or improves my physical fitness

In descending order of frequency, I like to run, kayak, walk and bike. Hiking fits in there somewhere but takes a bit of effort to get to somewhere I like.

How'd I get into it? Biking started because running used to hurt my knees, so I got a bike to have lower impact. That was fine for a while, but a year ago I spent some time learning how to run properly, and it made a real difference. I just used YouTube videos. I started kayaking last year, too, just on an area lake where I can rent. I started because I've lived in a city with lakes for fifteen years and had never gone out on them.

Walking/hiking/snowshoeing all sort of blends together in my mind. They're variations on each other, whether you're on sidewalks or trails or snow. I suppose I started by traveling and walking around the cities I was in. A friend suggested a nature area near one city I was visiting, and that spurred more nature walks and then hiking. Then it snowed, and I did the same thing but with snowshoes. Then I snowshoed up a mountain. Crazy how that worked out.

Something that quiets my mind

All of this stuff quiets my mind. Running, the only thing I'm thinking about is my pace, my form, my breathing rate. Cycling is similar, but add a keen eye on the pavement and an ear on traffic approaching behind me. Hiking can be fantastic because all the nature just mutes everything else, and if it's a bit strenuous, that goes even further. The bigger parks I frequent have poor or no phone service, so even if I wanted to I couldn't fiddle with my phone to do more than take pictures.

Of all this, my current passion is hiking in the Adirondack high peaks. I went randomly in December simply because they had snow and I wanted to snowshoe. Sort of accidentally I hiked up Wright Peak. It was amazing. I learned there are 46 high peaks, and if you do all 46 you can register with a club. I've gone back three more times and am currently at 8/46. I'm going back again at the end of next week and hope to add three more. It'll be my first time there without snowshoes, but I'm going to add the challenge of backpacking. I managed to make it 2500 feet up a mountain in December when the highest I'd ever gone was maybe 500 feet, so I'm optimistic I can handle 3000-3500 feet two days in a row with a 40 pound backpack. I'm also optimistic I know my limits and can safely back out if it's a problem. I think getting all 46 peaks is a goal I can achieve, and it feels good to have a reason to try.