally blends itself into a spiritual experience. There's, as I've mentioned, delayed gratification. This is a spiritual concept.

We in our walk with God, we are to have delayed gratification because we're living for eternal realities that we do not see. You know, Jesus himself, when he died on the cross, it says that he did it for the joy set before him.

There was a delayed gratification. And hiking has the same thing. When you're miserable, let's say, sometimes you are trying to get up to the top of the mountain to see that beautiful view and to feel that cool breeze in the summer.

You're going to have to tell yourself, I know what the goal is and I'm heading for it. And it's going to be good. But I'm not there yet. So you have to delay your gratification. And once you get there, of course, it's very rewarding.

The environment of a hike gets you outside of yourself. If you go to the gym, there's mirrors everywhere, right? And you see yourself. Well, I understand there's reasons for that. So you can have the best form, perhaps, when you're lifting something.

But it really lends itself to narcissism. If you're out on a hike, there's no mirrors. In fact, the opposite happens. You feel small. You feel like you're the smallest thing out there and you feel a sense of almost insignificance.

But in that feeling, there's also a sense of meaning. And that's the interesting thing, I think, about being at somewhere like Yosemite Falls. It's so powerful. You know, it could kill you any second if you were to jump off or to fall or to be at the bottom even, let's say, and slip on a rock.

I mean, it's just the water itself is so powerful, it will wash you away. And yet you feel good about it somehow. And that's because you are like a puzzle that's been put in its place. You're seeing yourself in the context of creation.

You're seeing that there's more to it than just you. And that's a comforting thought that you're not all there is, that there's a plan, that there's something beyond you that cares about beauty, about harmony and about order.

And so being out on a hike gives you that sense. Being in the gym does the opposite or has the potential to if you're not careful. There's no music or television on a hike unless you bring it, of course.

And sometimes music, I guess, can be helpful if you're trying to do like run or do a vigorous hike and you're trying to get a beat going. But often it's better just to be silent, to work out in nature and hear the soundtrack of God, so to speak.

So your mind is going to naturally be directed towards other things, not what's on the screen in front of you, not what's pumping in through your earbuds, but your mind will be directed on the beauty that's in front of you.

Perhaps even if it's negative, it's going to be a problem that you probably need to work through. Your mind's going to naturally go to places that you need to probably be considering. And I don't know that we have enough downtime in our minds.

So often we're surrounded by a constant feed that we don't actually get alone with our own thoughts and form any consistent patterns that are healthy. We don't come to conclusions on anything. Well, hiking can help you do that.

You can come to conclusions on some of these things that have bothered you or that you just need to think through. You know, I know that to be a little more personal here, when I've had relationship issues, especially when I was trying to find out who I should marry, going out on a hike really, in some ways, helped that.

There's a scene I love from Sergeant York, an old movie with Gary Cooper, where he's trying to decide whether or not he should object to going to fight in World War One, conscientiously object. And he's out on this cliff overlooking this panoramic view with his Bible open, and he comes to the conclusion that it's the right thing to do, to go.

And so I relate to that scene because I've had that many times in my own life. It doesn't mean a hike is going to cure all your problems. Don't let me oversell this. I'm not trying to. But it gets the ball rolling.

You're starting to think about things and you're not being, hopefully, selfish about your thinking about it because you're seeing that you're a small thing in this world. You're a small person in the grand scheme of things.

So you're engaged in your thoughts. You're not distracted. It reminds you of how small you are, which give way to feelings of awe and worship, and it breaks the rut. So often we get in a rut, and if you go to the gym, it can actually be part of the rut.

You're seeing the same people, the same machines, same music, same environment, same lighting, same everything. That's okay. But when you go out in nature, every day is different. It can be sunny one day and cloudy the next.

It can be misty and rainy one day, and you can see the same view hundreds of times, and it's different every single time. Gets you out of the rut. Makes you see the, well, I've been overusing this word, perhaps, but the beauty that is truly there.

And that's always been there for us to enjoy. Sometimes I think when I'm at the gym, I'm missing out on what's outside, and perhaps I am. Some days you need to be in the gym because it's just nasty outside, and it's probably unsafe to go for a hike.

But most of the days of the year, depending on where you live, you can get outside. You can see these things, and you can get physical benefits from doing it. So I'm gonna give you some advice here, just a few things that have benefited me in hiking.

Practical Advice for Winter Hiking and Gear

If you're convinced you want to start doing this, you don't know where to begin. Well, if you're doing this in the winter, and I'm saying this first off because I know that it's January right now, and if you live in a place that has snow, you might think to yourself, okay, I'd like to hike, but look outside.

Well, there are other things you can do. There's snowshoes and things. I've never used those. Here's what I've done. I did grow up in an area where there was a lot of snow. I use crampons often, not all the time, but often, which you can get online.

There's a lot of different varieties, but they're basically little spikes that you can attach to your hiking boots, and you can go into icy areas. Oftentimes, if you're doing a trail hike, it's gonna be icy.

If you're doing trail-less, it's gonna be snowy, and you might not even need crampons. But if you're doing a trail, you'll need them. In the winter, get yourself a good pair of gaiters so that the snow doesn't get in your pants and your shoes and make you miserable.

