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Stretching And Massage For Hiking
With the arrival of spring, people are once again
getting ready to hit the hiking trails. With the
muscles having not participated in this activity for
several months, it is important to take steps to
prevent injury. By stretching before you hit the
trail and using stretching and massage after you're
done hiking, you can help the muscles to heal
naturally.
After any exercise, massage can quicken the recovery
period for the muscles. Like all athletes, hikers
need to increase circulation and prevent lactic acid
from building up. Lactic acid and other waste
products pool in the blood in your extremities after
exercise. Those waste products, gathered in the
muscles, contribute to the sore and jittery muscles
you feel after a tough day on the trail.
Lactic acid slows down the recovery period after an
activity but a good massage moves intercellular fluids
through the body and allows the spaces created to be
filled with oxygen rich blood and nutrients.
The benefits of massage - increasing your oxygen and
purging the body of toxins- can help you before you
hike as well. Along with stretching, pre-exercise
massage can help prepare the body for activity.
Following are some basic stretches that can be done
before and after you hike.
Happy Trails!!!
Christena Chesney,RMT
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