That Dreaded Hill

Let's face it the Northern Suburbs and Beaches are not short of a hill or two. Doesn't matter what suburb you're living in I'm sure you are just a short stroll away from an abundance of hilly terrain. There are two ways you can either look at hills- as a reason to avoid walking or running in the area or as a challenge. 

Some of my favourite (or otherwise most dreaded) hills are those around the Pittwater side of Newport, from Palm Beach to Whale Beach and of course I can't forget the track up to the Barrenjoey Lighthouse. 

Not only are hills a great way to recruit extra muscle activity, increase your heart rate and burn some extra calories but they also act as a form of lower body resistance training. Usually walking up a big hill on the Northern Beaches also comes with the added reward of an amazing view. Often I'll use the view as an excuse to take a breather and enjoy a brief stretch of my calves, hamstrings, quads and glutes. 

Are your knees the reason you shudder when you think of walking up any form of incline? Chances are you probably feel the same way about stairs..? "Bad knees" unfortunately seem to a common problem amongst today's population. Whether it's an osteoarthritic, patello-femoral, meniscal, ligamentous or tendinous issue that's giving you issues or just simply that the knee doesn't seem to do what you want it to, there is a solution. The first step is working out what's going wrong and how it can best be addressed. The aim is then to start small and work up from there. 

Don't allow your knees to be the reason why you avoid going for a walk or jog around your local neighbourhood. Let me have a look at them and we'll combat those dreaded hills together (while enjoying the beautiful scenery of course).

Enjoy conquering those hills!

Emily