And of course, I should probably say boots that are waterproof, you should get those. That goes without saying. Wool socks in the winter, very important. If you get wet, which oftentimes you do. In fact, a hike I did a couple weeks ago was in the snow, and the conditions weren't snowy at the bottom of the mountain, but you got to the top, it was about a foot of snow.

And I was actually using tennis shoes. Some people, some other veteran hikers may look at me funny, why would you do that? Actually, it's more comfortable for me, because I was doing a very quick hike, I was gonna come right back to my car, and I wanted something light that I could move fast in.

And those were my tennis shoes. But I was not going to wear cotton socks doing that. I wore wool socks. And I don't think I double-layered them, but I probably should have. Oftentimes I'll double or triple-layer my wool socks.

Because they'll keep you warm, even if they get wet. And that's the advantage to them. Safety is important. Tell someone where you're going, if you're gonna go to a remote area. I've had more than one instance where I made a mistake of not telling someone, and it got me in trouble.

In fact, a little over a year ago, my brother and I were going for a hike, and we got back to our car, and it wouldn't start. And it was about zero degrees outside, and it was a very remote area. And there was a dirt road that ran to the parking area for the hike, and it was actually a bushwhack, so it wasn't even a trailed hike.

And there was no sign of life on the whole road. I mean, there was an abandoned house, but no one lived there, it looked like a summer house. And we kind of freaked out a little bit. I mean, it wasn't a major freak out, we knew that we'd survive.

We had blankets, and we had a lighter so we could have made a fire. And we had what we needed to to survive, but it would have been a cold night. It would have dropped below zero. And it could have been dangerous, especially if we didn't know what we were doing.

It could have been very dangerous. By God's grace, we prayed about it, and someone who got lost, who shouldn't have gotten lost because they worked for the state in the forestry department there. So they should have known the area.

Normally they said they did, but they took a wrong turn and somehow wound up coming down the dirt road where we were. And they were able to take us to a gas station that was the closest thing. It was about, I don't know, 45 minutes away, maybe an hour from where we were.

But they took us there, and we were able to get help. But all that to say, to share that story, is tell someone where you are. Because no one knew where I was, and the state was out looking for us in an area that we weren't.

And so that was a problem, and it taught me a lesson. Make sure you're comfortable when you're hiking. I think that's the main... There's all this gear that you can get, expensive gear, inexpensive gear.

Make sure you're comfortable, honestly. That's the main thing. I know guys who have tons of equipment, top-of-the-line equipment, but they don't get out there enough. That equipment doesn't really help you if you don't have a habit of actually going hiking.

It helps you if you use it. But you don't need it most of the time. In fact, I'm trying to think of an example in my own life, but I've had $30 backpacks that have been just as good as a $90 backpack.

You don't have to spend tons of money. If you want to, that's up to you. I have some pants that are very light, and they're the sweat-resistant material, and you can zip off the bottom of them at the knees so that you can make shorts.

Those have been invaluable because they're comfortable. If I get too hot, I can zip off the bottom of them. If I'm too cold, I can put them on. They're insulated fairly well. But they think they cost me, I don't know, $30 or $40.

So it wasn't a major purchase, and they've been with me for a while. So that's been helpful. Some people will use the hiking poles, and I know my brother loves using those. Some people do. I've never found a huge benefit in it, but if you want that full-body workout, that gets your arms involved, right?

So make sure that you have a hat, obviously. Sunscreen probably should be used at certain times of the year, if the sun's directly on you. So that's really, I guess, the long and short of it. That's all the advice I have.

Start Small and Build a Sustainable Fitness Habit

But make your resolution something that you can actually keep. So start off small. This would be my suggestion. Start off with saying, I'm going to hike that hill outside of town that I've never hiked.

I'm going to actually go for it this time. I'm going to spend half an hour today, and I'm going to go walk in the woods and see how far I can get. Start small and then work your way up. You're going to be sore if you try to conquer a huge mountain right away, and it's going to discourage you.

When you go to the gym, this is what I do. Go on the elliptical for a while. Maybe I read a book or something. But it helps me make sure that my muscles don't start to get weaker. I sort of keep them in shape so that if I need to go on a hike, I can do it.

So I'll go on an elliptical. There are certain exercises I'll do once in a while for my glutes, for my core, and, of course, just general strength training. All of that stuff helps. And for me, I think I go on a hike now because I've gotten older and I have more responsibilities.

It's probably like once a month, which I don't like. It used to be more than that. But going on a hike once a month is something I anticipate. And because of that, I will go to the gym. I'll take a run.

I'll vary my workouts. But I'll do those, I don't know, about maybe five or six days a week. I'm doing something. Even if it's just doing sit-ups one day, I'm doing something every day. So I'm in a habit because I know I want to go on a hike and I want to be able to keep up if I'm with someone else.

And if I'm not with someone else, I just want to be able to get to the summit and reach it and not have a problem reaching it. So it gives you a healthy dose of motivation. So that's my advice to you for the new year.

Hope you enjoyed it. And next week, we're going to be talking about something that's also a little autobiographical, but it's completely different. So stay tuned for that.