Steemit Health Challenge - Activities

This is my post for the Steemit Health Challenge for the activities that I do to stay both healthy and fit. I am motivated to maintain a certain fitness level because I would like to enjoy the outdoors and nature well into the ladder years of life.

Many people start adding a few extra pounds as they age as life becomes a little more sedentary. If we stay in relatively good shape (acceptable level of body fat), we can continue to walk / hike and do chores without being tired.

So I have been logging the outdoors activities that I do with GPS and upload them to a site named Strava for free.

Here is a view of all of the activities that I have done in a line graph over each year starting with 2011. (I also lift light weights, do a core routine and stretch weekly which is not logged on Strava)

Cycling is an activity that benefits people in two ways, it is a great form of exercise and you get some great views / fresh air depending on where you are. You can plan a vacation somewhere and either take your bike or rent one.
Earlier this year, I was in Lake Tahoe and snapped this shot at Emerald Bay.
(All photos are taken by me with either a iPhone 5s or a Galaxy S8)

A few years ago, I rode around the lake (72 miles) and snapped this shot at Sand Harbor, Lake Tahoe.

Last June, I drove to Oregon and cycled up to Crater Lake which was really scenic. The lake level is over 6000 feet in elevation and very surreal in appearance, it almost looks like your in a virtual reality as the landscape is vast and nothing like you have seen before.

Mountain biking is also another great path to fitness and epic landscapes. A hardtail mtb is typically lighter than the full suspension models so you can reach the mountain tops a bit easier. Overlooking Palo Alto/Bay Area, California.

Last year I went to Utah for some mountain biking and snapped this shot at Deadhorse point. It alsmost looks like a painting. At 10am in the morning, it was already 85* f.

After Moab Utah, I drove down to St. George Utah and road the Gem trail system. The landscapes are really interesting as it is very different than California where my home trails are.

When mountain biking, you get the fresh air in the forest. (Santa Cruz, California)

So I have been cutting out the running / trail running a bit to ease the stress placed on the knees. (I'm also not a 'young' guy, so preserving the knees is important)

So I took up swimming last year as I have often heard that the stress on your joints is low. There is no impact and low torque placed on your knees, hips and shoulders.
I have learned to swim from youtube videos which has helped a lot. I still have a ways to go as timing is critical in swimming.

The activity that someone chooses to exercise does not matter, what is important is that we stay consistent with exercising as it is easy to start gaining a few pounds the older we get. I simple walk after dinner is all that it takes, just remember to be consistent!