Monday, Aug. 6, 2012

I'm impressed with the growing number of people I see actively taking an interest in keeping in shape.  Used to be that I'd see a number of folks riding bikes.  Would see fewer running—a good many more walking.  Over the past year and a half, however, those numbers have skyrocketed!

On the mountain trail by my house, there’s been such an inundation of physical fitness seekers that the city now has to find ways to handle the extra traffic and parking issues, not to mention the sheer volume of people.

Some might think this is a bad thing.  Not me.  Though it is sad that my once almost deserted mountain trail has now become a hub of non-stop activity, I can’t help but smile at how individuals and entire families are adopting getting and staying in shape as a lifestyle instead of a thing they do every once in a while, soon to be replaced with more entertaining forms of activities.

When I was little, the best part of being a kid was the freedom we had to head outdoors and explore, climb, discover, wander and push our bodies to their limits.  We didn’t refer to this as work.  No.  We called it playing.  The kids in my neighborhood and I all played hard and long.  When my three older kids were little, this was also the norm.  But then something happened to cause kids to view going outside to play as a…chore—something to be bemoaned and dreaded.

Flash forward to the present when I see one-and-a-half-year olds proudly trotting alongside their parents, sporting beaming smiles, as they conquer my mountain trail.  Did I mention that this particular trail is five miles in length and has intense inclines?  It does.  I’m impressed that the little ones are out there trooping along, as I did as a kid, enjoying every minute of their adventure.  And that entire families are getting out together to actively explore nature…that’s pretty darn cool.

I attribute this sudden interest in getting out to explore nature as a pastime to modern technology.  Over the past year and a half, folks have taken to sharing great hiking, running, swimming, etc spots with those they know via blogs, Facebook, Twitter, Yelp and the like.  First a few reached out.  Then those recipients reached out to more.  And so on and so forth until great masses now have an easy means to discover what was once information limited to the die-hard physical fitness enthusiasts.  And in my opinion, this is a good thing.   

So, though there are times when I laughingly comment that perhaps city official will soon need to install traffic signals on my remote mountain hiking trail to direct pedestrians and cyclists, I maintain that I’d rather the masses join me up there—and any other places they find to exercise—than sit around….