SO01038_.wmf (17342 bytes) WHY MOUNTAINEERING ?

Hiking and/or mountaineering is one of the fastest growing sports in the world. But ask hikers and mountaineers and they would not agree on a specific definition of what mountaineering is. Some may argue that it is not a sport, or it is not a recreation etc. etc. And that would only prove how diverse mountaineering is.

In fact new studies shows that it is one of the most excellent, if not the most, form of physical activity since it not only exercises your body, or promotes physical fitness, it also feeds you mind and enriches your soul. It's a whollisctic activity that encompasses and stimulates your mental, spiritual and physical aspects.

It is not competitive like other sports, cause competition also stresses you up. In hiking, everyone is a winner. It's liberating like Christianity since minimalism is the dictum. It promotes camaraderie among participants and a perfect way of bonding among participants. It makes a better person out of you.

Would you like to spend your weekend on a mall, thinking how you can afford this and that, or how much you got to entertain yourself ? Go to the trails and experience letting go, clearing your minds of troubles and enjoying every sceneries and every step you take. Instead of thinking how much a merchandise is, think how wonderful a tree is. And you can do that for free. 

Man was created for nature but progress took him away from the real environment where he should have belonged. Mountaineering connects you up even for a short time to the environment where we should have been in the first place. A part of us feels re-united.

 

So what are you waiting for ? GET A HIKE !

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Hiking For Health

According to the American Hiking Society, more than 28 million people took a hike in 1997. That growing figure makes hiking the country's 10th most popular sports, says the National Sporting Goods Association. That's easy to understand considering the benefits of regular hiking: improved aerobic fitness, reduced blood pressure, better HDL "good" cholesterol levels and improved mental well-being, according to studies cited by the American Hiking Society.

While according to Covenant Health, Hiking is one of the best overall fitness activities. Not only does it burn off a high number of calories per minute, it tones muscles, and helps to reduce stress. Here are a few points to consider about hiking.

Super Fat burner: - Hiking burns off between 500-600 calories per hour!

So even a moderate hike of 3-4 miles can burn off as many calories as the average person burns per day when not exercising. Look at the comparison :

(all based on 140 pounds person)

Stress reducer:

 

It’s a fact that aerobic exercise helps reduce stress in our lives. And experts also say being outdoors in the fresh air, is a way to lower stress. Add the beauty of the mountains and you have a perfect stress buster.

 

Firms muscles:

 

Climbing uphill, and especially coming back downhill will tone the muscles in your upper legs (quadriceps), lower legs (calve and tibialis) and your ankles. I do suggest adding 10 minutes twice a week of upper body exercises, ankle rotations, and stretching for a complete workout. Stretching will help you stay injury free, and ankle rotations 50 times in each directions can help you prevent ankle sprains. Another good ankle exercise is to act like you are drawing the A,B,C’s with your toes in the air. This will work every muscle and tendon in your lower leg. Stretching should be done a little before you hike, and more after you hike.

 

Social Fun:

 

Hiking is a great way to meet new friends. There are many hiking clubs and organized hikes to join. Plus it’s a wonderful activity for your whole family.

 

Get checked out first:

Hiking is more vigorous than walking, so make sure you see a doctor before you begin, and start a walking program first before hitting the trails for a longer hike.

Hiking for the Spirit

Nature particularly mountains has long been a part of spiritual/religious history. From the time the laws was handed over to Moses at Mt. Sainai, till the Transfuguration of Christ in Mt. Tabor, the wilderness has played an important role regarding spiritual experiences. Even local religions from the burial traditions of Ibaloys and Ifugaos as well as the Incas of Peru, to the mystics of Banahaw, the mountains has long been regarded as holy places.

In an article written by Fr. Rey Cimagala in Manila Bulletin's Panorama Magazine dated September 3, 2000, the priest talked about the spiritual aspects of "visiting nature." He mentioned that the Pope alludes to the human need to take time to visit nature. It is according to him a suggestion that certainly offers many human benefits. A fine believer of what St. Paul once said about God's invinsible attributes being clearly seen in the visible things of this world (Rom 1.20), the Pope advises us that by visiting nature, we can get  some special access to God.

According to Fr. Rey, "The Pope must be referring to that inexplicable sensation of calm and depth, of quiet joy and wordless satisfaction, of an awe both humbling and comforting, of a flight into space and eternity that we experience when in front of that blend of sound and silence, light and shadows, color and expanse that the mountains and the streams, the beaches and seas, the farms and the sky gives us effortlessly and abundantly. The Papal suggestion has to be taken seriously by all of us. Many times we think that with all the problems we have at hand, going to excursions, spending time communing with nature is a luxury we cannot afford. Certainly there are situations when such observation is right. But let us not forget that very often also we think that we can solve these problems by simply worrying and fretting. We do not realize that we end up simply gossiping, lamenting and doing other idle negative things because of the problems. We failed to realize that we need precisely to rest and visit nature to recover a sense of balance and restore freshness in our body and faculties. But we also have to do it well. In the Bible there is a passage that describes a phenomenon that sadly is getting rampant these days. "Idle they remain, but rest they cannot find" (Eclo 20.23). There are people literally taking all their time in recreation and entertainment, but rest eludes them. This is because they do not know how to rest. They do not even know what constitutes rest. They are ignorant of what the Lord has said "Come to me all of you who are burdened, and I will give you rest"..."

Click here to see some of the reasons why other people climb mountains.

And Finally ...Why MMS ?

Surf on....