Google Fit, Pros and Cons

DISCLAIMER - This post is not sponsored by Google. I am writing this of my own free will. As such I can also say negative things about Google Fit...

Okay so last week I downloaded and installed Google Fit app on to my phone. This was done very easily and the app is free.

Using GPS tracking, the app tracks how much I move and how quickly I move. It also uses the phones sensors to track movement, even if your GPS doesn't move very much.

Con - My wife complains about the idea that Google is therefore tracking my whereabouts all the time. So I had to listen to that.

My retort: If your phone is turned on and you have ANY apps that track your GPS on there, then chances are quite likely that Google, Apple and other corporations are ALREADY tracking your location. It is already there. You already agreed to it just by having your phone turned on and various apps installed.

So yes, the app tracks your speed of movement and then records it in two ways.

1. "Move Minutes" - This is basically a measurement of how much time in the day you spend actively walking about. Regular walking to the bathroom, going to the kitchen etc doesn't really count. eg. On Sunday I did 104 "Move Minutes". Doesn't seem like much, does it?

2. "Heart Points" - This is a representation of how quickly you were moving for part of that time. You accumulate heart points faster if you are walking briskly, jogging, cycling, etc. If you go too fast however, you get nothing because the app then thinks you are in a bus, car, etc - so you cannot cheat doing this.

Pro - Having the app is a good way to keep track of how much activity you are doing in terms of walking, jogging, etc. People who are into jogging, running, cycling, etc for exercise should consider using an app like Google Fit to track their fitness levels.

Pro - The app sets goals for how many daily Move Minutes and Heart Points. Thus it encourages you to reach those every day and surpass them. Or at least reach weekly or monthly goals.

So for example my current Heart Points goal is 10 per day, but that could translate into 70 per week. Since I got 22 on Sunday alone, 5 on Monday, 0 on Tuesday, and 10 so far today (Wednesday) I am already up to 37 points. To reach 70 I only need to get 33 more points during the rest of today, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. So I should be able to reach that 70 goal and surpass it easily.

You can also do the same thing with respect to the Move Minutes. My daily goal is 60 minutes, which is 420 per week. I have already reached 211, mostly due to getting 109 Move Minutes on Sunday, 57 on Monday, 13 on Tuesday, and 32 so far today (Wednesday). So I am just over halfway to my weekly goal.

I know I am taking a walk later this evening, I will be working outside Thursday, I will be going to an event Friday that involves walking, and I will be working outside again on Saturday. So I am pretty confident I will meet and beat both of my Move Minutes and Heart Points goals.

Once you meet those goals you can leave your goals as is, or you can increase them.

Pro - Being able to adjust your goals is very easy to do.

Con - You can only adjust them by 5 points or multiples of 5. You cannot pick unusual numbers like 111 or 12. They have to be rounded to the nearest 5.

So what about other kinds of exercises?

Well there is a problem.

Con - Google Fit doesn't really track exercises like weightlifting, helping a friend carry a sofa up 10 flights of stairs, doing yoga, jumping jacks, etc - because all of these actions are effectively in the same location in terms of GPS so it cannot track the intensity of those activities.




In the app it does say that it can track short strolls, dancing and yoga - but I am going to call bogus on the claim that it tracks yoga, as the person doing yoga isn't really moving their GPS much. Now the sensors in the phone can detect motions like squatting and standing up, but this kind of movement doesn't always register perfectly - and it assumes that the person is keeping their phone in their yoga pants without it falling out constantly. So yes, unless the individual has some fancy yoga pants with a pocket that never drops cellphones, that claim is utterly bogus.

For example, today I carried my 16-month-old son (who currently weighs approx. 25.5 lbs) and his baby-stroller (weight unknown) up and down two sets of stairs 6 times, while also carrying boxes of breakables (weight unknown). This was an exhausting experience.


Now while Google Fit did recognize that I was moving, effectively going for a walk during that time period, it didn't know that I was carrying any boxes or baby-strollers, carrying things up and down stairs, or pushing a baby-stroller.

