Enjoying the great outdoors during the winter months is a great way to add some fun to your fitness routine! While exercising outside you take in small doses of sunlight to help improve mood and absorb some vitamin D, helping to boost your immunity during cold and flu season. Another great perk is that your body burns more calories while in the cold by shivering to stay warm. In fact, studies have shown that people expend five times more energy when shivering, compared to when they are resting.
Only 30 minutes from downtown Knoxville, the House Mountain trails lead you up a fairly steep ascent to Knox County’s highest point featuring overlooks from the 2,100-foot crest. The 5.8 miles of trail are moderate in difficulty as you climb through heavily wooded terrain dotted with impressive rock outcrops. When you reach the top, you’ll be awed by the majestic views of the parallel mountain ranges of the Unakas and Cumberlands, some 30 miles away. On the summit, the Crest Trail stretches the length of the mountain from the West End Overlook to the East Overlook offering exceptional views. The West End Overlook presents views of the Cumberland Mountains to the north, the Smoky Mountains to the south, and a glimpse of downtown Knoxville on the horizon. The views from the East End Overlook feature the Clinch Mountain range which runs northeast all the way into Southwest Virginia.
Knoxville’s greenway system provides over 85 miles winding along natural features like streams, rivers, ridges, and open spaces. Head out on two wheels from Downtown to Volunteer Landing. From here the greenway extends 7 miles to the Bearden district by way of Second Creek Greenway connecting to the Third Creek Greenway. Based on the speed and intensity of your ride, you can burn anywhere from 245 calories on a leisurely ride to as much as 1,022 calories on a vigorous ride. Don’t have two wheels? The greenways are just as great for walking!
If you are looking for a great paddling workout, try putting in at Holston River Park and paddling to Island Home Airport. This paddle takes about 2 hours and will wind you through forested waters with lots of opportunities for wildlife sightings. Good news for you – paddling your kayak will burn roughly 283 calories per hour!
Ditch the gym and find natural weights and obstacles on the Ijams Primal Playground at Mead's Quarry designed for strength training in the great outdoors! The green workout space utilizes rocks, logs, and boulders to give you a new kind of workout. Instructional signage will guide you through different exercises to try out. Sweat your way through the three different sections: Stone, Wood, and Boulder Field, then top it all off with a hike up Tharp's Trace for a quick hike with big elevation gain.
Author
Legacy Parks
Legacy Parks Foundation is an East Tennessee nonprofit organization working to ensure that our community enjoys exceptional recreational opportunities, natural beauty and open spaces, and that these assets exist for generations to come. We work collaboratively to preserve our area’s extraordinary natural resources and to expand parks, create trails, and increase access to our rivers. Since 2007, Legacy Parks has raised over six million dollars for parks and open space, helped conserve 1,000 acres of forest and farmland, and added over 600 acres of parkland in Knox County.
