Why Your Health Depends on Your Being a Local Hiker

Walking, jogging, serious hiking, and casual hiking each offer distinct benefits for physical, emotional, and mental well-being. But be a local hiker---hike distances within your locality for pleasure or amusement. While these leg activities involve movement and engagement with the outdoors, the intensity, purpose, and impact on overall relaxation vary significantly. Remember, relaxation is key to health.

Photo by David Kristianto on Unsplash.

Walking

Walking is the simplest form of movement and one of the most accessible ways to improve physical health. It is a low-impact activity suitable for all ages and fitness levels, making it ideal for beginners and those recovering from injuries. Physically, walking strengthens muscles, improves circulation, supports heart health, and helps maintain joint mobility. Mentally, it fosters mindfulness, reduces stress, and encourages reflection. Emotionally, walking—especially in natural settings—can enhance mood, provide a calming escape from everyday stressors, and promote creativity. 

Jogging

Jogging is a moderate-intensity exercise that burns more calories and engages the cardiovascular system more than walking. It strengthens muscles, bones, and endurance while significantly boosting heart health. The rhythmic movement of jogging is excellent for mental clarity and emotional balance, as it promotes the release of endorphins—natural mood enhancers that combat anxiety and depression. However, jogging can be physically demanding, so it may not be ideal for everyone seeking relaxation. Instead, it suits those who enjoy goal-oriented fitness activities and the satisfaction of pushing physical limits.

Serious Hiking

Serious hiking, like mountain or forest trekking, is an intense, endurance-driven activity that requires preparation, strength, and mental resilience. It involves challenging terrains, steep inclines, and significant distances, making it more physically demanding than walking or jogging. It requires a lot of sophisticated survival and first aid tools and skills and you often can't do it alone or without a paid guide.

Serious hiking builds stamina, strengthens leg and core muscles, enhances lung capacity, and improves cardiovascular health. On an emotional and mental level, it fosters a strong sense of achievement, resilience, and connection with nature. However, the difficulty of serious hiking means it may not be the most relaxing option. It is best suited for those who thrive in physical challenges, seek adventure, and find relaxation in overcoming obstacles.

Casual Hiking

Casual hiking is a slower, less intense form of hiking that allows individuals to enjoy nature or their locality without strenuous exertion. It combines the benefits of walking and light climbing (I include visits to nearby malls to climb up stairs), offering physical activity while allowing time to appreciate the environment. Casual hiking enhances physical health without the stress of endurance training. It is especially beneficial for mental relaxation, as it immerses individuals in nature or any environment, provides opportunities for reflection, and promotes emotional balance. The calming effects of fresh air, scenic views, and a slow pace make casual hiking one of the best options for stress relief.

Photo by Alexey Demidov on Unsplash.

Besides, everything is easy and simple. Just wear a light shirt and shorts or jeans, sneakers, shades, and a belt bag or small backpack where you keep your phone, a folded umbrella, extra shirt, towellete, bottled water and some cash in case you need to take some snacks, coffee or a cab or Grab vehicle back home. 

Which is Best for Total Health and Relaxation?

While all four activities contribute to well-being, casual hiking is generally the best for total relaxation and emotional balance. Walking is an excellent option for gentle stress relief, while jogging is ideal for those who benefit from the endorphin boost of exercise. Serious hiking, though rewarding, is physically demanding and may not be ideal for pure relaxation. 

Ultimately, the best choice depends on an individual's fitness level, goals, and preference for either relaxation or intensity. Whether you take a leisurely walk or embark on a rigorous hike, movement in nature is always beneficial. That important thing is to be a regular local hiker.

Remain Calm in Any Situation

Easier said than done, I know, but it's a must. And it's possible. Keep calm whatever happens. And the one sure thing to do to remain calm is keep cool. To put it more radically, be emotionless. It's not passiveness or being cold, it's cold-blooded. How? Just tell yourself, "it's not a big deal," whenever troubles come, in whatever form.

Photo by Yoann Boyer on Unsplash.

And that's the truth. Nothing's a big deal.

I know it sounds scary, yet too simple, but disturbing all at the same time that it seems a silly thing to say or advice. But what often works in real life are simple, silly things. Happiness and peace, for instance, happen with a simple life that gets amused at silly things, plus right amounts of quietude and meekness, counting others better than yourself. And considering others better than you are is a silly idea for most people. 

But why did I mention "cold-blooded"? Doesn't that sound heinous? The word means zero emotion or being pitiless or callous, even deliberately cruel. Yeah exactly, and you use all these to deaden your reaction to danger. When you're in danger, like being inside a plane about to crash, or being held hostage by a psycho, try to feel no emotions, zero emotions, being pitiless or callous about the thought of dying, being cruel against self-pity, and doing all these deliberately. 

If there's no drama, you can better weigh your situation objectively, think of the right things to do and do it without reservations, even save lives with zero regard for self. To get the kind of calm we need to have, we need this kind of cool to get the calm required in dangerous situations. And this calmness stays in our spirit if we train ourselves in it regularly, like a lifestyle. A constant mindset.

As a local hiker I often find myself in a strange locality where I'm apt to get lost. It's not that I'm poor with directions or anything like that. It's just that all of us are bound to get lost at some time in our lives. And when you're lost in unfamiliar territory you're exposed and easy target to danger. You need to be extra calm because muggers are after unstable people who find themselves in strange places.