Next lets talk about the Journal...

So yes, Google Fit has a Journal function which allows you to add extra notes. It automatically records your "Morning walk", "Lunch walk", "Afternoon walk", etc.

But if you want to add other activities as notes, you can do so. During which you can even add notes about your blood pressure, any changes to your weight, specific activities you did, and track your workout.

So for example I want to add "carrying boxes, baby, etc up and down stairs". Clearly that is not part of the standard list of activities, which includes things like Aerobics, Boxing, Dancing, Martial Arts, Other, Rowing, Skiing, Yoga and other activities.

So since carrying boxes/baby clearly counts as "Other" I am going to click that one. I then select the time, from 10:30 to roughly 11 AM. I give it an Activity Title of "Carrying Stuff on Stairs"...

It then asks me to mark in Notes, Calories, Steps, Kilometers - which I frankly don't know the answer to those questions. So I leave them blank.

I then save the entry.

Now I check to see what has changed.

Well for starters my Move Minutes for today is now 73 (up from 32) and my Heart Points is now 62 (up from 10).

So how did it calculate that my "Other" activity was worth an extra 41 Move Minutes and an extra 52 Heart Points? I have no freaking clue.

So...

Pro - It is possible to record extra activities on the app.

Con - You have to do it manually using the Journal, and I have no idea how accurate that is.

Also...

Con - People could cheat and just add extra activities then didn't actually do. I can see people doing this, but it is really dishonest to yourself to do it.

A person could even add mundane activities that they do daily anyway, like handwashing the dishes or giving the dog a bath. Is there some exercise involved in those activities? Yes. But it is very light exercise, and should you really be counting them? Google Fit clearly gives the user the benefit of the doubt when calculating the amount of Move Minutes and Heart Points.

52 extra heart points for adding that one activity? Yes, it was exhausting and I probably deserve it, but how did it calculate 52 as the specific number?

And because of that one activity, I have already beat my Heart Points goal for the week - it is now 89 and I only needed 70.

My Move Minutes total is now 252, so I am now well on my way to getting my 420 weekly goal.

If I added other activities I did Sunday and Monday, I could probably reach the goal today just by adding more things to the journal.

The Profile...

The Profile page allows you to edit your daily Move Minute / Heart Point goals, as well as record your sex, birthday, weight and height.

If your weight changes over time, you can go to the Home page, scroll down to Weight and click to see the chart of how your weight has fluctuated the past week, past month, past 3 months and past year.

Back to the profile page, it doesn't really do much beyond setting your goals and recording your weight changes.

Pro - Yes, you can track your weight over time.

Con - It doesn't have a clue whether you are gaining/losing fat or gaining/losing muscle weight.

Fun Fact - In terms of volume, muscle weighs more than fat. Fat takes up lots of space, whereas muscle takes up little space. So a lb of fat will take up more volume than 1 lb of muscle.

When exercising, beginners to a new activity will often gain weight (as muscle) first before losing any noticeable fat. This is confusing because they might think they are getting fatter, when in reality they are just becoming more muscular.

App Syncing

It is possible to sync Google Fit with other apps.

So for example, a recent app that was added is Pokemon Go - which encourages people to go for walks, find virtual Pokemon, go to parks / other real life locations to battle Pokemon in virtual Poke-Gyms. Essentially the game rewards players for walking, jogging, cycling, etc. Allowing the game to sync means that players can hatch eggs and accomplish walking goals without having their Pokemon Go game even turned on.

Now there are many other apps that also sync with Google Fit, including...

• Nike+ Running
• Adidas Train and Run
• Strava
• Runkeeper
• Runtastic
• Noom Coach
• MyFitnessPal
• Lifesum
• Lose It
• Polar
• Basis
• Sleep as Android
• Withings
• Android Wear
• Xiaomi activity trackers

And many more. Over 80 different apps. I myself like playing Pokemon Go because it rewards you for exercising and going for walks. True, it is just virtual rewards. But that is still better than rewarding yourself with calorie rich food.

