I hike because I love being in the outdoors. I'm pretty sure that a lot of people enjoy the trail as much as I do with the same set of reasons, and luckily we are also living the endless hiking benefits. It's a great form of exercise and also provides us an escape from our hectic everyday lives.
Being able to breathe and relax away from the suffocating crowd in the city puts us in a pleasant mood that we keep getting back to. It's a good way to clear your head and provide a peaceful place outdoors. Start your day right, feel the excitement, hit the trail and reap the benefits of energy well spent.
Hiking Benefits That Should Convince You To Hit The Trail
What's more soothing than being able to relish the beautiful creations around you? It's easier to breathe out in the open with your heart pumping freely as you walk. It's like being able to get countless benefits from something that you ultimately enjoy doing.
I hit the gym two to three times a week but honestly, I feel more active when I'm walking with my backpack and sometimes not knowing what other challenges lies ahead on the trail. To give you more reasons to hike, here are some great hiking benefits for your health that might convince you.
1. Hiking Strengthens Your Heart
Hiking will reduce your risk of heart disease. It lowers the level of bad cholesterol while increasing the levels of good cholesterol.
It also keeps your blood pressure in check. I personally like it when I'm breathing heavily but steadily in sustained hikes.
2. Lowers Risk For Diseases
Hiking lowers your risk of developing respiratory diseases, diabetes, and cell damage. Active people have a lesser risk of colon, breast, and womb cancer compared to those who are less active.
3. Hiking Can Be An Exercise to Lose Weight
If you're trying to lose weight you need to burn about 600 more calories a day more than you're eating. If you weigh 60 kg, you burn about 75 calories simply by walking 2 miles per hour for 30 minutes.
4. Helps Prevent Osteoporosis
Walking can be considered a weight exercise in the sense that you're carrying the full weight of your body plus the gear that you're carrying along the hike.
It promotes growth and toughens your bones. It also helps maintain healthy joints which also helps prevents arthritis.
5. Tones Your Legs, Butt, and Stomach
Hiking can help strengthen and improve the form of your legs. But if you look closely at your posture as you walk, it can also tone your abs and shrink your waist.
6. Hiking Increases Your Happiness
When you're focused on your beautiful surroundings you appreciate what you have. Facing the challenges of hiking gives you confidence as you conquer it. If you're looking for a reason to start hiking, just do it and discover the happiness you didn't expect.
Watch this video about hip exercises for hikers.
To sum it up, hiking and backpacking allows you to enjoy what you're doing as well as give you all these great benefits for your health. I find it as a stress reduction activity and kind of boosts my mental health. I feel like I'm ten years younger when I'm out on the trail.
Click here and learn some fitness regimen for hiking enthusiasts.
Feature Image Via – trailscarolina
Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on Dec 19, 2016 and has been updated for quality and relevancy.
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