Forest bathing, or shinrin-yoku, is a Japanese form of healing therapy that started to gain popularity back in the 80’s.
No rubber duckies required!
In case you’ve never heard of forest bathing, rest assured you’re not going to need a towel or your rubber duckie.
You also won’t be required to wander the forest in your birthday suit 😉
At it’s simplest level, forest bathing could be described as taking a leisurely walk through the forest for physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual benefits.
Shinrin-yoku in Japanese means “taking in the forest atmosphere”.
Forest bathing is best done where there are a lot of trees.
Research has long shown “green exercise” to have a positive impact on our overall health, and the practice of forest bathing grew out of that recognition.
Promoted by the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries, the practice has become a mainstay of preventive health care in Japanese culture.
Today, many spas, resorts, and retreat centers across the world offer guided forest bathing experiences as part of their services.
That said, you don’t necessarily need a guide to take a forest bath yourself or with a friend.
All you need is a park or forest, a pair of good outdoor walking shoes, and some simple instructions.
We were under COVID-19 restrictions almost overnight after I returned from an amazing hiking trip to New Zealand, and though I’ve stayed active, it’s been difficult not to lose fitness and gain Pandemic Pounds!
So I created a 6 Week Training Plan to get back in shape in time for summer trips, if they’re allowed.
I thought you might find some encouragement from training notes and videos from my 6 week training journey. Weekly logs are posted below:
I first used this 8-week training plan in early 2020 to get ready for an amazing hiking trip to New Zealand, which I’m thankful I was able to do before travel was cut off due to the pandemic.
Hiking the Tongariro Alpine Crossing
Then I used it get ready for a postponed hiking trip to Kauai that never happened in 2021 (or 2022 or 2023).
In 2022, I kept it closer to home and did some great multi-day trips to hikes on the Blue Ridge and Smoky Mountains – including the amazing hike to the summit of Old Rag, which was probably one of my most uniquely challenging day hikes of the year.
Finally, in 2023, I used the 8 Weeks plan to get ready for an epic 2-day hike on Mt Olympus in Greece– a trip I’d had to postpone for 4 years due to Covid travel restrictions. (The link goes to my training post from 2023, when I decided what my goal hike for training was.)
If you’re training for a specific bucket list hike or even if you’re just training to get in better shape – and maybe lose a few pounds before the Spring – my 8 week plan could work for you, too .
Spring flowers line a trail in Shenandoah National Park.
This year, I’m hoping to make it to more of my exotic Bucket List hikes, but I haven’t chosen my exotic destination yet, so for the moment I’m focusing my “8 Weeks to Awesome” training goals on hikes that I can drive to from home!
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Everything that you need to start your 8 Week training is included in this post.
But it’s a long read and may be inconvenient to refer to while you’re training.
For your convenience, you can click here to sign up and download your FREE “8 Weeks to Awesome” PDF file.
You might find some encouragement in training notes and videos from previous years’ 8 week training journey.
Keep an eye peeled for the new log entries I’ll be adding each week as the 2024 training is completed 🙂
Most recently updated February 29th, 2024Estimated Reading Time: 4 minutes – – Training Week 5 started with another nice day, and leading another great group...
Most recently updated January 27th, 2024Estimated Reading Time: 6 minutes – – I began this year’s second week of training on Sunday 1/14, leading another...
Most recently updated January 21st, 2024Estimated Reading Time: 2.3 minutes – – I started the Awesome hike training again this first Sunday, with a 30...
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