We all know the feeling, crisp morning air, crunchy leaves under foot, the occasional frost, and most importantly, daylight savings times. Once the clocks change in the fall, coupled with a frosty breeze, we have a tendency to lose motivation for any outdoor activity (including hiking). We start hibernating, eating more comfort food, and replace the nightly walk with nightly game night. None of this is bad, rather a time to reflect and recover, however during the long winters, our muscles atrophy and our endurance dwindles. When we head back into spring, we often find our summer hikes are much more strenuous and challenging compared to where we left off last year. Winter wins again, and so starts the uphill battle (literally) to get back into shape.
But what you don’t often think about is the increased risk for injury, as a result of atrophy, during the early summer months when you are ramping up your hiking mileage. Muscle atrophy, or muscle weakening, means that your muscles aren’t able to protect your joints from damage. Excess wear on the joints, and increased demand on the muscles can happen during this time resulting in meniscus tears, ankle sprains, patellofemoral pain, or even arthritic flare ups. The list continues as any joint or muscle can be affected by disuse atrophy followed by a rapid increase in physical activity. Below are some tips and tricks to avoid disuse atrophy during the winter months to help prevent injury when you return to hiking those long distances.
The primary challenge is staying motivated to stay in shape. Some people are more driven by intrinsic factors while others are driven by extrinsic motivators. Whatever motivates you, persistence is key. Here are a few strategies that can help you to stay motivated this winter so you can return to hiking without missing a step. Remind yourself why you are exercising. Your goals can be motivating in themselves. Remember, no one likes feeling winded the first time back on the mountain. Injury prevention can be another exercise motivator since you can’t hike if you're injured. Find an exercise partner. Whether it is a friend, spouse, stranger, or even your dog, having someone else to motivate you can be rewarding. Not to mention the emotional benefits of socializing while exercising. Wear the right clothing for the occasion. If you are cold, you are less likely to want to go outside to exercise. During the winter months, you will want to wear a wool top and bottom, and layer over with fleece, down, or more wool. To protect yourself from the rain, a good raincoat and rain pants can make a huge difference.
The next big challenge in beating the winter hibernation and preventing injuries come springtime is doing sport specific exercises to build strength and endurance. For hiking, the following exercises will all help to build strength, and prevent injury so you can pick up where you left off. Squats and lunges will help to build quad and glute strength. Side lying hip abductions will help to build glute med strength and stabilize your hips when walking. Planks will help to develop a strong core for when you decide to carry a little more up the mountain. Single leg balance can help to develop ankle strength in order to prevent sprains. This can be made harder by standing on a pillow and/or closing your eyes. There are endless exercises out there to help strengthen your lower extremities. On top of strengthening, stretching can be advantageous in preventing injuries during the off season. The major muscle groups to stretch include the hamstrings, quads, iliotibial band, and hip adductors. Stretching can help to lengthen the muscles and allow for optimal muscle contraction and decrease the risk for strained muscles. If you have any questions it would be beneficial to reach out to your local physical therapist for a more personalized exercise plan.
Last but not least, the biggest thing in keeping in hiking shape is to get outside as much as you can. Go for long walks through your neighborhood, try snowshoeing, or join a gym during the winter months. Grab a partner, and motivate each other to stay in shape for the hiking season. Stretch, have fun, and summer is only a blink away.
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