Google Fit can also sync with wearable tech, like smart watches and similar devices. In theory if there was such a device for weightlifters which measured arm / leg movement and heart rate, perhaps it could estimate how much weightlifting is actually being done. So for people into that sort of thing, perhaps there is a market for such devices.


CONCLUSIONS

Despite its downfalls, using Google Fit is still beneficial. True, you might have to spend a few minutes manually adding activities you did like weightlifting, yoga, etc, but it allows you to track how much you are walking and moving, and that alone can help you to set basic fitness goals for yourself so you can achieve specific goals.

Thus it works best for walkers, hikers, joggers and runners... but thanks to the Journal function you can still add other activities (as to the accuracy of how it calculates those activities...) so it is still usable for a variety of other activities.

eg. I won't be marking down "Teaching Archery" as an activity because that is mostly me walking back and forth with the student.

But I could add Archery whenever I do personal practice. Not sure how it will calculate that, but if all else fails I can just up my Move Minutes / Heart Points to higher goals so that it is all relative to whatever goals I set.

Thus the accuracy/inaccuracy of the minutes/points doesn't really matter. What matters more is setting the goals and then trying to achieve them.

Conscious vs Unconscious Archery

First lets start with some definitions so that people reading this understand what we are talking about today.

Conscious Archery - Doing actions (eg. archery form, aiming) in a deliberate manner to achieve a specific archery goal.

Unconscious Archery - Doing actions without completely realizing you are doing them, which causes a variety of archery results. The archer is still somewhat aware they are doing the action because they have practiced the action so that it becomes a habit, but they don't realize how much the habit will effect the arrow's flight. Note that this includes both good and bad habits.*

* Not to be confused with the Subconscious Mind, which is a person is completely unaware of. The Subconscious mind is thinking of all sorts of things that your active mind isn't even concerned with.

Next lets go through some examples, and I have chosen examples which beginner archers frequently have problems with.

Example 1: Unconscious Canting

The archer's shots are going further to the right than they would hope, so they consciously aim further to the left. However at the same time they might end up unconsciously canting the bow further to the right.

Thus even though they aimed further left, the rightward canting of the bow causes the arrow to go further to the right, possibly even further right than their previous shot depending on how much they were canting the bow.

The archer then stands there dumbfounded, struggling to make sense of how they managed to aim further left, but their arrow went further right.*

* This is one of those times it helps to have an archery instructor to tell you what you are really doing wrong so you aren't guessing as to what you did wrong.

Example 2: Unconsciously Aiming Too High

The archer's shots are going too low, but they are unaware that they have been using too little back power which causes their arrows to effectively "run out of steam" by the time they reach the target. Thus the arrows are frequently too low and the archer thinks they can fix the problem by aiming higher.

Thus the archer consciously aims higher, but unconsciously this causes them to give more back power to their next shot. The shot then goes too high because it had adequate power, but they are simply aiming too high now.

This is why I frequently tell my beginner archery students that when adjusting their aim they should only adjust by half or one third of the amount they think they should adjust. Thus if they miss the target by 6 inches, they should only adjust their aim by 2 or 3 inches. Otherwise what frequently will happen is that they unconsciously do something which effects the shot to go further in that one direction than they were intending. It isn't limited to a problem with back power either, it could be caused by canting, hand torque, shoulder jerks, plucking and a variety of other form mistakes.

Example 3: Unconscious Plucking of the Bowstring

Releasing the bowstring should feel natural and unconscious, and it comes with practice, practice, practice until the archer is releasing the bowstring properly as the result of habit and not because they are thinking about their release too much.

It has been my experience as an archery instructor that if a student is thinking about their release too much (consciously thinking about it) that they will often mess up their shot because they were thinking about it too much when they should have been concentrating on their form, their aim and other factors.

