Building your relationship with nature and spending time outdoors can have a huge impact on both physical and mental health. One way of building this relationship is by hiking. So, do you want to know about the benefits of hiking?
Once you delve into the beauty of nature, there’s no coming back. In most cases, what stops people from hiking is the effort that comes with it. But trust me, this effort is also worth it.
In order to understand the importance of hiking, we also need to know about its benefits.
So, let’s get into the details and explore the benefits of hiking.
Helps build muscles
While protein powders and cardio sessions come to mind when we think of building muscles, we should also know that hiking is a great way to build muscles as well.
It is because hiking is mostly uphill movement or walking on uneven terrains, which is great to strengthen the muscles of the lower body.
In fact, walking both uphill and downhill has benefits.
Walking downhill during your hike will strengthen the muscles of the hips, ankles, and core.
Similarly, hiking uphill strengthens the larger body muscles like the glutes, calves, quads, etc.
Reduces depression and anxiety
Suffering from depression and anxiety isn’t easy.
One of the best ways to cope with stress and depression is to reconnect with nature. One of the best benefits of hiking is that it improves mental health along with physical health.
In fact, research also says that walking in nature may reduce the risk of depression.
While hiking, the spectacular sunset, the never-ending wildflowers, and breathing in the fresh air can definitely boost your mood and relieve stress.
Improves self-esteem
Going to the gym and hiking can benefit you by improving your physique. With a fit body, your self-esteem improves and you feel more confident about yourself.
According to a report, even 5 minutes of exercise outdoors can have a positive effect on your self-esteem.
So, if you want to build emotional resilience, consider including hiking in your routine.
Lowers blood pressure
As hypertension is on the rise and controlling it can become difficult sometimes, it’s better to incorporate healthy routines in your body to control this problem.
Exercising is a great way to keep your blood pressure at the normal limit. According to a report, hiking might be effective in lowering your blood pressure.
Improves focus
All kinds of physical activity are highly effective in improving your focus and increasing productivity. With a relaxed and active mind, your brain function increases, and you can focus more on the task.
So, the next time you feel like your brain isn’t functioning while sitting in front of the computer screen at work, you should go for a hike. This way, your energy will increase, and you’ll be able to focus more at work.
Improves sleep
Have you been struggling to sleep lately?
Whatever the reason, difficulty falling asleep causes many problems. You don’t sleep the whole night, which also makes the next day less productive.
One way to improve sleep is to go for a hike. In nature, you will get vitamin-D, which will have a positive impact on regulating your sleep cycle.
Apart from this, your muscles will get tired by uphill and downhill movement, and this tiredness will make you fall asleep to give time for muscle recovery.
Might help with weight loss
Although it’s no guarantee that hiking will make you lose weight, it can help make the weight loss process easier.
It is because hiking targets the larger muscles of the body, and losing fat in those areas can help you lose weight.
Still, the number of calories you lose while hiking will depend. The factors include age, aerobic intensity, type of terrain, gender, weight, etc. Still, you’ll get in better shape by hiking.
You can also use a hiking calorie calculator to determine the number of calories burned in your hike.
Helps with balance
Hiking on the rough terrains with rocky areas isn’t easy. But it can surely improve your balance.
It is because hiking on rough terrains requires your leg and core muscles. When they are constantly engaging, these muscles strengthen, which helps improve your balance.
Take-away message
The benefits of hiking go beyond just building muscles. Apart from physical health, hiking is also great for mental health, helping you cope with depression and anxiety.
So, make sure you include hiking in your routine, even if it’s 2-3 times a week for 45 minutes each.
Take your backpack, gather all the essentials, and get going!
