Q: Is hiking or a long walk (4+ miles) considered active recovery or is that a workout? Thinking I might be overdoing it on rest days.
This is definitely a “it depends” kind of question, but I will break down how you will know whether you’re adequately incorporating active recovery or if it’s really just another workout.
First, let’s identify what active recovery is for anyone not familiar. Active recovery is low intensity exercise performed after high intensity exercise to keep your blood flowing and improve muscle recovery in contrast to being sedentary.
Activities that are commonly associated with and used for active recovery include walking, swimming, yoga, and stretching. In general, any physical activity that can be done at a lower intensity without adding additional stress on the body can serve as active recovery.
Now let’s assess your walks and hikes and whether or not they are truly active recovery or just another workout.
When it comes to hiking, this poses quite a few variables such as:
- What is your current level of fitness?
- What is the difficulty level of the hike?
- How much strain are you placing on your body during the hike?
What might be a strenuous hike to a sedentary person may feel like an easy hike to a fit, regularly active person.
Walking is an excellent low-impact exercise, but once again the question of 4 miles being too much or just enough for active recovery will depend on you and your fitness level.
So how do you know if your walks and hikes can be considered active recovery?
- Are you feeling fatigued, winded, or sore after an active recovery activity? If yes, you may need to pull back the level of effort or strain in your active recovery activities.
- Are you noticing any improvement in your overall recovery? This refers to fewer days sore, ability to still achieve full range of motion when you are sore, and being able to participate in regular life activities without your soreness hindering you. If no, you should consider trying different active recovery protocols, especially stretching and foam rolling.
- Do you feel tired regularly despite getting adequate sleep, adequate nutrition, and managing your stress levels? If no, you’re potentially putting additional stress on your body on top of your workouts.
- Are you finding yourself lacking energy in your workouts? If yes, you may need better active recovery protocols for your off days.
If you’re not sure, it can be helpful to experiment with alternative active recovery protocols and compare how you feel on those weeks versus weeks consisting of your usual walks or hikes.
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Coach Diana Leigh is a Precision Nutrition certified coach who uses habit-based coaching to help her clients get stronger and feel amazing in their bodies without the restriction and overwhelm of dieting. For more helpful tips, follow her on Instagram @coachdianaleigh.
How you can work with Coach Diana:
1:1 Nutrition Coaching: I take you from being dependent on diets to independently intuitive through building foundational nutrition habits and with personalized guidance on portion intake based on your goals for a stronger, leaner, or in general overall healthier body.