After almost drowning the first time I went to my swimming lesson, I decided that I wasn’t destined to ever swim in my life. How can you tell me not to struggle in the water when that’s the only right thing to do? Like I’m drowning girl! Can’t you see that? I told my trainer I was weak after all the struggle and that I would contact her the next weekend so we could resume our swimming classes. I never called her again. I simply escaped without bothering to ask for a refund.

I decided to avoid elevators so I started walking everywhere, I’d be late for a meeting (Because I’m always late for everything. Yeah) and I’ll still use the stairs. Ignoring the incessant ringing of my phone and my boss’ facial expression when I finally arrive. I’d get to my office and still need a couple of minutes (or ten!) to settle down and breathe normally before I could talk. My weight loss journey quickly became a bother for everyone in my firm. My boss wasn’t happy, my colleagues weren’t happy, I wasn’t happy and my sweat-soiled clothes were extremely unhappy with me. I stopped everything for a while.

I GO ON MY FIRST HIKE!

On a fateful Friday evening, I visited my friend in her home so we could catch up. She tried commending me on my body but I stopped her immediately, telling her that I knew I had increased in size so she didn’t need to be nice. My friend, Amara had been slim-thick all her life, she ate everything she wanted to and never added even half a pound of flesh. Despite this, she always tried to work out. Apparently, we never know what plan nature has for us so we have to always be prepared. She was preparing for baby fat in the eventuality of pregnancy. She ran every morning and went to the gym every Saturday, she also participated in swimming competitions, I couldn’t be more Jealous of her. She invited me to go hiking with her the next day and I objected at first but she was able to convince me and we agreed to meet up at a park at 7:00 am the next day with the other hikers. It seemed so easy when we just started, we were practically walking. I remember thinking of how grateful I was to Amara but then we started tilting upwards. The higher we went, the more friction I felt in my legs, they kept bending and bending but I had no other choice but to keep moving, it wasn’t bad enough that it had rained at midnight and the whole ground was slippery but Amara kept telling me that if I fall, I would die and no one would ever find my body. One of the hike organizers advised me to take short breaks to breathe and stop trying to catch up with my friend because she was a Pro. He also commended me on being able to be with the first few people to always be in the front no matter what despite the fact that it was my first time hiking. I felt renewed and energized after I heard those words and decided to be even better but I also made sure I gave myself some time to breathe whenever I felt out of breath. We went higher and it became more interesting, I couldn’t believe my eyes when we got to a place that looked like a settlement and realized that there was actually a whole community of people who lived there! On top of a hill! In the middle of nowhere? I was scared.

Apparently, the organizers knew this already and had informed them of our arrival. The villagers were so excited that they ran around taking pictures with us, a few guys started playing football with some children, a coconut being the football. We were having so much fun and the hike wasn’t even over yet! When we got to the top, we stopped to eat, dance and take pictures. Although my legs vibrated for about a week after that, the experience was totally worth it! I started going almost every Saturday after that, I lost a lot of weight and made some new friends!

THREE REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD HIKE!

1. You lose weight!

We are here because of our fitness so why don’t we start with the most important? When you hike, you burn more calories than you would’ve if you were walking or jogging! Amazing right? You bet it is! When hiking, you work on not just your legs but your arms as well. What did you think all that swinging was about? You actually use your waist and hands to push up your body whenever you go up, talk about a full-body workout. And nope, that is not all. By hiking frequently, you make your bones really strong. Think about that next time someone tries to throw a punch at you. Hiking also helps with your heart and lungs, like I said, full-body workout!

2. You get to meet new people!

What’s life and success without a little bit of networking? You never know who the person hiking with you could be! A potential business partner, your future spouse, a new friend, or just someone who could take your life or business/job to the next level! It is always important to connect with new people and hiking is just the right place to establish new relationships!

3. You take great photos!

DRUMROLLS!!! Now let’s not forget the most important part of our favorite fitness sport! Pictures!! You get to take the most amazing photos when you hike. Beautiful pictures with friends, natives, scenery, etc. They always come out wonderful. Pictures are a very important way of keeping memories because they are always there so we get to look back and remember all the wonderful exercises that we’ve done!

Why don’t you look through social media and find the perfect hiking group for you? Or call those friends who have been inviting you for a hiking adventure to inform them of your attendance! I promise you won’t regret it!