The archer's goal is to reach a level of skill where they can release without thinking about the release too much. This is easier, in my opinion, with traditional archers as opposed to Olympic-style archers, as the Olympic archers are also contending with the additional problem of waiting for a click from their clicker device that tells them they have reached full draw. The added stress of waiting for a click makes the Olympic-style archer think about their release more consciously, and this in turn can result in a botched release. Sure, they benefit from having a more precise amount of power from their full draw, but they face the extra mental challenge of their mind becoming distracted and possibly consciously botching their release.

In the past when I encounter an archery student who has difficulties with their release, I find it is beneficial to have the student practice something that is more fun - so that their mental focus switches to the fun activity and they stop thinking about their release so much.

Example 4: Unconscious Rolling of the Release

Having uneven finger placement on the bowstring can cause the archer to roll their release. (It can also cause plucking, but that is another story.) Often the archer is not aware their fingers are unevenly placed (unaware both unconsciously and subconsciously), and thus when they release the bowstring unevenly there is a tendency to rotate or "roll" their drawing hand by accident, an action the archer is likely completely unaware of.

To fix this problem the archer needs to consciously get into the habit of placing their fingers properly on the bowstring, keeping the pressure even and the placement even, and to practice their releases as such. Then the further challenge is to eventually switch to releasing this way due to unconscious habit.

Thus the process here is to go from unconsciously making a mistake, to consciously fixing the mistake, to eventually unconsciously just following the good habit. Going from unconscious to conscious and back to unconscious again.

"An archer is looking for subconscious competence."

- Steve Ruis, American Archery Instructor.

Example 5: Unconscious Paralysis by Conscious Analysis

"Paralysis by Analysis" is an old phrase. It is unclear how old the term is, but possibly dates back to at least the 1950s. It is caused by people, in this case archers, overthinking a problem and then becoming paralyzed by anxiety. It doesn't have to be an archery problem. It could be an architect trying to decide how to finish the design of their new building, but they become bogged down by anxiety while overthinking the problem. The concept is applicable to many activities.

The phrase is also the title of a blog post by American archery instructor Steve Ruis, who is also the editor of "Archery Focus Magazine".

In his article Steve also says the above quote about how "An archer is looking for subconscious competence." Which I felt was a great quote and worth repeating. (It also gives me an excuse to add this post to the Exercise Quotes list.)

But if that is what the archer is looking for, then ergo there is also the reverse:

'The archer is not looking for conscious incompetence.'

Yep, definitely do not want that. That would mean the archer is taking actions deliberately, but all their actions are fruitless and not helping their accuracy.

Imagine for example a beginner archer who has very little concept of form and after every shot they change something. Every shot is different. No consistency of form whatsoever. Different power, different form, aiming differently, and over time they become more and more anxious and frustrated with their lack of improvement. Sure, they might hit the target a few times (due to luck), but they cannot repeat it because their form/power/aiming is so inconsistent, and thus their accuracy is completely inconsistent.

Thus to paraphrase Steve Ruis, what the archer is looking for is unconscious consistency, as consistent accuracy is effectively the definition of competence when it comes to archery.

Now Steve also used the word subconscious in there, which suggests the archer also strives for a loftier goal. It is not enough to be unconsciously following habits learned from practice, no, the archer truly strives to be able to shoot subconsciously and to be mentally unaware of their form. Like they are not even thinking about it.

To be able to shoot like that, well, that is probably something that only one archer in history has ever truly achieved. Awa Kenzo, the famed Japanese archery instructor.

Awa Kenzo also talked about conscious vs unconscious archery, although he certainly did not use those words. (For more on Awa Kenzo, I recommend reading the book "Zen Bow, Zen Arrow", which includes a lot of poetry Awa Kenzo wrote about the practice of archery. He uses the poetry as a way to teach his students various archery principles.)

Instead of teaching students how to perform a task by giving them hints, Awa would often let them deliberately fail so that they can learn from the experience. He understood that if a student was making unconscious mistakes, they needed to go through the learning process of learning how to consciously avoid the bad habit, learn a good habit to replace it, and eventually return to a state of shooting using unconscious good habits.

