The 3 best activities to discover Stirling while getting fit

With all the fitness and healthy lifestyles being promoted everywhere you turn, you yourself may be wondering what activities to do now that you have come to Stirling. With it’s gorgeous nature, lochs, hills and history you may want to do more in Stirling than just sports. After all, isn’t it more fun to also be able to enjoy the environment you’re in? I’ve come up with the best three activities that you can combine with sightseeing or just enjoying nature, which you can do regardless of your level of fitness.

Feeling bored? Go for a long walk in nature

1. Walking or hiking. The most ideal way of getting up and about would be by walking. However, it may be even nicer to make your walk somewhat more challenging, and more interesting by going for a hike. There are plenty of cool walks and hikes all around Stirling which you could either spend a part of a day on, or even more by going for a hike that would occupy most of your day. And besides doing it for the great views, or doing it to just be moving, there are many other benefits connected to walking in nature as well.

A run might just bring you places you’ve never been before

2. Running. You could also choose to speed things up a bit, by going running. Going for a run every once in a while is an excellent way of getting fit, with the added benefit that you can go running almost anywhere and you don’t need any fancy equipment to get going, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg of benefits associated with running. Just step out and let your feet do all the work! And even though you can easily keep running on the roadside (which is, let’s be honest, the easiest and most comfortable way of running), you can also choose to take the literal high road and go running off the beaten path on hiking trails. This way you get to experience all nature has to offer, though it is significantly harder than your average run (but it’s also got additional health benefits). You can check out some of the running routes around Stirling.

A great ride is a great way to free your mind from everyday life

3. Cycling. Is running still to slow for you? Might as well grab a bike then! Stirling’s roads make for excellent exploration of the town and its environment by bike. There are also plenty of places where you can take your bike off the road to see even more of what Stirling has to offer, meaning that you will never have to get bored. If you don’t have a bike yourself, that’s no problem either: Nextbike provides you with excellent bikes that you can use to get around (and UofS students and staff get their first hour for free).

Often the hardest thing in getting active, is the step to getting off that comfy couch. It’s often easier to bring your friends along, to make the whole experience even more fun, and motivate you if you find yourself having problems with finding your own motivation. You can also choose to join a society or a club, or join walking/running classes, which are of great help getting started. Once you’ve broken the ice with a first go, you’ll quickly notice how much fun it is to be outdoors and to be active.

All images from Pexels.com, under CC0 license.