Looking for new and fun ways to stay active or boost your fitness routine? Consider taking up hiking; it’s an easy way to reap the benefits of both exercise and getting out in nature. Here are some reasons why hiking should be your new go-to cardio workout:
It’s Great Exercise
Hiking builds leg and core strength, improves balance, and, like many other forms of cardio, can even reduce your risk of heart disease. Hiking also provides a workout with variability: you can easily get a higher intensity workout just by hiking in more difficult terrain. In fact, just a 5-10% incline can produce a 30-40% increase in calories burned.
It Improves Mental Health and Reduces Stress
Research has shown that hiking can be beneficial and even act as an additional therapy to those suffering from depression, anxiety, or stress. The combination of exercise and the outdoors produces calming effects that are more powerful than those that come with just exercise alone, and the reduction in exposure to stimuli like technology can improve sleep quality as well.
It’s Inexpensive
No gym membership necessary for this workout! An extra bonus for those of us living on a college student budget. With websites like Hiking Project or All Trails, it is easy to search for free hiking trails nearby as well as their level of difficulty.
You Get to Explore New Places
Whether you choose to hike locally or discover new locations, hiking gives you the opportunity to get more in touch with the world around you. The experience doesn’t have to end once the hike is over: checking out other activities or businesses in the areas where you hike can allow you to expand your horizons and learn more about different communities, including your own.
You Appreciate Nature More
Immersing yourself in nature more often and seeing all that it has to offer can make you more appreciative of the environment and may even inspire you to be more conscious of how your actions affect it. Nature can also bring forward feelings of peace, which is another reason to be grateful for it.
It Can Help You Reconnect with Yourself
Taking time to unplug, get outside, and engage in meditative activities like hiking can be very helpful in clearing your mind. I recommend always hiking with a buddy, but regardless, you will still receive all the refreshing properties hiking provides that give you the chance to think, reorient yourself, and shift your focus to what you believe to be important.
It Makes You Happier
Better fitness, less stress, and affordable; who wouldn’t be happier with a workout that included all these benefits? Exercise is about more than just being active, it’s about building confidence, stepping out of your comfort zone, and being happy, all things that hiking can do! Not only is hiking mentally soothing, but it also a proven mood booster. Hiking can teach you to enjoy the little things in life more often and to value experiences, lessons that can be used to improve the quality of everyday life.