"And if I tried to give you a clue at the cost of your own experience, I should be the worst of teachers and should deserve to be sacked!"

- Awa Kenzo, Japanese Archery Instructor.

Example 6: Conscious Failure

Sometimes archers develop mental issues like Target Anxiety, Gold Shy and other problems. It can mess the archers up mentally because they don't know how to fix the problem. The problem is purely mental.

Here is a quote of my own:

"Sometimes the best thing an archery instructor can do is say nothing and let the student fail."

- Charles Moffat, Canadian Archery Instructor.

So with Target Anxiety what will happen sometimes is that their form will be okay, at least at the beginning, but while they are aiming they begin to feel anxious, and they will start to shake / cramp up more (sometimes only slightly) and then they release too soon when they weren't ready yet.

The arrow flies out there and misses.

The archer feels like a failure, but they are consciously aware of the anxiety and how it is effecting them.

The next shot they do the same thing. They pull back, their form is good, but then the anxiety hits them and it worse than last time. They shoot, miss and then feel frustrated.

Now Target Anxiety isn't just for people who shoot too soon (Premature Releasing???) as sometimes archers have the opposite problem. They pull back, aim, and then hold their shot for too long as the anxiety paralyzes them and they start shaking more as their muscles cramp up.

That is a good time to just let down, take a breather, and start over. It wasn't going to be a good shot anyway. I don't believe in luck helping in that situation.

Thus you see there are two basic types of Target Anxiety:

1. Not-Quite-Ripe Target Anxiety - Wherein the archer shoots too soon due to anxiety.
   
2. Overly Ripe Target Anxiety - One might even say Rotten, wherein the archer waits too long due to anxiety.

There are doubtlessly other ways people can get Target Anxiety, but these are two types I have encountered with students.

In both cases I find there is a solution that helps the student learn to relax and relieve their anxiety. Do something fun. Shooting at moving targets, shooting while kneeling or walking in motion, do some Field Archery, some long distance archery - something that is both challenging and fun, but also serves to get their mind off of the mental problem they are having. By distracting their brain with a fun activity, their anxiety dwindles and they are able to think properly again.

From the position of an instructor, you have to see the student fail in an action in order to help them to fix that problem.

If the student knows their form is really good and they are achieving results but not being mentally stimulated, then it is time to change things so that they are mentally stimulated. Shooting at the same thing constantly, every lesson, would certainly get boring, and this is why with my lessons every lesson is different. The student is learning something new every time.

Gold Shy is more rare but also problematic. Essentially an archer with Gold Shy deliberately misses the center of the target - the yellow center on standard targets, hence why this mental problem is called Gold Shy. This isn't so much an anxiety problem in my opinion, as it is a problem of the archer deciding "that will do" or "that is close enough". They have lost their perfectionist spirit. Now that doesn't mean that all archers with Gold Shy have the exact same loss of perfectionism, but they do all suffer from the problem of essentially missing on purpose.

The Gold Shy archer knows they can do better, knows they can achieve a higher level of perfection, but simply doesn't care enough to put that extra effort into their accuracy.

Myself, I do this sometimes when shooting more casually. It is a bad habit I admit, but I feel it is something I have started doing due to age. As I have gotten older I simply don't care any more whether I hit the target or not. I know I can shoot better when I want to, but sometimes I just want to relax and shoot, and not worry about the details of having complete accuracy. So does that mean I am consciously choosing to shoot unconsciously in a relaxed manner? That doesn't mean my form suddenly becomes sloppy, as I still will be shooting out of habit honed from 29.5 years of shooting. It simply means that when I pull back and aim, I am relying on my good habits to produce a good shot and I am less worried about it being a perfect shot.

Having "perfect habits" would doubtlessly produce better quality shots, but being 39 years old, having a wife and a son, I find my priorities aren't on attaining that perfect shot any more. My life is already very good. I am very happy. I don't need more broken Robin Hooded arrows to prove to myself that I can perform perfect shots. I have already done it many times (and replacing broken arrows gets expensive) and I am content with my life.

