Two reasons to Hike

1. Mental health-Hiking regularly will greatly improve your mental and emotional health. Hiking in nature has been proven to reduce anxiety as well as depression, it clears the mind, reduces mental stress and cortisol levels. Hiking reduces anxiety by giving you space, a sense of peace and quietening of the mind. When you hike, you become one with nature, being removed from the irritants and distractions of modern life. Being truly outdoors with Mother Nature reduces mental fatigue and soothes the soul. When you Hike, away from those daily distractions, you are also able to spark your problem-solving skills and engage the creative parts of the mind. For me, every hike is like my own mini vacation, taking my mind away from all of those distractions and creating a sense of peace and harmony with the earth.

2. Physical health- Just like the mental health benefits of hiking, the physical benefits are just as undeniable. Hiking improves cardiovascular fitness, so it is a great benefit to heart health. It can lower the risk of heart disease, improve your blood pressure and boost bone density. We hike on uneven surfaces, so unlike walking down the sidewalk, we are using our core muscles to help balance and stabilize the body. We use our upper body constantly in the balancing process as well. The muscles of the upper torso get stronger when we are using them to negotiate obstacles like climbing up or down rocky areas, traversing ledges and forging across brooks and streams. Hiking is a weight-bearing activity that builds strength and muscle in the glutes (who doesn’t want nice glutes) hamstrings, quadriceps, hips and calves.

There are lots of reasons for hiking, other than the obvious physical and mental health benefits. What do you enjoy most about hiking? What does it for you? Each of us has our own list of reasons for hiking, I wrote these two– to encourage you to add just one reason why you enjoy hiking to this list in the comments section.