By Elizabeth Wambui Mathu
The next time you hear a friend invite you for a hike, acknowledge them for bearing in mind your health!
Hiking is a precious activity with great gratification that we do for fun, but do you know that it has numerous health benefits? We do hiking for several reasons, including checking out blogs but at the end of it all, it contributes to a healthy lifestyle. It adds to tremendous mental and physical well-being.
Here are some of the health benefits hiking:
Weight Loss
If you are struggling with excess weight, good hiking can help you reduce extra calories in the body. The physical activity involved blasts out the calories and burns excess body fat. Even without creating a calorie deficit diet, exercising through hiking is an effective method to burn fat.
The steeper and the more challenging the trails the more the more calories you burn. During a hike, a normal adult burns 300-500 calories. While doing away with fats, you also strengthen body muscles creating a balance and flexibility.
Increases Body Stamina
You are hiking and building more endurance, but do you how good is your body stamina is getting? While on the trails, walking long distances day in, day out, your body gains more stamina. When trekking up and down, your legs and back get stronger and stronger.
Every day you want to achieve new heights. Hiking exercises key muscles around your bones, more than the regular activities you undertake on daily basis.
Hiking Boosts Creativity
Ever felt dull, uncreative and non-artistic? That might be due to a lot of monotony at home and less outdoor adventure, and you have to try hiking to overcome this. Spending moments in the outdoor increases your attention to details and opens up your mind to a significant higher level. A research by Stanford University found out that while trailing, the body creative juices flow better than while sitting.
Another study by the University of Kansas suggests that hikers performed better in a skill test after a 2-day hike than those who undertook the test before the hike. Hiking gives people greater ability to focus and build up new ideas.
Hiking Boosts Vitamin D factor in the body
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Controls Diabetes
Are you struggling with diabetes? Hiking is one of the best-known practices that helps diabetic patients recover from their predicaments. Walking for fairly long distances lowers blood sugar levels in the body. Instead of seeking expensive medical care, trekking several miles a day is the ultimate natural solution for you. Although walking seems like a basic form of exercise, it is a highly sought method of reducing blood glucose.
Strengthens Body Muscles
When you are feeling a little bit weak after performing simple tasks, it might be a sign of weak muscles. Maybe it’s because of sitting all day in an office without any significant exercise. If this is the case, then you to pull out your backpack and set off for a hike. By doing this, you will be doing your cardio some good. The longer and the further the hike, the better. Hiking helps strengthen your leg and back muscles thus boosting your fitness.
Reduces ADHD in children
Are you looking for a natural therapy for a child with ADHD symptoms? Relieve the kids from stress by giving them a hike and help improve their attention. No cost and no side effects. Just a wander along the trails and you will notice some improvements after some time.
Gives You a Better Perception of the World
You are going for a new experience in a new place to meet new people; that sounds cool. A breakaway from your monotonous workplace with a hike gives you a better picture and feeling for the world. You are going to have a thrilling adventure that will change your perception of the boring world, the one you left behind. Hiking gives you the feeling of throwing away what feels dull and picking up the bright stars around you.
Hiking is a natural remedy to many health problems that we face day in day out. The above are just some of the health benefits of hiking. If you are out there and yet to give it a try, it’s your chance to take up the challenge and you will experience the numerous benefits.
And as if physical health benefits aren’t enough, hiking can also help you in the course of recovering from addiction, which this post focuses on.
Elizabeth Wambui Mathu
Elizabeth Wambui is the Director of Advancement at Nativity School of Worcester, the city’s only private, tuition-free middle school for boys from low-income backgrounds. Prior to joining Nativity Worcester, she served as a Major Gifts Officer and the Regional Financial Development Specialist at the American Red Cross of Massachusetts. She has also served as the Development Associate at Easter Seals Massachusetts.
This family should go hiking and camping more. I believe in these benefits but we have to make time and find the right place to camp here in our place.
Hi Wendy,
Thanks for your concern to the family. Get the best trails that fits you and your family. If you get some nice destinations around you, the better. Also, try to find out enough time to hang out.
Nice post and I really have a good read on this article. I know that hiking is good and will give a good feeling of success but never thought that will also help reduce diabetes.
Hi there,
Great now you know that hiking can actually reduce blood sugar levels, try it. If you have such a condition or know someone with it, you can advise them to hike effectively and the benefit will manifest.
I enjoy hiking! In addition to its health benefits, I’ve found that nothing clears my mind more than when I’m surrounded by the beauty of nature.
I had no idea that hiking can help reduce diabetes but it’s amazing how much benefit there is to both your body and your mind when hiking. I like to do hiking to build up my bodys resistance x
Hi Rhian,
Nature is beautiful, enjoying and healing. Get more and more of it and you will be healthy.
I can’t agree more. These are absolutely valid points. Hiking has a lot of health benefits. And I personally feel that it definitely enhances your creative capacity as you are out in nature, inhale fresh air, less polluted areas make your brain work faster than usual. Great post.
Thank You Parn. Keep in touch for more and greater posts.
Your post made me miss my hiking days. But now medically I am not allowed to go for hiking since my accident last year. Anyone who wants to lose weight hiking for them is one of the best options I will say because now I have started gaining weight.
Not only that hiking used to refresh my mood too.
Sorry for the accident. It’s unfortunate that it has deprived you of the outdoor adventure that gives you joy. It’s my prayers that you will recover soon and get back to your hiking ways.
Yes. Agree with all of them. But especially agree with the fact that it does lend us newer perspective into how amazing and big the world is and how minute we are and also how much we can explore if we intend to!
