Spring is my favorite time of year to hike. The temperature is just right and the trails are scurrying with activity and blooms.

If you're into hiking up mountains, you're going to be doing a lot of uphill and downhill climbing. This works your lower body like you wouldn't believe, which is great, but to make it more of a complete body workout and to save your knees on the descent, use a pair of trekking poles. I like these REI Ascent Shocklight Compact Trekking Poles ($75). Using trekking poles is a great way to take pressure off your leg muscles and joints, which can reduce your risk of injury. Once you hike with them, you'll never go without. If you're not a fan of these, you can check out other trekking poles here.

Fit's Tip: If you aren't ready to spring for these kinds of poles yet, but you own ski poles, try those out the next time you hike. If you love them, then you'll know trekking poles are worth it. I like trekking poles because they're lightweight and most are telescopic, meaning they breakdown for easy storage in your backpack. Go ahead and turn yourself into a quadraped.