I currently attend one of the fittest schools in the country. If you are coming to campus you better be sportin’ a Greek T, a sports bra, or both. This just might go for the entirety of Los Angeles as well—we like to look good. Can you blame us though? It’s a healthy (usually) lifestyle we live—gettin’ our thirty minutes of cardio daily and munchin’ on greens. Unfortunately, though we are toning our quads, abs, and biceps, we are simultaneously polluting our lungs.
When I was a freshman someone told me, “running outside in LA is like smoking cigarettes daily.” While this statistic may be false, there is some truth in this rumor. So as I ask myself, is there any space in this town to exercise outside this thick blanket of smog? There is, most just don’t know about it.
This year, our gym extended its hours until midnight, the track is consistently packed until closing, and just about every one of my friends knows the exact distance of the campus circumference. Further, the marathon and triathalon teams have a solid number of participants.
But unfortunately, the last time the “Outdoors Club” website was updated was in the Spring of 2006.
It appears that the campus community is concerned with getting in shape and looking fit solely through mile runs and regimented workouts. But these on campus, in Los Angeles activities can be detrimental to your physical and mental health. Running on concrete and treadmills puts tremendous strain on your ligaments, the polluted air is slowly infiltrating your lungs, and working out indoors or in circles hinders your body’s ability to wander, to relieve stress.
My campus though is not alone in these exercise constraints. In researching the Los Angeles exercise community online, my campus’ exercise routines rang even truer. Websites about gym memberships and fitness classes flood my Net searches while very few discussed exercising through hiking or non-machine and classroom activities.
What happened to “getting outdoors”?
This responsibility was taken on by only a few Los Angeles bloggers, one by the name of Hugo Martin, a former travel writer for the Los Angeles Times. Beginning his blog in 2009, Martin posts up to several times a month on a variety of activities one can partake in if seeking Mother Nature’s paradise—yes, there actually is an abundance of beautiful, idyllic escapes preserved in Los Angeles County.
How many can you name?
Don’t worry, Mr. Martin gives us the low-down, on each location. He even makes it easy for you to jot down notes for adventure proposals to your kids, dog, or in my case, gym-obsessed roommates.
He offers directions, best times to go, things to look out for, and even offers geological facts about each site. In his outdoor adventures, there is something for everybody:
- For the more idle gazer, check out his blog, "It's not too late to see Bald Eagles," he even tells you exactly where the eagles nest.
- For the more adventurous (and a little crazy) type, his post "Mountain Biking on the Cheese!" he explains the trail and the wild life along the way.
His posts have been dwindling in past months but I hope to pick up at a similar location to where he left off. I want to visit hiking trails just as he did, but provide a more sensory description of the landscape. And along with his geological facts, I will provide some historical background to give a better feel for the people and creatures that once populated the land.
Once in awhile, I’ll throw an interview in there to give an idea of what other visitors have to say about the site. And while these physical aspects are important, we can’t forget about the mental. So, I will continue to post about the health benefits of getting outdoors.
So check out Hugo Martin’s advice if you are looking for adventure, a wilderness marathon, or a breath of smog-free air. Let’s get those gym gurus, technology attached kids and stressed out every-bodys off the madness machines and into the wild.
No comments:
Post a Comment