Hello, my name is Jay. The goal of my website is to give you ideas on how to improve your fitness. I believe the two biggest fitness factors are motivation and guidance. Your motivation controls the frequency, duration, and intensity at which you exercise. With correct guidance you are more likely to see better fitness results in less time (you're exercising more efficiently).
You may wander why a fitness website has such a natural look.
My motivation to exercise comes from a love of nature. I get the majority of my exercise hiking at a national park. I spend several hours a week enjoying nature's beauty. I don't have to force myself to exercise, because I am motivated to get out there and find some white-tailed deer or see what new wild flower has sprouted.
Keep in mind that there are pros and cons to everything and parks are no exception. Everyone has their own ideals and values so you may have different pros and cons for hiking at a park than I do. One con for hiking at the park for me is bugs (bees, horseflies, and ticks), but this may be a pro for an entomologist.
To find a National Park in your State
Click Here.
Select National Park for "Destination" and DayHiking (or whatever activity you're interested in) for "Activity" from the pull down menu. Next select your State and Country. Then click Go. You can also just click your State on the National map.
Depending on which park you visit a certain animal or plant may not live there. Your Park's website (if they have one) would be a great place to see what animals live there. Also when you visit the park it may have informative signs near the parking lot or along the trail. If a certain animal lives at your park, it doesn't mean you will see it! Do a search to find out some information on the animal. When is it active (dusk, afternoon, midday, dawn, or night)? What does it eat (find this and you may find your animal)? Where is water located?
Animal: White-tailed Deer
Terrain: Oak or Pine Forests
Active: Around sunrise or sunset
Water use: Daily
Food: graze on many plants, crops, acorns, and seedlings
Home Range: usually small
Signs: unique footprints, dung, they make narrow trails
Hike near sunset or sunrise (make sure park is open), on a trail in an oak or pine forest, near a river or stream. Look for narrow deer paths and tracks leading into the water. Look for chewed on saplings, acorns, or other evidence of deer foraging. Try not to make too much noise.
Always bring a map with you on an unfamiliar trail.
Since I am not a photographer and I don't even own a camera, I used pictures from Free Nature Pictures to represent some of the animals and wild flowers at the park I hike at. They have a great selection of wild life and scenic terrain. Click Here to browse their selections.