I confess that although I list substantial dog hikes (not the everyday ‘around the block a few times’ kind but the kind where we go to the park for an hour or two) in the Facebook group 217 in 2017, somehow in my mind I don’t really think they count as exercise.
They’re not strength training. And I thought, they’re not really cardio either. (Unless, I dog-jog, and then they’re cardio.)
I now admit I might be wrong. At least if hills are involved.
This week, I’m in Iceland during our school’s fall break. Autumn temperatures hadn’t really hit Ontario yet so I took a drastic measure of finding cooler weather by flying North. Also cheap flights thanks to Iceland’s discount airline, WOW.
I went from 23 degrees for a high outdoor temperature last Monday to 8 for a high last Tuesday.
Our first day in Iceland was a bit sleepy. Our “overnight” flight got in at 5 am (1 am, Ontario time) and some exercise seemed in order to keep us moving. I also liked the idea of the hike to the hot river, because “hot” also sounded good.
It’s a 1 hour very hilly hike to the river in the Reykjadalur Valley. And looking at my Garmin watch data I may need to rethink my view that hikes aren’t really exercise. It seems hilly ones are hard as riding my bike at a good clip.
Here’s what the hilly part of my walk looked like on my Garmin.
Here’s me, all bundled up, near the start of the trail:
Here is the hot part of the river you can bathe in. It’s about 40 degrees. Much better than the hot water above with the warning sign. That can reach up to 100! Not for bathing…
Here is the whole area with lovely wooden board walks and privacy screens for changing.
You need to hike through some steam on your way to the river!
Geothermal activity is awfully pretty to look at!
There’s no selfies from the hot river because I was too nervous about losing my phone. It would be a great story to tell losing the phone in a hot river in Iceland but traveling is never a good time to lose your phone.
It must be pretty flat where you are to have ever thought that hikes weren’t exercise. If I do a 8-12km hike with any elevation changes more than 150m, or especially if it’s over rolling hills with lots of ups and downs, I’m completely wiped out for the day. I will drink at least 3 litres of water in the process, and likely spend three hours napping when I get home. Especially if I haven’t been keeping up with it. Hiking over distance and elevation isn’t always cardio, but it’s definitely strength and endurance.
It is pretty flat. And I don’t carry a pack. Either would up the intensity.