When I think of goals for myself, I think of things I have yet to do. Things I want to do, but have yet to find the time, money, materials or resources to do them.

Thus when it comes to my archery students, constantly challenging them is a way to prevent them from getting mental problems like Target Anxiety or Gold Shy in the first place. If they are always striving for something new and different that provides a mental and physical challenge, they will achieve greatness.

Myself, I have already done everything I can think of with respect to archery, with one major exception: Horseback Archery. And with that comes my goal of having a horse farm and teaching horseback archery. Hence why that is a goal I have to be patient about. Someday.

But to anyone reading this who is suffering from Target Anxiety or Gold Shy, I have one piece of advice: Try to attain perfection while having fun doing it. This will help you to stay focused and motivated.


LIMITED TIME SPECIAL OFFER

Sign up ahead of time (deliberately?) for archery lessons for March and/or April 2019 and get 10% off. This only applies to archery lessons taking place in March or April 2019 and does not apply to lessons in other times of the year. It also does not stack with other discount offers or special offers, such as the discount for Seniors.

So for example if you sign up for 3 weekday lessons (normally $170) it will be $153 instead.

Furthermore this offer is only valid for November and December 2018. Hence why it is a Limited Time Special Offer.

Browse my rates on my Archery Lessons in Toronto page and my Archery Lesson Plan so you have an idea for how many lessons you want.

You can also get Gift Vouchers for friends, family and colleagues. Just email cardiotrek@gmail.com to learn more. Have a great day!

A Challenging Moving Target

Tips on Improving Your Exercise Regime While on the Ketogenic Diet

By Sam Hoffman, October 2018.

Before starting a ketogenic diet, your body will use the carbs in your body as a fuel when working out. Now that you’ve made the choice to change your body’s main fuel source, how will it affect your exercise regime? The short answer is — it won’t!

A good set of dumbbells will help you exercise on days you don't want to go outside. [Image Copyright Pixabay]

Your body will take some time to get used to the sudden change you’ve implemented on it, but in the end, your physical performance will be the same it was before your diet, or even better!

Keto diets have an appetite-suppressing effect on your metabolism, so you won’t be feeling hungry as much as you did before. Keep in mind that this is a double-edged sword because not having cravings is great, but it can also mislead you into thinking that your body does not need any more fats than you’ve already eaten.

Essentially, your metabolism will need lots of fats to use as a fuel source, but when you’re exercising this amount can even double up! So, our number one tip for improving your exercise regime is to make sure you are eating enough fats in order to sustain the optimal balance of your metabolism! A good way to do that is through keto-friendly supplements.

Once you follow this first step, you will be ready for whatever exercise regime you are trying to pursue. There are actually four types of exercises: flexibility, stability, aerobic and anaerobic, with the last one being the most intense. This makes it a bit tricky to combine with ketogenic diets, but not impossible!

Jogging is an excellent aerobic exercise as it really gets the heart pumping hard. [Image Copyright Pixabay]

Every type of physical activity has a type of ketogenic diet to help back it up! You just need to understand your body’s needs and how to give it what it requires at the moment. The thing about the aforementioned training types is that high-intensity workouts tend to use carbs as the main fuel source, whereas their low-intensity counterparts use fats for the same purpose. This may come as a relief for those who are not looking to go crazy in their exercise regimes but can be a disappointment for those who are.

Not to worry, if your main concern is how your high-intensity training will align with your keto diet, all you need to do is to increase your carb intake a bit. Eating about 20-30 grams of fast-burning carbs (fruits may be the best choice for this) about half an hour before your workout will help do the trick. Don’t forget to load up on fruits after your workout as well! You can also start using the targeted ketogenic diet (TKD) regime as well, and improve your end results. It will help you stack up your glycogen stores with the right amount you need for your training, and help your muscles recover after it!