But being lost now and then is normal. If you never get lost, you're abnormal. There's something wrong with how you live life. I'm not talking about living wickedly and lost. I'm referring to a kind of righteous wandering like what young Jacob had, or even Jonah. They dared veer off from the right direction, not out of wickedness but out of stubborn adventurism, and something that proved too risky. 

The important thing is disposition. It's like making mistakes. We all do, and it's okay, as long as we know what to do next---which is to do right the next time around.

Same with getting lost or anything we find ourselves in that spells trouble or danger. Recover and take the right path. And it starts with not panicking, or looking for someone or something to blame. Keep cool and think clearly. Be so radically and cold-bloodedly calm.

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Scrap Treasures Unearthed by Local Art Hiker

You get to meet other local hikers trekking different life terrains as you wander through life. We're all "hikers" in some sense, and we trek our own chosen paths, some smooth, some rugged. Like Alex. Here's a local hiker who hacked through a rugged footpath of his own by creating "treasure" displays from scrap materials. And it's all thanks to God for the pandemic lockdowns, which initially looked like a dead end to him but later became an opportunity. 

Why Not His Own Exhibit?

Trash materials scheduled to be disposed when the garbage truck comes. Soda tin cans, scrap papers, wires, discarded bottles and short branches from pruned trees. But wait, said Alex Legaspi to himself. He stared at the bunch of litters before him. Something in his artistic proclivities reminded him how old and wasted rejects can be turned into new creations fit for a specific purpose. Like what he did with his campaign for a solar panel company on recycling and zero waste. He was then the designer of the display booth stand during a trade convention. The idea struck him. Yeah, why not?

"Naisip ko, ginawa ko ang campaign na 'zero waste for cleaner air...cleaner world.' Tapos hindi ko gagawin sa actual (na buhay ko)? Drawing lang?"

From trash to treasure. Other folks have discovered money in trash (pera sa basura) but he toyed with the idea of making treasure out of trash. He was pondering on the idea while in the confines of his home in Pampanga last year due to the pandemic when severe lockdowns forced some companies to cease operations for a while. He thought it was the end of his colorful career. He is head of the advertising and promotion department of a local Caterpillar Marine Engine company which stopped work schedules since last year when the pandemic set in. 

So he decided to find something productive to do at home.

"I decided to fix some things at home, clean the whole house, do some repairs, repaint everything. I gathered a heap of trash in the process that I thought could still be put into good use."

Wood Art 

That's when the scrap toy treasures were "unearthed." The idea was "buried" for a while but the ample spare time provided by the lockdowns resurrected the idea from oblivion. So Alex--or Lex to his friends (and to us, his UE Manila high school classmates circa late 70s)--started gathering the bits and pieces and went to work. His first project was to save the tree stem debris from the community incinerator. So he did some wood art crafts, always the creative smart guy that he was in our graduating class (1978) when we needed some art works.

"Inuna ko yung mga sanga ng puno kasi susunugin na ng barangay. Ito na ngayun yun."

From useless stems ready for disposal and burning, to a colorful hanging wooden chime or practical wall mounted display. Everything's from materials just lying idly around his house. Instead of remaining useless and even a menace, he turned them into something valuable. He added some inspirational wooden guideposts made of ply boards. 

Real Inspiration

His inspiration stems mostly from his new-found devotion to the Lord. Instead of being made unproductive by the pandemic, he claims the Lord enabled him to do more meaningful things while kept at home. "I can do ALL THINGS through CHRIST OUR LORD which STRENGTHENED ME. Philippians 4:15," he once messaged me. "Siya talaga ang magaling hindi ako? The Giver of the Gift... Siya talaga ang inspirasyon ko," Lex humbly insisted.

Wire and Paper

Later on, he tinkered with old wires lying around. With some finger dexterity and imagination and inspiration, he turned them into mounted sculptures which look like wringed wire trophies to me. Checkout some of his scrap paper arts below after his wire trophy collection.

Tin Metal Scraps

Saving the best for last, Lex started exploring artwork possibilities with discarded soda tin cans. What good could they be used for after being emptied of their contents? He started playing with the idea of scooters. So the journey began. This local hiker shifted terrain, this time a path of piecing metal strips together to form scooters.

And look what he used for the scooter wheels. He mounted the whole thing on a smooth wooden base for a metal sculpture souvenir item or trophy, Philippine made by local ingenuity using some imported soda brands. It could very well pass for a novelty item in a souvenir shop which tourists would go crazy for.

Then he tried it out with motorcycles.

If it's possible with scooters and motorcycles, then why not a farm tractor, too?

Best for Last

Saving the best for last, he tried it with jeeps, too, and it worked. Well, not at first. It was quite a challenge initially, but with perseverance and the drive of a local hiker, he didn't give up. In fact, as soon as he learned that I needed his art works for my blog, he finished it pronto within minutes.

And below is the end result.

Awed by what he accomplished, I mentioned about how things can turn out really good in the end, even those we think are fit only for discarding away. They can even end up being precious treasures from scraps, literally. And Lex agreed and added.

Alam ko din na minsan inu-unahan kasi tayo ng negatibong isip natin, kaya tinatalo tayo ng takot. Pero alam naman natin walang ibang gusto ang Lord kung hindi mapabuti at maging maayos tayong lahat. John 10:10 "Naparito ako upang magbigay ng buhay... Buhay na ganap at kasiya-siya."