Whether you’re in college or you’ve locked down a full-time job, most of us spend the weekdays working. Homework, classes, projects and tests fill consume most of our energy during the week, and we’re given two days out of every seven, if we’re lucky, to simply relax.

Don’t waste those two days lazing around. While some people go to the gym or run to stay fit, others simply don’t exercise despite understanding its importance. Hiking is an easy way to get up and moving, and it’s a great weekend activity.  The best part about hiking is that most of the amazing area parks and trails are completely free.

New Englanders are privileged with access to nearly a thousand different outdoor sites for hiking, biking and other activities. For infrequent exercisers, hiking is certainly one of the most beneficial physical activities. Amherst is about a three-hour drive away from the White Mountains, where the hikes range from easy nature walk to challenging climbs.

If you don’t feel like driving that far, there are trails that are only a short drive or walk away, such as the Robert Frost Trail located down the street from Amherst Center. According ot the town’s website, there are “80 miles of paths in Amherst alone.” Most of Amherst’s trails are far from difficult even for those just starting their hiking habits.

Hitting the trails improves not only your physical health, but also, it helps your mental well-being. As hikers’ surroundings are constantly changing, they often feel compelled to keep trudging because they are eager to conquer new mountains and trails with limitless sights to be seen. There are views at the top of mountains that will take your breath away.

Exercise is also believed to relieve stress and reduce insomnia, and nothing tires you out quite like a four mile hike up and down a mountain. And if you’re not into camping in the woods, hiking provides a way to get out into nature with the benefit of taking  a warm shower and sleeping in your own bed afterwards.

One of the biggest misconceptions about hiking is that it’s an activity that spans only three seasons. Take it from Corey O’Connor, a man who maintains his own hiking and travel blog called Wanderlust. In a post on March 4, O’Connor writes, “Winter is awesome. Remember that sweet waterfall you saw in summer? Yeah there are people Ice Climbing it right now. Remember that place you go swimming every July? There are people walking across it right now like wintertime Jesuses.

All you need to do to hike in the winter is dress warmly and get moving. It’s hard to stay cold when you’re bounding up the side of a mountain.

O’Connor has traveled all over the United States and has made it his goal to spread the importance and benefits of hiking and traveling. He uses his blog to track the miles he puts on his hiking boots, to write about the hikes and trips he goes on and post his photography.His main message is that getting out there and adventuring makes memories.

“I guarantee in 40 years you’re not going to remember what project you worked on or who you had to make a sales call to in 2013, but you will remember when you watched a solar eclipse in Zion National Park or climbed a cliff face in a rain storm,” he writes “So this year go wherever it is you’ve been thinking about going, book the plane tickets, cause then you have to go.”

The most important thing to remember when hiking is to drink plenty of water while you’re soaking  in the views . If you plan on hiking regularly, it’s worth it to invest in proper hiking gear like a sturdy pair of boots). SteepandCheap.com has ridiculously discounted outdoor gear that they sell until it’s gone, so it’s a good way to snag outdoorsy supplies.

If you’re interested in getting into hiking but don’t know where to start, or, if you want a little push, consider joining the University of Massachusetts Outing Club (UMOC). On top of hiking, UMOC participates in a number of outdoor activities like whitewater rafting. Acccording to the club’s site, UMOC shares the mindset that the outdoors lets you “experience the world as you have never experienced it before.” Anyone is welcome to join. The best part about clubs like this is that they exist all over the United States. So even if you graduate and move away from our beloved Amherst, you can always group up and hike on with nature enthusiasts all over the country.

Emily Mias is a Collegian columnist. She can be reached at [email protected]