THE HEALTH BENEFITS OF HIKING
Hiking is brilliant. Not only do you get to go out there and have fun, experiencing the best of what nature has to offer, but you also get to boost your health at the same time. It really is a win, win sort of situation. If you take a browse through this website, you will discover all manner of brilliant hiking activities. On this page, we are going to focus on the health benefits of hiking, and there are quite a few of them.
Firstly, if you are looking to burn calories, there is no better activity than hiking. Just a single hour of hiking can burn over 500 calories. In many cases, this is more calories per hour than running can burn. Don’t forget, hiking tends to be far more beneficial to your ankles and joints too. This is because hiking trails tend to far softer than the asphalt or concrete that people tend to run on. If you hike at altitude, you will be able to burn off even more calories without too many issues.
Contrary to popular belief, you won’t just be exercising your legs when it comes to hiking. You will be giving your entire body a workout. Trekking poles will build up arm muscles, your butt will become toned, and your back muscles will be strengthened when you begin to clamber over rocks and the like. The pack that you are carrying with all of your equipment will give your upper body a fantastic workout too.
There is some evidence, recently published in the International Journal of Sports Medicine, which indicates that hiking, particular over long distances, has the ability to fight off disease. In addition to this, there is some evidence that hiking can improve survival rates in cancer patients, however, this is very much preliminary research. Many doctors, however, are suggesting that those suffering from cancer complement their treatment with regular hikes.
These are just the physical health benefits of long distance hiking. In addition to this, you will be able to experience a number of improvements to your mental health. For example, research indicates that regular hiking can boost happiness levels and help to stave off depression. This is, in part, down to the rise of endorphins in the body which occurs when you are getting huge amounts of exercise. In addition to this, the fact that hiking, particularly on tours booked through us, takes place in some of the most beautiful locations in the world, you just end up feeling a whole lot better about yourself. There is nothing quite like taking yourself out of the ‘daily grind’ and experiencing the best of what the world has to offer. Hiking is one of the best ways in which to do this.
Best of all, hiking is incredibly easy to take up. Sure, there are some routes that require a decent amount of physical endurance, but there are some, which require no more than a basic level of fitness. This means that everybody who wants to exercise, can.