Hi there
The more the hiking trails, the better the perception one has to the world. I’d encourage you to find more and destination to get the maximum experience.
I used to do hiking back in grade school to high school each week with my friends, but now it was a hobby I haven’t practiced for a while. The feeling of seeing a gorgeous and unique view from above is amazing. Maybe I’ll do it again soon.
Hi Blair
Its never too late neither are you too old to hike. You can get back and achieve what you really missed.
Really great information here on hiking health benefits. We always feel so much better after a hike or walk in the woods. It’s nice to see posts like this validating it đŸ˜‰ Will definitely be following your website more often. Thanks!
Hi Lisa
Thank you for keeping in touch. We will keep you updated and informed, We are proud of you!
I have to say that I am not as much into hiking as I would like to be and its really good to know the benefits of it. I hope to be able to actually increase my participation in hiking before too long đŸ™‚
Hi Alex,
All these benefits are waiting for you. Create some time for hiking and you will get better.
I had written a similar post long back! It’s so refreshing to read something that you believe in. đŸ™‚ Thank you for this inspiring post, Nicole. Hiking has some amazing benefits. I realize I end up walking a lot on my travels, and hiking through the mountains and valleys is so, so amazing!
Sure. Also, encourage others around you to follow the same suit. It’s really helpful.
Definitely a lot of benefits. I hven’t hiked in years mostly because I’m kinda scared of going alone as a woman what with all the stories one reads every day. Still, I gotta try an urban hiking trail that’s populated with people for safety.
Hi Kemi,
Don’t let fear get the better part of you. There are many lone but safe trails that you can go on your own. If you find it more secure to hike with other people, then do it. Let fear not hold you back.
I’ve never thought about hiking increasing creativity. But it makes total sense! Being in the outdoors does open up the mind. So interesting!
It really works. Hiking opens up your mind and enables you to think better and focus. Try it!
I’d like to go hiking. But none of my friends are interested, and I still decide whether to go by myself (of course, with the agency). I’m sure I would feel much better both physically and mentally after a good hiking.
Hi Jelena
If none of your friends is willing to go out for a hike, you can still do it with an agency. You will be advised on various trails to get that will be ideal for you. Don’t miss the outdoor adventure while waiting for friends.
I’ve tried hiking here in the Philippines and in South Korea in the past years. It’s sad that I haven’t been into any mountains this year. Your article makes me wanna organize a hiking trip soon!
Hi Karla Let nothing hold you back. Try to hike more and more in your prefered destinations and have these great benefits.
I wish I could do more hiking, but since there are family matters that require me to stay home, I have no other option but to put this activity at the back of my list of priorities. I agree with you on the benefits of hiking. For me, the best one is that it gives me a time to think and reflect and get a better perspective of my life.
Hi Kristine
Sorry for the time-consuming matters. However, if you are not tied up to the family affairs, you can opt for hiking with your family. You can take kids with you and enjoy all together.
Ofcourse! Hiking is an amazing, form of exercise that not only takes care of our health but also does it in the most enjoyable way!
Good to know esp that it also helps kids with ADHD.
Hi Busha,
It is a win-win for both you and your kids, For the kids, start as early as possible and make it a routine. You will never regret in future.
I couldn’t agree more and I love to hike. I do it a lot when I am traveling but I need to do it way more when I am home. I just don’t think there are places worth hiking around here. haha
Totally agree with you on this. hiking is great for health. I didn’t know about it reducing ADHD in children. Nice article to encourage a good and fun habit.
I loved learning about all the positive effects hiking can have on our health. This was such an interesting article indeed!
They are few more benefits, but I totally agree with 8 above. Not many people know about those benefits. It’s so good hike around the mountains.
These benefits are spot on! I love hiking, and one of the things I love about it is the physical toll my body goes through, usually at some point I don’t think I can do it but my body always prevails and I always feel so much better after the fact. The views always lift my spirits and put me in a better mood too.
Hiking is best for overall fitness of the body. I think everyone should do hiking once every three months. It can be helpful if you can do it with your friends or family as it can improve the trust and bonding between you and them.
I intend to do hiking too… Hope to go some place soon for that… Great post
And it gives you a great way to exercise your dogs! I used to go hiking almost every weekend in the summer when my dogs were younger. I never felt any fear because I always had two big German Shepherds with me. Now, they’re both getting older and shouldn’t be hiking, and I haven’t gone as much either. Need to turn that around for next year.
I absolutely adore this post! I’m getting into hiking more, which isn’t easy living in a big city. But I agree that there are not just physical benefits, but many mental benefits too. I’m always more creative and generally just feel better once I’ve spent some time outdoors. One post I’m definitely sharing x
What a fantastic post and a wonderful breakdown of the benefits of hiking. We live in a pretty flat part of the country, so we don’t get much of a chance for it locally. Definitely a great past time!
I love hiking but for a short distance only haha. I never tried hiking up a mountain, but with your blog, I am re-thinking about climbing mountains. I might give it a shot someday
I used to hike a lot as I love just being one with nature and this post really highlights the importance of it. Might go exploring again soon!
Hi Stephanie,
The great outdoor nature awaits you. Take some time off and do hiking.
I’ve been thinking about hiking more once it cools off, it has so many great benefits. It just too hot right now.
Hi Luci,
It’s good you noticed the summer weather is a bit harsh. Just wait when everything is cool and you can hike.
Hiking has so many amazing effects on the body, mind and soul. For me it’s given me a lot more confidence. It’s helped me listen to my body, take a few risks and try new things. I love the part about increasing your creative juices….next time I’m stuck I have one more excuse to go hiking. Thanks for the great post!
Thank you, Kristi.