3 Fit Ways to Explore A New City

It's fun to explore a new city.  If you do it the right way, exploring a new city can be fun and  fit.  

There's a big difference between seeing a city up close and personal, and staring at it through a car, bus, or taxi window as you drive by inhaling stale vehicle air.   Here are 3 fit (and fun) ways to check out new city that are, not only good for your body, but great ways to explore. 

1.  Walk.  That's right, strap on some comfortable shoes and walk.  You may think walking around a city may sound a bit too obvious or too simple to be considered good fitness, but walking carries some heavy-hitting health benefits.  Research has shown that walking for at least 30 minutes a day can help you reduce the risk of coronary heart disease and improve blood pressure & blood sugar levels.  Walking also allows you to stop and explore a city on a deeper level.  Depending on where you go, a parking place may not be the easiest thing to find--and tour/city buses typically don't stop when you see something cool you want to check out or taking a picture of.  If you explore by foot, you can stop and go as you please. 
  
2.  Hike.  Okay, you may be thinking that hiking is the same thing as walking--not true.  Yes, hiking requires walking, but the two activities are different.  Hiking is when you move from a lower elevation to a higher elevation which requires more effort than walking a relatively smooth/flat path.  If you're up for expending more energy (also known as burning calories) you may want to consider taking a good hike.  More benefits of hiking:  it can give you a birds-eye view of the city you're exploring to help you take it all in... and maybe find a cool place or two to check out when you're done.  Oh, and if you hike high enough, you can take some amazing pictures of the entire city below. 

3.  Bike.  Bike rentals are becoming more and more popular in cities.  Renting a bike will allow you to take a quick or leisurely spin around a city while also keeping your body fit.  Like walking and hiking, biking also torches calories and improves your cardiovascular fitness.  Some added benefits of biking: you can cover more ground more quickly than walking, and it's a great alternative if you need relief for your joints.

So, forget the stale air & vehicle views when you want to check out a new place.  Get ready to breathe in some fresh air, move your body, and find the coolest nooks and crannies of the next city you visit. 

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