However, if you choose to go for low-intensity workouts, you will be able to carry on your diet as you started it in the first place. Eat as many fats and protein as you can, and start running, cycling, swimming or doing yoga, and you’ll surely get the results you want!

The best tip anyone can give you concerning your exercise regime when on a ketogenic diet is to get to know your body and to adjust your diet to its needs. There are three types of ketogenic diets, and they are guaranteed to suit the needs of different athletes and dieters.

The standard ketogenic diet (SKD) allows you to eat 20-50 grams of net carbs a day. A targeted ketogenic diet (TKD) allows you to eat this same amount before and after your workout, which makes it the best choice for high-intensity athletes. On the other hand, the cyclical ketogenic diet (CKD) requires you to eat low-carb meals for several days, and then higher-carb meals for a couple of days.

Once your body adjusts to any of the three diet types, you will be able to burn fat 2-3 times faster than before you started your diet. Also, staying in ketosis for a longer time guarantees you’ll have optimal energy levels throughout your diet, which means you can gradually increase your workout time to your desired period.

Ketogenic diets definitely have more benefits than other diets you can hear about, as they only require sufficient education on the principles they work on. And now, you’ve got the knowledge on how to improve your exercise regime while staying in ketosis!

Think of being on a ketogenic diet as going back to your roots. Historically speaking, our predecessors were bowhunters and spearhunters who did not have an open access to carbs as we do today, so their meals consisted mostly of fats and protein. And since they spent their days hunting, it means they were physically active most of their days. So, from now on you can think of yourself as a hunter for ketones!

5 National Parks that are Great for Cardio Workouts

Joshua Tree National Park

By Ella, October 2018.

America's vast network of national parks is one of the country's most well-loved treasures. From towering mountaintops to crystal waters to sweeping desert land, the parks are varied in their terrain and choices of recreational opportunities. These parks are an ideal place to get outside for your workout and connect with Mother Nature at the same time. Here are five national parks that are ideal for getting in a solid cardio workout:


JOSHUA TREE NATIONAL PARK: The desert wonderland is ideal for those seeking dry and warm conditions during their workout. Mountain climbers and those looking for a surge of adrenaline will revel in all of the rock faces just asking to be climbed and scaled. Because rock climbing is a serious calorie blaster, Joshua Tree National Park is a great place to work up a sweat in the desert while feeling good about your cardio efforts. Located in Southern California and straddling both the Mojave Desert and the Colorado Desert, this park is named for its network of twisted Joshua trees of the region. Sweeping views of the Coachella Valley give this park a distinctive desert vibe.

Voyageurs National Park

VOYAGEURS NATIONAL PARK: This unique park is located near International Falls, Minnesota, close to the Canadian border. The area is most known for its large network of waterways, creating an oasis for those who love being out on the water. Exercise enthusiasts will delight in the many opportunities to kayak, canoe, and SUP their way through a workout. The remote location makes Voyageurs National Park the perfect place to get away from the hustle and bustle of everyday living. Unlike some national parks that can get extremely crowded during the high tourist season, Voyageurs is a haven for peace of solitude.


ROCK CREEK NATIONAL PARK: This urban oasis is conveniently located in Washington, D.C., making it a quick escape to those city dwellers who want to get away from the lights and noise of the nation's capital and connect with nature. 32 miles of wooded trails beckon runners, walkers, hikers, and bikers. The Thompson Boat Center provides the opportunity to rent kayaks and canoes if a water workout is what your body is craving. Those looking for a competitive team sport can take to the many tennis courts or the 18-hole golf course.

Rock Creek National Park

Golden Gate National Park

GOLDEN GATE NATIONAL PARK: This jewel is one of the most visited national parks in the country. And for good reason. The San Francisco park gives visitors plenty of opportunities to get in a good workout while providing amazing views of the city landscape at the same time. The experience of biking along the Golden Gate Bridge and taking in all of its majesties never gets old. The urban location delivers a variety of group exercise class options located in the park.


ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK: There is no shortage of outdoor recreational opportunities in Colorado, but this gem in Estes Park is top of the list. In the winter, the snowy mountains of the region deliver a host of skiing, snowshoeing, and snowboarding options. However, the workout fun does not stop when the temperatures warm up. The summer, spring, and fall provide a bevy of opportunities to work up a sweat while running, hiking, or biking through the many trails. When are you done with your workout, the quaint town of Estes Park is a fun place to grab a bite to eat or do some shopping in the historic downtown area.

Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado

Whatever your workout fancy, America's national parks provide something for every personal need and preference. The only thing left to do is lace up your shoes and get moving!

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Ella, Content Manager for trekbible , is a writer and content specialist with a predilection for learning and exploring new places and cultures around the world. With family scattered throughout the U.S. and South Korea, she loves to see cross-cultural influences around the world. Her favorite thing to do on her travels is to taste the local cuisine of each destination.

7 Ways a Physical Therapist can Ease Your Pain

7 Ways a Physical Therapist Can Ease Your Pain

If you’ve been dealing with a sports injury for some time, you may want to take a trip to a physical therapist. Additionally, if you have a short-term injury that you’d like to speed up your recovery for, seeing a PT about your treatment options is a smart idea. The reason is that physical therapy has an excellent track record in a variety of wellness domains. One of them is pain reduction for short and long-term injuries. Below, we explain exactly how a physical therapist can ease your pain and hopefully convince you to give one a try.

Targeted Exercise

When you have a significant sports injury, exercising without in-depth knowledge of your conditions is a risky decision. What will likely happen is you injuring yourself even more, and making your eventual recovery more difficult. The best way to avoid this trap is by talking to a physical therapist first. They will construct a workout plan for you that takes your injury into account and makes it better, not worse. 

Manual Therapy

One option your therapist will explore with you is manual therapy, which refers to treatments that are done using just the hands. What this will entail is feeling, massage, and stretching the injured area and those that surround it. There are many purposes for this type of therapy, but the most common are making an initial diagnosis, warm up, cool down, and soft tissue treatment. 

Other Treatments

Beyond manual therapy, there are a variety of methods that your PT might use to treat your sports injury:

Ice - The primary purpose of ice is to constrict blood vessels and reduce inflammation. Though an inflammatory response can help an injury, it can also become excessive and painful. Your PT may use ice to manage that inflammation.

Heat - In other situations, heat is the answer. The reason is that it can reduce pain and increase mobility. Additionally, when you are more mobile, you are more receptive to manual therapy.

Ultrasound - Your PT might use ultrasound waves to loosen your tissue before using other forms of therapy. 

Laser - Lasers have a variety of functions, but the most prevalent are stimulating healing, reducing inflammation, and lessening pain. 

Electrical - Sending electrical impulses through your body can stimulate muscle contraction and speed up the healing process. 

Education

One of the best things your therapist can do for you is to educate you on the nature of your sports injury. Not only will this let you understand it better, but it will also inform you on how to live with it. With this knowledge, you can go about your life without making your injury worse. 

Avoid Surgery

Though many people with injuries opt for surgery, its track record is not as good as you might think. In fact, a significant portion of operations do not yield the results that they intend, or even make symptoms worse. Physical therapy helps you avoid this cost and pain by using non-surgical methods. 

Speed Up Recovery

While you might recover without any attention from a PT, their expertise will surely speed up your recovery. This will allow you to feel less pain and get back to living your life without restriction. 

Keeping You Involved

A great thing about physical therapy, as opposed to traditional medicine or surgery, is that you are involved. Your therapist will explain your injury to you and inform you on how to treat it. Because of this, you take an active role in your recovery, which makes you feel less pain and more satisfaction. 

If your sports injury is severe enough, you will probably see a family doctor about it. Depending on the nature of that injury, your next step might be seeing a PT. This is the right choice, as physical therapy has been shown to be incredibly useful in pain reduction. If you’re interested in seeing what physical therapy can do for you, find yourself a local physical therapy clinic and schedule a consultation.