Hiking with Clients

Hi Everyone,

I hope everyone is having a fabulous summer. My husband and I just got back from a trip up to Lake Tahoe. For those of you that don't live in California or Nevada. Tahoe is an amazing wonder that should be on everyone's list to visit at some point in your life.

We camped a few days, did some stand up paddleboarding, kayaked, swam and did some great hiking. As many of you probably have experienced, hiking is one of those amazing activities that can transform a person. As we were hiking along the rocks, mountains and visiting different lakes I realized how perfect hiking is as a workout. I do quite a bit of hiking with current clients of mine as a way to get them outdoors, away from their current worries and surroundings.

In everyday life we do so many things in the frontal plane. Most people also spend most of their day hunched over in a seated position. When you are hiking you are forced to use lateral movement and of these different movements are great for coordination and balance. Hiking includes the following types of activities. Stepping over rocks, avoiding tree limbs, hill climbing, descending down hills and rocks, climbing on top of rocks, crossing streams, etc. All of these activities require a person to use their whole body many times throughout the hike.

Even if you have a de-conditioned client you can still have them doing all of these cross training activities. I usually carry a medium size backpack, I put a tubing band in the backpack and carry my clients water. Once you become comfortable with creating a workout in all different surroundings I think you'll find that hiking is a great way to spend a session(s) with clients.

Thats all for now! Keep enjoying the long, sunny, warm days:-)