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Editor’s Note: The Natchez Trace Trail above runs from Tennessee to Mississippi. It was one of the primary routes by which White settlers came to Mississippi from the Upland South.

It is July.

As a lifelong resident of the Deep South, this has traditionally been the part of the year when I have been the least successful in maintaining my diet and exercise regimen.

The root cause is the unbearable heat and humidity. It is very easy to get too hot while doing cardio outdoors in the summer under the Southern sun. After getting too hot and sweaty several times, it is easy to just throw in the towel and give up on doing cardio until the fall. It can also be a real pain in the ass for folks who live in small towns or rural areas in the South to go to the gym.

What’s the solution to this practical problem? Fortunately, we live in one of the most heavily forested parts of the United States. The solution is to exercise in the peace and quiet in the shade in the woods.