Take to the hills

You don’t have to head outdoors and up hills to get fit but there is something about the fresh air and countryside that adds to the whole experience of exercise – it’s a workout for the mind as well as the body. In fact many hill walkers are not walking in order to exercise but in order to experience the great outdoors and get away from the rat race.

However, whether you are looking for some escapism or simply for a different way of getting fit, hill walking is a good place to start. You can get physically fit but you will also find that anxiety is reduced and you feel more positive.

If you have never climbed a hill, you can start by just walking. It’s such an easy way of getting fit as you really only have to head to an open space and put one foot in front of the other.

It is also the perfect workout. Accumulating 30 minutes of walking per day is enough to produce significant heart health benefits. Studies have shown that a brisk walk for at least three hours per week has the same amount of protection against heart disease as exercising vigorously for an hour and a half a week – both of these activities meaning you will be 30-40 per cent less likely to develop heart disease than your sedentary counterparts.

So start by walking anywhere and everywhere and then up the ante a little. Don’t let the thought of conquering corbetts or bagging munros get in your way; start nice and gently and build up your stamina. It may be best to set a goal that you want to work up to such as actually taking on the local munro, taking part in an adventure race or even climbing the Inca Trail! Thinking about this goal will make the training all the easier.

You do need to think about a number of factors though, particularly if you are a complete novice. Safety is important if you are going somewhere new to you. You need to make sure you know the route and that someone knows where you have gone. You also need to think about the clothing you will wear. It’s a bit like being a scout – be prepared should be your motto.

You will be using muscles that you might not often use in your day-to-day life – so it is worth taking some time to build up your muscle strength and cardiovascular fitness before setting off on your first hill walking endeavour. Try to increase the amount of walking you do – walk to work if you can, walk the kids to school, walk to get the paper of a Sunday morning. This will certainly begin to build up the strength you need. Another great way of building up the muscles you will need is ‘stair climbing’.

As long as you don’t live in a bungalow, your staircase can be a fantastic training aid! Do 20 to 30 minutes of stair climbing every day to get your legs in shape for hill walking. Stair climbing will particularly help to maintain the strength in your knees – which is essential for many outdoor adventures.

Another great help in getting ‘hill fit’ is to monitor your progress. This can be very motivational and often motivation is what you need! Monitoring increases in fitness is probably quite difficult however so you could try using a heart rate monitor. If you are not that technically minded, you can just keep a training record in a notebook and this alone can be pretty motivational.

Once you feel you are ready for your first real foray into hill walking (hopefully with a friend in tow as it is not only much more fun but safer to walk in groups), pick something not too challenging to begin with as you don’t want to fail at the first hurdle. Make sure you have the route maps you need or choose a well marked trail and ensure you are wearing suitable walking gear to cover any eventualities both weather related and otherwise.

Hill safety

Taking simple precautions like taking a survival bag, leaving a route plan and carrying a compass can stop minor incidents becoming full blown epics, so safety in the hills always has to be top of the list before setting out.

Especially if you are a novice, you need to be aware of your own capabilities, and plan your route accordingly. Ensure that you are properly equipped for the time of year - bear in mind that whilst it may be glorious summer at the foot of a Scottish hill, it can be close to zero degrees and a howling gale at the top of the hill and as we all know in Scotland, you can get four seasons in a morning, let alone a day!

Plan Your Route
The length and difficulty of your route should be considered carefully. Be realistic about your own and your groups’ abilities. Check your timing and make sure that you are aware of the hours of daylight for the time of year you are visiting. Check you have all the appropriate maps. Make sure that your group understands and accepts what the route may demand of them.

Check the Weather
Check the weather before you go out - it may be nice and sunny when you set out, but the forecast might predict a turn that could leave you caught out. As a start you can check out the Met Office web site (www.metoffice.gov.uk) or the BBC Weather Site (www.bbc.co.uk/weather).

Preparation and planning
Be prepared! Take time to plan and prepare for your trip. This will be time well spent and the chances of your having a successful and enjoyable trip will be far higher if you have prepared well.

Emergency food
Always carry emergency food such as high energy / low weight food bars.

Emergency communications
Always take your mobile phone with you (sealed in a water proof bag) when you are out on the hills. In the event of an emergency it will save valuable time if you are able to contact the emergency services immediately. In an Emergency, the international distress signal is six steady blasts of your whistle (or six torch flashes at night), wait for one minute, then repeat the signal - keep doing this until you are located. The response is three flashes or blasts of the whistle, a minutes’ pause then three again. If there are three or more in the party, one should stay with the injured person, while the other plots the exact location, notes the injuries and goes for help. Dial 999 and ask for the police.

It may seem a lot to take in but it will all the worth it and when you head out for your first hill walk, you will feel a rush of adrenaline and exhilaration. If you are prepared you will feel the benefits of the exercise and the outdoors in both body and mind. Maybe you’ll find it’s not for you, but hopefully you’ll become hooked and be thinking about your next hill and the big challenge to come.

For more advice on hill walking, visit www.hillwalking.org or www.mcofs.org.uk

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