Yesterday Matt and I headed up the Pacific Crest Trail from Stevens Pass to Lake Valhalla. It was a pretty hot day and I took the opportunity to take a refreshing dip in the lake. The water was still pretty chilly and I believe I did scream like a girl at one point. We then had a very satisfying pig-out at Zeke’s. Espresso milkshake-yum!
One habit that I’ve really been trying to develop this year is stretching twice a day—particularly after I hike. In the past year or so I’ve started to develop quite a bit of lower back pain and have struggled for several years with a clenching of the muscles between my shoulder blades. Much of this is caused by the fact that I work on the computer for a living, plus my hobby of working of puzzles for hours on end. Hiking with a backpack can sometimes be the straw breaking the camel’s back and I get a tightening of the muscles in my back that’s so bad that I develop a migraine type headache that can be quite debilitating.
So I’ve really tried to be proactive about stretching out my muscles in the morning and evening. I find that if I skip this—particularly in the evening—I wake up in the middle of the night in quite a bit of muscle pain.
Even if you don’t have the issues I do, you should still make stretching a part of your daily life—particularly post-hike stretching. Lactic acid buildup in the muscles and overuse of major muscles in the legs, can make for a stiff and painful experience in the days following strenuous hiking.
If you need some ideas on what types of stretches to do post-exercise, take a look at fitness expert Courtenay Schurman’s website: http://www.bodyresults.com/e1exercises.asp; scroll down to the Flexibility Exercises section. You can also increase your overall flexibility by attending a regular Yoga class. Increased flexibility can improve your hiking enjoyment and help protect you from injury in some cases. One of my goals this winter is to start attending a regular Yoga class and see if it helps with my back issues.
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