Sunday morning hike in the rain

One thing is certain, the weather did not cooperate this morning. The last report I saw said the rain was supposed to move out by today. When we arrived at the park it was overcast and not raining. But as fate would have it, just as we were getting started with the nutrition lesson, it began to rain. I started to speak faster so we could get to the hike. I even moved us over to the park bulletin board that had a small overhead canopy which provided a bit of shelter from the rain. It wasn't raining hard so we set out and hit the trail. But that quickly changed!

Those that showed up this morning are real troopers. No one complained about the rain, and I think most of us felt like kids jumping in puddles, thrilled to get splashed. I did make one very important observation. The rain made the trail a lot more challenging . The trails are hilly, and with wet rocks and wet moss covered logs to walk over, it added an opportunity to easily slip and get hurt. Fortunately, no one did.

We had one "brand new" visitor today, and I don't think she was prepared physically for this hike, especially in the rain. Also, I think the trails were a lot more challenging than she expected. I was impressed as she was very resourceful and quickly fashioned a "walking stick" from a tree branch she found in the woods. I spoke to her as we walked and asked her if she'd come back again. This was a "not so great" first-time experience. I encouraged her to come back and try this again on a dry day. We really have a fun time. I hope she does.

To make matters worse, her sneaker's sole came apart and was flapping at the front of her shoe where it was still attached at the toe. She had no rain gear and she wasn't alone. We were all pretty well soaked to the skin by the end of our 3.6 mile trek.

One of the things I personally enjoy is talking with people as we hike. We walked and talked, touching on the subjects that are on most people's minds, namely our nation's financial crisis and the upcoming presidential election. Good stuff.

We actually wrapped up on time and afterwards three of us met up at Dunkin Donuts for coffee. I don't drink coffee very often, but this cup was sooo good after being soaked to the skin. The conversation continued and we all enjoyed the spontaneity of the moment.

So what does all of this have to do with health? It has everything to do with health!!

Part of being healthy is finding activities you like to do, so that you'll do them and do them more often. Getting together with other like-minded people makes activities a lot more fun. Not only do we meet to hike and get some exercise, but being social is important too as it makes us feel connected and this makes us feel good. Feeling good is a very healthy state of mind wouldn't you agree?

Some of our hikers are not in the Body Basics Boot Camps program ( I know, can you imagine?) For those that are not in boot camp, or any exercise program for that matter, the hikes provide everyone with a great fat-burning workout.

If you are an avid exerciser, the hikes provide you with an "extra" workout. If you are not an exerciser at all, the hikes provide a means for which you can gage your current level of fitness and then find/create opportunities to get more exercise during the week.

If you live locally in Central New Jersey, please join us! I've set up a group on MeetUp.com called "Body Basics Boot Camps Hiking Group".

And if you don't live locally, consider finding a group or starting your own group around one of your favorite activities.