10 Easy Tips to Help You Get Fit for Your Grand Canyon Hike

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Now that it’s summer, it might be a good idea to try and get in shape before hitting the trail. But no need to stress (it’s not good for your health), just try to incorporate some healthy strategies and tips into your daily lifestyle. Although you may not see results right away, by being consistent in diet and exercise, you’ll be taking steps to become more fit and healthy, hopefully the end result being a successful Grand Canyon hike.

Food Tips

1. On average, we eat three or more times a day, so it’s very important to be feeding your body healthy whole foods rather than the processed and convenient fast food and junk food. Whenever possible, try to eat more natural foods.

2. By preparing food in advance at the start of the week, this will help to create a sound strategy to curb binge eating, as well as impulse snacking! If you have vegetables or fruit that are washed and ready to eat, it will be an easier choice to reach for those things.

3. If you’re able to control your portions, you may find that eating 5 smaller balanced meals a day spaced out at three hour intervals will actually keep you from overeating or cheating with a high-calorie dessert or indulgence. It also keeps your metabolism up so it continues to burn calories throughout the day, which helps you keep fit. Just make sure you pair a healthy, lean protein with some vegetables or complex carbohydrates, like whole grains.

Exercise Tips

4. Be consistent! The only way you’ll see results it to keep going. Pick some activities that you enjoy but feel challenged in – it shouldn’t feel boring. When you’re involved, you’re more likely to really put your best effort into each dance move, lap, or rep.

5. Your body will get used to the same old moves, so change up the pace or the routine. This may involve joining a class, using a personal trainer, or even just following some exercise videos on YouTube. It can also be as easy as adding an element of interval or circuit training to your routine (high intensity for short spurts, with period of slower resting paces).

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6. Create accountability. Have a workout buddy or someone or thing (even an app) that you can check-in with. Mentally, this can provide motivation when you’re tired or lacking the desire to follow through.

Rest Tips

7. Are you getting your 7-9 hours of sleep each night? It’s fine if you pull an all-nighter once in a while, but constantly depriving your body of sleep and rest actually can make you gain weight due to the release of cortisol, the stress hormone. Sleep and rest are essential to your health and to becoming fit.

8. Make sure that before you sleep, you stretch and have time to unwind. That means also unplugging from your electronics. It helps to mentally start to relax from the day and get ready for bed.

9. Drink enough water by keeping a glass of water with ice by your bed. As soon as you wake up in the morning, you can start your day feeling hydrated and wake up your system! Your body is made up of a majority of water – you need to be adequately hydrated to function properly and optimally (skin, digestion, cardiovascular).

Do it for yourself!

10. Make sure you’re rewarding your efforts and creating small and big milestones with attainable goals. You want to be in it for the long run, because health and fitness is a worthy lifelong goal. Even if you momentarily get off track, don’t dwell on it, just focus on what you are doing and what you can do from here on out. Not only will your body thank you, your wallet (due to lower health insurance premiums) will too!

Have you used other ways to get in shape? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section below.