Joint-Safe Steps to Hit the Trail

Hiking is great exercise with a wide range of benefits: stronger muscles, denser bones, improved heart and lung health, and mental health benefits from being in a natural environment.

- Mary Anne Dunkin

Hiking is great exercise with a wide range of benefits: stronger muscles, denser bones, improved heart and lung health, and mental health benefits from being in a natural environment.

If you’re new to hiking, start with short hikes at a slow pace on easy trails and progress to longer or more difficult trails as you become more fit. Trekking poles or a walking stick can decrease the load on your lower body and help you maintain your balance, posture and stability, says Todd Munn, executive director of the Adaptive Sports Foundation in Windham, New York.