Best Health Benefits of Hiking

1. Hiking is a powerful cardio workout.

Hiking around for hours is a great aerobic cardio workout. It will keep your legs moving and your lungs burning.
Since hiking often involves inclines or declines it is akin to some great treadmill workouts. Except you actually get to enjoy nature and fresh air.

2. Hiking is also a powerful anaerobic workout.

Hiking is a weight bearing activity. By walking around for hours with even a small backpack on your back, you are burning and building muscles in some of the largest muscles in your body.
If your gym routine is starting to bore you try hiking and start enjoying exercise again.

Hiking builds: glutes, hamstrings, quadriceps. It works on all the muscles in your back, lower legs and hips. Add in hiking poles and it becomes a full body exercise.

Hiking gives you better exercise than hours on leg machines. in a much nicer and more comfortable setting than sitting in gym inhaling other people's gym sweat.

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3. Hiking strengthens your core.

Hiking is great core exercise. (Your core are those muscles in your lower chest, abdomen and upper pelvis.)  These are the muscles you often exercise (some of) when trying to do sit ups.
These muscles are some of the most important ones for health. They drive both upper and lower body. Hiking works out all the core muscles, even more so if you use poles while walking.

4. Hiking helps keep the weight off.

Daily walking is one of the single best methods to keep weight off.
Hiking is just walking that is a little bit more strenuous and more scenic.
If you add in some poles, hiking also becomes a full body workout. Poles help you include your back and arms to help decrease the workload on your tired legs. This can make hiking more of a "full body" workout.

5. Hiking is energizing.

While on your first few hikes, you may not see this.
If you are not used to hiking, you may be too tired to be energized.
But,  once you become used to hiking you will find simply thinking about a hike will energize you. The thought of the fun alone will release endorphins and energize you.  Giving you the boost you need for a great hike.

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6. Hiking improves your mood.

Hiking can help you relieve stress and recharge. It provides an opportunity to take a break from worries. It gives you an escape from pressure at work, relationships, friendships, and finances.
Hiking provides an opportunity to take a break from worries.

It is just you and the wild trails you walk upon.

According to a Standford study, the simple act of going out into nature on a hike has a significant and measurable impact on many mental functions. One of the most notable being general anxiety.
Hiking has an positive impact on relieving anxiety. It helps decrease stress and stop depression. Your brain, like your body, loves to be out in the fresh air and out of the confines of your daily work environment.

7. Hiking gets the creative juices flowing.

Chances are you are not going on a hike looking for an answer to a thorny work problems.

But when you hike your mind has free time. You may think about things going on in your life. You may spend time thinking over those thorny work problems. You may mull over goals or plan for future projects.
Since you are at a partial remove from these problems you may come up with solutions that would have escaped you if you were stuck in your cubicle.

8. Hiking leads to increases in productivity.

Any productivity expert will tell you that one of the best productivity tips, can be to get away from work. To be productive at work you sometimes need to let your "batteries" recharge.

But all “battery charges” are not made equal. For instance watching TV or taking a nap can be a decent “recharge”.  But are not as effective as a good physical activity like a hike.

Also the creative thinking brought on by gorgeous surroundings will stimulate you mentally. This will take your mind off stressful work related problems.

Combine the physical activity of a hike with the mental stimulation and you will find it is is the best "battery recharge" available.

This will help you to increase productivity when you are back at work.

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9. Hiking helps lower your risk for cancer and cardiovascular disease.
Regular hiking helps elevate your high-density lipoprotein levels.  It also lowers your triglyceride levels. Together these two things  keep your cardiovascular system in top notch condition.

Hiking is also one of the best sources for cardiorespiratory fitness. This means you exercise lungs, heart and blood vessels all at once.
Getting your daily exercise from a short hike does wonders for cardiovascular health. Making a habit of daily hiking has proven to lead to longer life.

10. Hiking is great exercise regardless of your level of fitness.

One of the wonderful things about hiking is that there are hikes for many different activity levels.

Hiking is a great physical activity for almost every body.
If you are out of shape and getting starting, there are easy hikes. There are moderate hikes for those of intermediate fitness. And, of course, there are challenging hikes for those with experience.

11. Hiking is good for your blood sugar levels.

As stated above, hiking can be for any fitness level.  Even if you are diabetic and a bit out of shape, a short hike might be the perfect way to lose a few unwanted pounds.

But hiking helps you in more ways than weight control. After a good hike insulin sensitivity and carbohydrate metabolism increase for up to 24 hours.

12. Hiking is good for your bones.

Hiking helps increase your bone density.  Making your bones strong and decreasing down bone degeneration.

The direct sunshine you receive on your hike also increases your vitamin D levels. This is also a great boon for your bone health..

13. Hiking may help ease insomnia.

Hiking is a good way to tire yourself out, helping you sleep better and wake up refreshed.

14. Hiking fosters relationships.

Hiking with others gives you a chance to have some real conversations. All the free time walking allows you to share memorable experiences.
Share memorable moments and foster your relationships by hiking together.

Hiking is a community. It is also a wonderful way to meet new people and even forge long lasting friendships.

15. Hiking helps you stay present.

Incorporate your walking meditation habit with hiking to help you practice mindfulness. This will help you stay in the present moment and truly enjoy all the nature that surrounds you.

16. Hiking increases your self-awareness.

A good hike helps engage all your senses. Nature helps you focus while also giving your mind room to expand creatively. Walking meditation is one of the best natural ways to meditate.

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17. Hiking will save you money.

Hiking is definitely one of the healthiest and least expensive hobbies you can have. The only cost for simple hikes is an investment in a good pair of hiking boots.

For more strenuous hikes the only costs are a backpack and a few items of safety gear. Compare this to the costs involved in another “walking” “outdoors” sport, like golf and you will see a staggering difference in cost.

Even compared to other forms of exercise, hiking is a budget solution. Buying hiking gear, that will last you for years, is far less expensive than a gym membership.

18. Hiking lets you visit more places.

Having hiking as a hobby is a good excuse to visit new places and hiking trails. Even if you visit the same place twice, you'll find that there's always something new to see.

Having hiking as a hobby is a good excuse to visit new places and hiking trails.

Hiking also lets you reach places you could never see from a car. Many of the most beautiful places in nature are a remote. It may take a few mile hike to reach these scenic beauties, but they are always worth the effort.

19. Hiking makes you appreciate nature more.

Hiking is a great opportunity to get in touch with nature and a reminder on why we should treasure and help protect it.

20. Hiking increases brain power.

The Standford study of hiking also brought up the fact that hiking increases brain power. Not only does hiking have a direct impact on stress and anxiety, but it also has a direct impact on general cognitive function. Specifically working memory.

So yes, hiking makes you a bit smarter and more able to process ideas. This is part of the reason why people come up with some great creative thinking while on a nice pleasant hike.

Of course, all the hiking benefits above are completely pointless if you do not actually go out and hike. In the next section I will give you some practical hiking tips that will help you get started hiking.