Hiking is both a physically and mentally rewarding activity that may leave you tempted to go hiking everyday! While this may sound nice, you may find yourself wondering if taking a hike each day be bad for you?
Hiking provides both physical and mental positive benefits and is suitable as an everyday activity. Incorporating it into a daily routine can help you lose weight, fight off stress and depression, help reduce your risk of heart disease, and improve your overall health.
There are so many reasons to consider adding a hike into your daily routine, or at least as often as you can. Read below to learn why hiking is such a good thing, what changes it can make to your body, and some of the benefits of hiking as often as possible.
Is It Healthy To Hike Every Day?
Yes, hiking each day is healthy for you!
There are several ways that it can help improve your health and it’s an extremely safe activity for most people as long as you don’t go overboard and follow general hiking safety guidlelines.
There are so many great reasons to add hiking to your daily routine. First, it is a great form of exercise. Keeping a moderate to brisk pace will increase the heart rate and can get your lungs working well.
The fact that you need to keep changing directions and using different muscles depending on the trail you choose means that you get one of the best workouts possible. From going uphill to downhill, over and under things, you can bend and move your body in so many ways.
Hiking also gets you out in nature. You get away from the noise and worry about your job or being stuck in the home.
Research has shown again and again how beneficial it is to spend time outside each day. When you feel a little blue or sad, put on those hiking shoes and see your mood lift in no time.
Hiking can also be a great stress reliever! Simply getting out in nature and getting the blood pumping can help us forget all of our worries and makes the stress melt away.
The old saying that a little fresh air and sunlight is more than just a saying – it’s great advice!
Add in a few friends to go on the hike with you, and hiking may be just what you need when you have a bad day.
What Does Hiking Do To Your Body?
Hiking has striking benefits for your whole body. This is one of the best ways to help you lose weight, tone up all parts of your body, and feel amazing.
Let’s take a look at some of the benefits of hiking.
Lose Weight
The first change you will notice when you begin hiking is that it can help you lose weight. Hiking is much easier to do each day compared to more intense workouts.
You can choose where you want to go, you can choose your intensity levels, and you get to spend time out in nature. No matter where you are each day, you can likely find a good hiking trail!
You can burn quite a few calories if you can maintain a fast pace while hiking. For example, an average person who weighs 160 pounds can burn close to 400 calories for an hour hike each day.
If you do this seven days a week, you have effectively burned off more than a day of calories while doing something in your life.
Tone Your Legs
While hiking can help benefit the whole body, you will see some big changes in your legs. Hiking is a great way to help you get some lean legs.
If you want to get these lean legs, then you need to go on a walk for an hour or more, which is pretty easy to do if you find a good path for hiking.
Doing this most day of the week can help make some big changes in no time.
Make Your Back Stronger
If you have some lower back problems and can’t handle some of the other types of workouts, then hiking may be one of the best options. Aerobic exercises are so important for your health, but hard when you have a bad back.
Hiking keeps you active without putting any pressure on you while strengthening the muscles of the torso, hips, legs, and feet. It can even help with the stability of your spine as you keep upright.
All of these are beneficial to helping your back get stronger!
The Benefits of Hiking Every Day
There are a ton of benefits of going outside and getting in a good walk, especially if you decide to turn that walk into a good hike as well.
Hiking has so many benefits, whether you do it once or decide to turn it into your daily routine. Some of the benefits of going on a hike each day include:
Lowers Your Risk of Heart Disease
One of the best things about hiking each day is that it lowers your blood pressure and can fight off other factors of heart disease.
Heart disease is one of the leading causes of death in America and living an active lifestyle will help you to reduce your risk and stay as healthy as possible.
Hiking, especially if you can spend 30 minutes or more doing this activity at a high intensity each day, then you will easily lower your risk of heart disease.
Makes Your Muscles Stronger
Hiking each day is a good way to work those muscles. Depending on the trail you use and how difficult the trail is, you will be able to work your muscles in a lot of different directions.
During the hike, you may go uphill, downhill, over things, through water, and just the basic movement of walking can make your muscles stronger.
This will make you feel stronger, can burn more calories, and is good for your overall health.
Easier to Fall Asleep at Night
Getting out in nature and working that heart can help you to sleep better at night.
Many of those who suffer from insomnia find that getting outside more and making sure that they elevate their heart rate during the day is a great way to help them sleep better at night.
Not only will you find falling asleep to be easier, but your sleep at night will be more restful and peaceful.
Control Your Weight
A daily hike is a good way to get the blood pumping and the heart rate up.
If you can maintain a consistent and fast pace for long enough, you can burn a lot of calories while having a lot of fun on the hike. Do this each day with a healthy diet, you will be able to use this exercise as a way to control your weight.
Improves Bone Density
A good hike each day can help improve the density of your bones, or prevent bone loss as you age. You need those bones to be as strong as possible throughout your life.
This helps reduce the pain that you feel and reduces the amount of stress you place on the bones too. Stronger bones will prevent fractures and breaks over time as well.
Helps Your Mental Wellbeing and Reduces Stress
Spending time in nature will help improve your mental wellbeing. It can also help reduce your stress levels. Just being outside can distract your mind and helps you to relax.
This will instantly improve your mood and can make you forget about anything that is bothering you at the time.
Any time you feel a little bit down, or you start to feel overwhelmed with stress, it is time to go outside and take a hike.
Boost Your Creativity
Taking some time to disconnect from technology and those devices is a great way to give the mind a break.
Without all of those distractions, you will allow your brain time to get bored and become idle. This alone is enough to help get those creative juices running. Any time you need to come up with something creative, get outside, and start hiking.
Conclusion
Hiking is one of the best workouts you can do for your body. While there are many other physical activities that you can use to keep you moving and to provide you with a lot of health benefits, hiking is more enjoyable than many of those options.
Not only do you get up and move around, but you get a chance to be out in nature, seeing new sights and even spending time with friends.
If you are looking for a new way to get outside and spend time with friends, then hiking is the best option for you. Find a great trail or two in your area and turn this into a part of your daily routine.
Related Articles
Before you go, make sure to take a look at some of my other related articles!
