There's a truckload of research out there telling us that hiking is good for us. As a form of exercise, there's nothing like a brisk climb to get your heart rate up. Check out this great infographic. Physically, the benefits are numerous. Getting outside for even a short hike regularly can reduce your risk of heart disease, lower blood pressure and cholesterol and help to prevent type II diabetes.
Hiking makes you strong. And it doesn't just work your legs. Clambering over uneven surfaces and navigating your way around rocks, fallen trees, across streams and over tree roots engages your core and works your upper body for a true holistic work out.
But the physical benefits are almost incidental to how hiking can contribute to your overall mental health and wellbeing.
This isn't a 'get fit and lose weight in 30 days' post.. It is about time we focused on more than aesthetics. Health is more than cardio and strength conditioning, meaning you should hike more, worry less. Here are ten reasons hiking is good for your soul and why you should start hiking today.
1. Hiking Clears The Mind And Reduces Stress
Our lives are busier than ever. Nine to five jobs, full social calendars and everyday life admin is enough to keep us at a permanent level of stress below the surface. Going for a hike reduces your blood pressure and cortisol levels producing a calming effect only nature can offer - over and above the benefits of exercise alone.
2. Hiking Makes Us Happier
Getting out into nature decreases what psychologists call 'rumination', which are negative thought patterns that play over and over in our heads such as dwelling on embarrassing or disappointing moments or thinking about everything we think is wrong with our lives. Never underestimate the 'happiness effect' of being outdoors.
3. Hiking Improves Sleep Quality
Walking or climbing over uneven terrain uses 28% more energy than walking over flat ground. You are also removing all the new age stimuli that we often expose ourselves to throughout the day and right before bedtime (phones, computers, TV’s, and the like). The result? Better sleep!
4. Improve Your Memory Through Hiking
Studies have shown that people who regularly spend time in natural settings, hiking or otherwise, have improved memory and recollection. So, if you're rubbish at sudoku like me, just grab your boots and hit the track!
5. Hiking Reduces Anxiety And Depression
Associated with the benefits of lowering stress levels, hiking has been proven to reduce anxiety by quietening the mind and allowing you to zone in on your breathing to a part meditative state. For natural stress relief and an instant mood boost, head outdoors.
6. Got A Problem To Solve? Go For A Hike
Researchers believe that all the extra mental stimulus and information bombardment we are faced with daily overwhelms our brains resulting in reductions in our cognitive resources, limiting our creativity and problem-solving abilities. Getting out into nature away from these stimuli restores our depleted attention circuits, freeing up more brain power for creativity (so leave the gadgets at home!).
7. Hiking Makes Us More Generous
Whenever we hike tracks or trails for the first time, or stumble upon an absolute gem of a natural feature, we always return home with a renewed appreciation for mother nature and her bounty. The corresponding increase in positive emotions makes us feel a heightened sense of gratefulness and increases our generosity towards those around us.
8. Reconnect And Take Time For Yourself
When you find yourself caught up in the race, going for a hike is a chance to reflect, recharge and reconnect with yourself when you've been too busy to take notice. Sometimes just taking some time out and tuning into yourself can help you identify if you're feeling a little under the weather or have been more stressed than usual.
9. Hiking With Friends
Hiking alone can be a spiritual and rejuvenating experience but hiking with friends and sharing the experience can bring you closer together to form stronger bonds and create lasting memories.
10. Learn To Live In The Moment
When was the last time you really concentrated on being truly present and in the moment? The beautiful simplicity of getting out into nature removes that barrier between you and the natural environment. Everything is up close and real. No filters, just nature. Challenge yourself and make it a goal this year to go for one hike a month. Your soul will thank you for it.
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