Hiking can be a test of endurance as well as a pleasure. None of us are getting any younger and so are bound to experience a few aches and pains after a long hike.
If you are experiencing knee pain after hiking, then follow this link. For any other aches and pains, we hope to offer some useful advice during this article.
Sore Muscles
Should you experience sore muscles for a few days following a long hike, then you should know that there are some low-impact, low-intensity exercises that you can do. To sort yourself out, there are some gentle movements that you can do that will help. Examples of low-impact cardio workouts include walking, biking, or elliptical training, as opposed to running or jumping. Be aware, though, that low impact does not necessarily mean the same thing as low intensity. A gym or personal trainer will be able to advise on this.
Eating soon after a hike will help to repair muscles. It will rebuild your glycogen stores and replenish the proteins in your muscles that have broken down during your hiking exercise. Studies have shown that the sooner after exercising you eat, the better or quicker the recovery.
Blisters
Should you pick up blisters during your hike, you should know that they will be painful and could even see you hobbling everywhere for at least a week. So, it is better to prevent them from happening in the first place. The best way to do this is to understand why they occur. Reasons will include having tight areas inside your hiking boots, sweating, having wrinkles in your socks, allowing feet to become wet, or because you are yet to break in your new hiking boots.
Okay, some of these things are not preventable, such as our feet swelling and sweating in the heat, although we could choose a cooler day to hike and one when it is not raining. Others, however, are entirely preventable. For instance, we could make sure that there are no wrinkles in our socks before starting our hike and know our route well to avoid needing to cross a river at any point.
Also, it is a good idea to get used to new hiking boots by first wearing them on shorter hikes. New boots have to be a major cause of annoying blisters. You should try and make sure that you buy the best hiking boots you can so that they are comfortable and suitable for long hikes over rough terrain. Comfort is everything when hiking.
Hydration
To avoid feeling tired and getting dehydrated, keep hydrating with plenty of water during your hike. After, you should rehydrate as it will help you to recover faster. A general rule is considered to be that a hiker should drink no less than two cups of water after finishing a hike to help aid recovery.
Where weather is particularly humid and hot, and hiking seems like one long relentless trail, you should rehydrate with an electrolyte solution. You could pack a few sachets in your first aid kit. Particularly think about this if you sweat a lot or suffer from low blood pressure. It is worth seeking specific hiking products online, including the means to carry water to help you on your journey, and to aid recovery. Hydration is a continual process to keep the body healthy and satisfied.
More hiking tips are available online from those accomplishing great things for you to check out. These will talk about how best to prepare you for a hiking trip.
So, some things to think about here that will help us feel more like ourselves following our hiking adventure. In addition to the potential knee pain that we might need help with, we can help our sore muscles with gentle exercises, by preventing blisters, and drinking water before and after our hike to sort out our hydration.
