If you live in the Pacific Northwest, you may have noticed that an increasing number of runners are ditching their shoes and hoofing it barefoot. Barefoot running is nothing new – humans evolved doing it, after all – but as a recent fitness trend it’s been getting quite a bit of attention. Barefoot runners tout a number of advantages, including reduced impact, improved circulation and muscle tone, stronger feet, and better posture and balance.
If you’re a tenderfoot, barefoot running may sound painful, but many enthusiasts are shedding their shoes for 10ks, marathons and even rugged trail runs. With minimal equipment required – just make sure to bring a headlamp with you to spot potentially painful obstacles – it’s an activity anyone can do. For those who are interested giving it a try, here’s a look at how to get started:
Let’s face it: Too many kids sit around the house, glued to their electronic devices and cultivating pasty skin. American youths spend as much as six hours a day watching TV, surfing the web or playing video games and a mere 30 minutes each week in unregulated outdoor play.
Few things in life are as freeing as hitting the road. A road trip can be an exciting adventure you and your companions will talk about for years – or a nightmare you’ll be groaning over for decades. Either way, you’ll have a story to tell, but if you’d prefer to go the exciting adventure route, here are a few tips for making your trip a success:
There are plenty of camping enthusiasts out there – the lack of vacancies in popular state parks throughout the summer is proof of that – but for many families, camping is quickly becoming a dying art. Parents are busier than ever, kids are more interested in electronics than nature, and many people have simply lost interest in the great outdoors.
Remember the days before the invention of the LED lantern, when camping trips were underscored by the hiss of a propane lantern and the buzzing of mosquitoes around it? Things have changed a bit since then. Now you can turn on your LED lantern with the flip of a switch, no matches or pumping required, and mosquitoes don’t swarm you every time you light it up.
There are a handful of specific tasks you need to know how to do before you can carry the title of outdoorsman. Here are five things every outdoorsman—and some may argue, every man—should know how to do.
