Hiking is much easier than mountaineering or trekking, so this does good training to your feet, legs, heart, and lungs. There are many excellent hiking destinations in the US, and you can simply choose and decide where to next set your foot and explore a new site with your friends and families.
There are a few essential things not to miss packing in your backpack to ensure a smooth, safe, enjoyable, and worry-free hiking. Whether you are a first-time hiker, a day hiker, overnight hiker, fast and light hiker, distance hiker, trail runner, or a thru-hiker, hiking does many miracles to the body and the mind. Find out how you can benefit from hiking.
HEALTH BENEFITS OF HIKING
The mountains, hills, and forests are calling you; it’s hard to resist and stop your feet from going out and spending a day with a compass or a map, exploring through the trails, and with your backpack filled with essentials for a hiking adventure.
The warm sunshine kissing your face, the cool breeze embracing your skin, the priceless relaxing rustle of the trees as the wind rush through them overhead, and the trail’s soft earthy feel under your boots. Indeed, these extraordinary scenes as you hike are more than just enjoyable experiences but are suitable for the body and soul.
Being with nature by hiking is proven to have many health benefits, ranging from physical exercise you get when out on the trail to emotional or mental relief.
PHYSICAL EXERCISE
Hiking is the simplest and one of the most practical ways to exercise and make your body fit and well. Regardless of the type of trail, you find yourself on, hiking is a great workout from head to toe and even within the heart and lungs.
Know what hiking does to the body
- Builds stronger muscles and bones
- Improves sense of balance
- Improves heart health
- Decreases the risk of some respiratory problems
- Lowers stress levels,
- Reduces risk for heart disease
- Lower blood pressure
- Lower cholesterol levels
- Improves control over a healthy weight
- Lower body fat
- Improves bone density
- Improves osteoarthritis outcomes
- Increases in flexibility and coordination
As you find yourself scrambling up a steep slope or walking on a winding dirt path, hiking is the perfect opportunity to get a workout besides being inside the gym with all the equipment. Hiking is pretty simple, as long as your feet desire to walk and your body still tells you to keep on walking!
MENTAL HEALTH
Hiking is for all ages and is significantly useful for older adults experiencing boredom inside the comfort of home. As people get older, the body becomes limited and frequently feeling idle. One best way to beat this natural feeling is by becoming physically active, and hiking is one way to address this issue. Despite doing nothing, your body experiences stress, and hiking is proven to lower stress levels, improving mood, and enhancing mental well-being.
Being with nature is always the best way to connect to peace and serenity. Spending quality time in the outdoors, such as hiking, improves mental wellness. It reduces stress, calms anxiety, and can lead to a lower risk of depression, supported by a study at Stanford University.
Going out into the mountains or being into the forests exercises your senses as you are welcomed into different stunning views. The fragrance and ambiance that nature offers have so many health benefits that even doctors prescribe that we spend time to commune with it.
RELATIONAL HEALTH
Hiking is always safer and more fun when you have company, family, or friends. As you spend time walking, you can talk about your lives and some problems, which makes hiking an emotional release and a way to develop your relationship with your company. If you hike regularly, this can strengthen your bond and make you know each other deeper.
So, encourage a sibling, a friend, or even a grandparent, hiking a trail together!
TAKE A HIKE!
Suppose you are considering what to do on a next holiday or summer break, head to any of the country’s national parks. Indeed, you will not regret spending a day or two hiking a mountain, crossing a river, and exploring the wonders of nature as you enjoy the aesthetic, physical, mental, and social value of hiking.
Get your bag ready, lace up your boots, and grab a walking stick. The opportunities and benefits of hiking await you!