Picture your workday, and then your week. Imagine the discomfort of the morning train or the slow crawl of traffic. Think about your place of work.

There's no getting around it: Most of us spend huge swaths of time in offices and workshops, on factory floors or behind sales counters. After five straight days of commuting to work, the idea of spending the weekend curled up on the couch with some wine is tempting.

While there is certainly something to be said for rest, our lives have become quite sedentary — perhaps to the detriment of our bodies and minds. Luckily, there's a remedy for this urban malaise, an exercise as old as our species and one for which we're practically designed: hiking up mountains.