Mountain Biking Fatalities
Finding Fitness In The Great Outdoors
If you want to feel fit and fantastic, you simply can’t beat the great outdoors. While it’s true that going to the gym is great for things like general physical fitness and muscle growth, many people get bored with gyms. They just feel there’s nothing natural about a gym workout and lose their motivation. That’s not the case, though, with outdoor fitness activities.
Even if you’re not one of the lucky ones who lives near a national park or even a large city park, you can still find time for the outdoors. You don’t have to wait until your vacation comes and you can escape to the wilderness. However you can do it, make sure you can get outdoors regularly.
Many people who live in the urban jungle or in the suburbs have discovered that bicycling is an ideal way to spend time outdoors. A Schwinn mountain bike, for instance, has enough gears to take you up the steepest hill in low gear and then peddle down in the highest gear. Today’s mountain bikes even have special disc brakes for flawless stopping power. You just can’t beat the feeling of conquering the hills on a mountain bike, even if you’re in the middle of the city.
Of course, there are dangers associated with riding mountain bikes, both in the city and in the country. In the city, you always have to watch for traffic. It would be mad not to wear a helmet while riding a bike of any description in the city.
Head injuries are the cause of most bicycle fatalities, so don’t even think about not wearing a helmet. Choose a black helmet or any other color you like. Just wear a helmet.
The same rule applies to riding offroad. You can easily get a serious or fatal head injury from a fall, not matter where you are. As long as you take the precaution of having a helmet, though, you can have the time of your life, with a minimum of risk.
If mountain biking doesn’t appeal to you, then hiking or rock climbing may. If you’re doing either of these, the right footwear is essential. Hikers should wear sturdy boots with no slip soles. Rock climbers wear special shoes that fit tightly and have sticky soles for gripping on stone.
For all around physical, mental and even emotional health, get outdoors. Don’t let anything stop you. You’ll love it.
“Mountain Biking The World” Jeffsadventures’s photos around La Paz, Bolivia (photography)
