The 12 Mind-Blowing Health Benefits Of Hiking

I grew up in a Hispanic family where the outdoors and being healthy weren’t really a priority. In fact, both were very low on my list until I graduated college. I used to only drink soda, I barely walked or exercised, and I would eat junk food all day long. I am thankful for my good genes as I didn’t look unhealthy when I was young, but I was. Eventually, it did catch up to me, and I always felt sluggish, sad, and depressed. That is until I found my favorite hobby in the world….. Hiking. The health benefits of hiking are on another level of amazing! And I was able to turn my life around to live a healthier, happier lifestyle.

Hiking has also encouraged me to work out more and eat better. Now I teach other women how to hike, so I thought it would be a good idea to write all the amazing things hiking can do for you! The good thing about hiking is that it doesn’t have to be crazy hard. Hiking can be just a leisure walk in the park for a mile with no elevation gain. It is an effortless activity to start for people of all ages, so get out there and get healthy!

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The 12 Health Benefits Of Hiking In The Woods

Physical Benefits Of Hiking

Hiking Can Help Reduce Heart Disease

Hiking is pretty much physical activity, and exercising significantly reduces your chances of heart problems. If you don’t exercise, you are twice as likely to suffer from coronary heart disease per the studies that The Centers for Disease Control implemented.

Any type of exercise that gets your heart rate up is good for your heart. And you don’t need to climb Mount Everest to prevent cardiovascular disease. Even a one-mile hike with no elevation is good for your heart. You can make hiking as easy or as difficult as you want it to be.

Hiking Can Help Reduce Hypertension

Hypertension is another word for high blood pressure. Nearly one in three Americans have high blood pressure. High blood pressure can lead to strokes and heart attacks which are called the silent killers since symptoms are often undetectable.

Luckily you can decrease your high blood pressure by 4-10 points by just hiking regularly!

Hiking Helps With Weight Loss

I lost 15 pounds when I started to hike constantly. Yes, you heard that right, 15 lbs!!! I will say that I also started to eat better, and I started to work out throughout the week.

I had to because when I started to hike, I realized just how unhealthy I was. Walking up a hill was a struggle for me. I decided that I wanted to live a healthier lifestyle, so I made it a point to hike every week.

Hiking has helped me lose weight and feel stronger. On average, you burn around 100 calories for every mile you walk. If hiking also encourages you to work out as it did for me, then even better.

Since hiking is so enjoyable, people who lose weight through hiking maintain the loss while those that lose through dieting tend to gain weight again quickly.

Hiking Helps With Bone Density

Everyone knows that as we age, bone density weakens, which means a bigger chance of broken bones. Luckily you can help prevent that by increasing your bone density!

How do we do that? The University of Washington found that women with osteoporosis who walked for one hour three days a week increased their bone density! Just by walking, you can increase strength in your bones, and your future self will greatly appreciate it.

When I first started hiking, I had no idea that it was helping me build stronger bones. I mean, I knew about my muscles getting stronger but my bones too? There are just too many benefits to hiking! So get out there and hike!

Hiking Helps With Building Strength

Hiking has helped get my muscles so much stronger than they have ever been. I have strengthened my calves, quads, glutes, hamstrings, ankle muscles, and even core. When I first started hiking, I was always so sore the next day. Trust me, hiking is a workout! It seems so easy since you are literally just walking, but it really helps strengthen your whole body.

I have started to notice how strong my legs have been since I have started this hobby, and I absolutely love it!

Want To Learn How To Workout For Hiking: Strength Training For Hiking

Hiking Helps With Balance

Hiking has greatly improved my balance, and I never noticed it until I hiked with a beginner hiker. We were hiking through a rocky, snowy path, and I was able to glide through the area with no worries.

When I looked back, I realized that the new hiker was having a significant problem with this. Since I mainly hiked with my husband up until that time, I never realized just how outstanding my balance was compared to other people.

I just assumed since it was easy for me, it must be easy for most. In reality, my feet, legs, brain, quads, and calves were all working together to get me through the snowy path as efficiently as possible. And since they were all trained for it and strong enough for it, I could easily walk through the snow.

If you want to have a better balance without going to the gym, hiking is a great alternative.

Mental Health Benefits Of Hiking

Hiking Can Help With Anxiety And Mental Health

Studies have shown that walking decreases anxiety, no matter how slow or fast you walk. What it does is release adrenaline that accumulates over time. The stress of everyday life, work, kids, money, etc., accumulates, and hiking helps it go away.

I have noticed over the years that hiking has helped me mentally. It has helped significantly with my anxiety and low confidence. If you look at my Instagram now, you would have never known I was depressed and anxiety-ridden. But the outdoors has changed my life for the better, and now I never feel depressed. I can not believe that a simple walk in the park has changed my life for the better.

Hiking Gets The Creative Juices Flowing

The day after I come back from a hike, I feel refreshed and ready to take on my blog and/or photo editing. There is something about hiking that resets me mentally, and I am here for it!

What is awesome is that this is proven with science. Spending time outdoors can increase your attention span and creativity by as much as 50 percent! This can even be possible after the hike is over. Hiking can really improve many people’s performance with their jobs creatively.

Social Benefits Of Hiking

Hiking has helped me build strong relationships with other people. Whether it is with my husband, friends, or family, I love walking with them through the forest and talking about life. It helps us connect on a deeper level.

I have always felt like there was a better connection while hiking than hanging out in a restaurant, so I wasn’t surprised to find out that there have been studies on this. And it has shown that family members demonstrated more connection and positive emotions and fewer negative emotions after walking in a natural setting. 

Many people have trouble finding people who want to go hiking, so I suggest using social media. When I lived in Dallas, I felt a bit lost because I only knew of a few people that loved the outdoors as much as me. So I found some new friends on Instagram and on local hiking Facebook Groups.

Hiking Helps With Disconnecting From Social Media

Everyone knows just how difficult it is to disconnect from Instagram, Twitter, and even Facebook. I mean, my job is connected to social media, so I definitely have a problem with this. Luckily when it comes to hiking, you might not have a choice about connecting on social media as most trails do not have service.

I really enjoy this, especially when I am backpacking. Nothing is better in the world than just taking in all the beauty without any social distractions. It really helps with my creativity and clearing up my mind for new thoughts and dreams.

Hiking Can Help With Sleeping

I don’t know about you, but when I work out I usually fall right to sleep the minute I hit the hay. I eventually found out that there have been studies on how exercise helps out with sleeping and guess what? Hiking is pretty much exercising!

This is another great benefit of hiking. My husband, a picky sleeper, usually sleeps peacefully when he goes hiking or mountain biking.

A Better Quality Of Life

Since I have started hiking, my quality of life has improved significantly. I used to have mood swings, feel tired and didn’t have the best relationship with the people close to me.

Since I have started hiking, my life has turned around completely. I am happy every day and have a fantastic relationship with my husband.

I will say that I do make less money now, and I still have so much more joy, energy, and love to give. Because of all the positive impacts hiking has provided me, I have dedicated my time and effort to helping other women find the same balance and happiness. It is the best job in the world 🙂

Final Thoughts On The Benefits Of Hiking

Thanks for reading all about the health benefits of hiking. Make sure you check out some of my other posts on hiking below:

• Wildlife Safety Tips
• How To Prevent and Treat Blisters When Hiking
• What to Wear Hiking
• Soft Hiking: Enjoy Nature & Movement at Your Own Pace
• 16 Best Hiking Apps You Need To Download
• The 16 Best Backpacking and Camping Hygiene Tips For Outdoorsy Women

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