Making Trails for Exercise

Exercise is all about making trails

Recently I encountered a patient who I had worked with 18 years ago, he was back for his second heart procedure. He was very excited to see me to discuss how my advice made such a difference. I couldn’t for the life of me remember what advice I gave him nearly twenty years ago. He proceeded to inform me I told him to go walk the trails in the woods. Here he was looking fit, strong, and healthy. He was here for a quick tune up as heart disease is progressive, tune ups are required. So we set about reviewing his risk factor profile, and he looked good. He had been walking the trails in the woods nearly every day!

This gets me to thinking about making trails.  What kind of trails do you make? Maybe you think you don’t make any trails because you walk a treadmill or ride a bike. Here is how my friend Nate Burns and staff make trails in cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation programs.  Cardiac and Pulmonary Rehabilitation Walks Trails  Every year they do a different theme walk, and map out interesting stops along the way. You could add up your miles and consider where your travels have taken you, or you could work towards a goal of a certain destination.

My favorite trails are  hiking, biking, cross country skiing, beach trails and are accessible in some form year round. A goal one year was to get a guide of all the hikes at the nearby National Lakeshore Park Sleeping Bear Dunes and walk each one, now that is a yearly goal. This can also be done with your local land conservancy, or your conservation district, your local parkland.

How many trails can you find in your community? Are you up to the challenge?

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