How to Work Your Heart on a Hiking Vacation

Hiking vacations offer both visual beauty and health benefits. Hitting winding and climbing trails or taking a long, scenic walk along chateau lined streets and bustling market districts can both benefit your heart. But a hiking vacation can take your physical levels to new heights.

Choose the Right Level of Exertions

Work with a tour company that offers scenic hikes at a low intensity along with rugged adventures that will get your heart racing at 80-90% of your maximum hiking heart rate. If you choose the latter, you should prepare before your vacation with some cardiovascular workouts and muscle toning programs.

Good physical and cardio workouts before your vacation will give you valuable info on how your body reacts when it’s been overworked and when you need to take a break.

Working Your Heart on a Hiking Vacations

While on a hiking vacation, use a heart monitor to measure how intense the hiking experience is. To get the best workout, you will want to include different levels of activity that really get your heart racing and some that allow your heart to slow down and recover.

Short bursts of intense climbing such a steep alpine ascent offers a moderate heart rate workout – but so would a very long jog along a hiking trail at a pretty good rate.

You will find your endurance increase drastically when you add some moderate heart rate activities that really get your blood pumping.

For a low heart workout, descending hills and mountains along with long walks on flat trails are great for enjoyment and heart strengthening. If you can hold a conversation while hiking, then you are probably working at a low intensity heart rate.

These are also great times to bond with others and take scenic photographs for hours long trips to breathtaking landscapes.

It is suggested to begin your fitness training before you take hiking vacations. Get to know your maximum heart rate at a high level of exercise like running, then you’ll know when you’re at a moderate level (70-80%) of exercise when on the trail.