When it comes to exercise, it’s difficult to argue with walking. Low-intensity and accessible, this is an activity that you can easily fit into your daily routine. But while short walks are worthwhile, there’s a great deal to be said for longer hikes through nature, too.
Hiking is a form of ‘functional’ fitness training. This means that it prepares you for the movements that you might go through in day-to-day life. While pedalling on a bicycle might raise your heart rate, it isn’t a movement that will prepare you for the challenges of the real world. Hiking, by contrast, helps you to build balance, strength, and a more rounded kind of endurance – especially if you’re hiking through varied terrain.
Engaging Multiple Muscle Groups
Walking requires the activation of a surprisingly varied selection of muscle groups. Your legs will be firing constantly in order to propel you forward, while preventing you from falling over. Your core will be active, too – as will your arms, perhaps surprisingly. The more weight you’re carrying, the more intense the workout will be – which is why weighted backpacks are used by experienced hikers.
The more diverse the terrain, the more complete the workout will be. If you’re walking uphill, for example, you’ll feel the burn in a different set of muscles than you would while walking downhill.
Getting the best from this form of workout requires the right gear. In particular, equipping yourself with appropriate walking boots not only provides necessary support and protection but also enhances your ability to tackle various terrains effectively.
Enhancing Balance And Coordination
It isn’t just the muscles themselves that hiking will recruit. Your brain will also need to work constantly to keep you upright, especially if you’re travelling across uneven terrain. This will improve your proprioception – or your ability to sense where your body is in space. Better balance, and the ability to react to stumbles, will help to safeguard you against falls, and the injuries that come with them.
Boosting Cardiovascular Health
Hiking will raise your heart rate, which in turn will boost your cardiovascular endurance. In the long term, this will drive down your risk of developing a heart condition. It’s worth noting that hiking can provide a variety of different kinds of challenges. You can increase the intensity by seeking a more difficult route, by walking faster, or by carrying more weight in backpack.
Mental Health Benefits
Any form of exercise will confer mental health benefits, including stress reduction, improved focus, and better mood. But so called ‘green exercise’, which carries you through natural environments, will also confer the mental health advantages of spending time in nature. As such, hiking represents something of an ideal.
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