10 Benefits Of Hiking That’ll Get You Feeling Stronger And Better
You’ve heard it before: hiking is good for you. But what exactly are the benefits of hiking?
As North Americans, we are no strangers to rich foods that add extra pounds to our waistlines. Our Western diet is rich in calories. That’s why we love to go hiking for exercise as much as our work and daily life permits.
However, there are many other reasons why hiking is good for you.
In this post, I’ll share with you 10 benefits of hiking – for the mind, body and soul – that’ll inspire your next excursion into the woods and trails.
DISCLOSURE: This post includes references to physical and mental wellbeing, with links to sources. I am not a medical professional: the content below is for informational and educational purposes only and is not medical advice. This post may contain affiliate links, meaning if you click on a link and purchase an item, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you. Read my Disclaimer for more information.
Top 10 Benefits Of Hiking
Hiking is more than just a walk. It takes things to the next level.
However, it’s also time-consuming and essentially something that you need to do regularly to see the greatest benefits.
So why should you go hiking? What are the benefits of hiking?
1. Hiking For Exercise: Burns Calories Like Crazy
If a 150 lb person can burn up to 350 calories per hour hiking, then imagine if you hike for about two hours on a weekend?
It would be the equivalent of a delicious, “light” pub meal – and by this I mean, something lighter than greasy French Fries and a loaded burger. More like a salad with grilled chicken, and light dressing.
So hiking as exercise is a key way to lose pounds.
I love the outdoors and hiking – not only am I decompressing from daily life and the city landscape, but also getting a good dose of exercise.
2. Hiking To Build Stamina
The next benefit of hiking is that it builds stamina.
Think about how you can challenge yourself on the trails. If you know that a trail is a 2 km loop, you can see:
- How long it takes you to do the loop
- How many times you can do the loop before you get exhausted
This helps you build up your stamina over time so you can take on more challenging trails.
Building up your stamina helps in everyday life: from being able to handle more physical activities during the day to managing your work life better.
3. Hiking Is Good For Your Heart Health
I don’t know about you, but if I do a few weekends of hiking, interspersed with walks in my neighbourhood during the week, I find my heart rate drops.
Consider the changes in elevation, the rocks and the roots you need to climb over… all of these make your hike more difficult.
That in turn gives your heart a workout.
TIP: Challenge yourself on stairs and hills. Take your time! See benefit #2 as to why you need to be easy on yourself if you find yourself out of shape at first!
4. Improves Your Mental Wellbeing
One of the top benefits of hiking is stress reduction.
An hour in the woods can completely change my mood – from angry and annoyed to relaxed and refrehsed.
Walking in the woods with fresh air does something to improve your mood.
When we’re at our most stressed, we find an hour spent on even an urban trail in a nearby park can greatly improve our mindset.
Exercise that comes from a good hike releases endorphins, which are known to improve your mood.
I also think it has something to do with the colour green, which many hikers are exposed to on trails. Green is used in colour therapy to reduce stress and improve mental well-being.
5. Hiking Improves Your Sleep
Hiking regularly can improve your sleep.
Daily walks have been shown to improve sleep, so imagine what a hike can do?
Part of it has to do with exposure to vitamin D, which will improve your sleep-wake cycle.
TIP: We go hiking early on Saturday mornings to burn extra energy. It seems that my Saturday night sleeps after a morning hike are often better than regular nights. However, this is anecdotal – try to see if it works for you!
6. Hiking For Exercise Improves Your Health
If you’re struggling with high blood pressure, diabetes and heart disease, the exercise you get from hiking can help.
The key is exercise, so it makes sense to make hiking a regular activity. If you can do a hike each weekend, think of all the benefits!
7. Increased Vitamin D Exposure
What is Vitamin D known for? Improving your immunity, bone health and mental wellbeing.
What do you get a whole lot of during a hike? Vitamin D!
Getting outdoors regularly for a hike can help keep you healthy. This is especially true if you have a job that keeps you indoors.
8. Hiking Improves Your Social Interactions
Hiking alone isn’t the best thing for your safety on the trails. Hiking with a buddy is a good idea.
Inevitably, hiking is a good time to enjoy a good chat and crack some jokes.
It’s also a great date activity. We spent many dates exploring the hiking trails and conservation areas in and around the Toronto area.
| RELATED: Romantic Valentine’s Day Outdoor Activities
9. Better Balance And Coordination
When I was younger I had trouble with weak ankles. I tended to twist my ankles often.
As soon as I started hiking, I noticed an improvement in my ability to balance and deal with uneven terrain.
Walking on rocks and roots improves your balance and coordination, strengthening your ankles. This is so important as you grow older!
10. A Greater Love For Nature And The Environment
When you enjoy the great outdoors and green spaces, you’re more likely to want to preserve the beauty of it.
You appreciate natural areas when you spend time in them.
This is why it’s so important to go for family hikes to teach children the rules of taking care of natural spaces (no littering, no damage to natural environments, etc.).
| RELATED: Tips For Stress-Free Family Hikes
Places Near Toronto For Great Hikes
There are several places that we like to visit for a hike – some are busier than others. You have to find the right time to go if you want to avoid the crowds. Nevertheless, they are all worth the short drive to get some fresh air.
- Forks of the Credit River, just south of Orangeville
- Great Smokey Hollow Walk in Waterdown (near Hamilton)
Some of our personal favourites include:
- Hendrie Valley in Burlington (Royal Botanical Gardens)
- Dundas Valley Conservation Area near Hamilton – this last one has some good hills to get your heart pumping.
Hiking For Excercise Provides So Many Benefits
Now you know all of the key benefits of hiking. Are you going to start hiking more often?
Remember that when you’re hiking you’ll need to have water with you to keep hydrated.
I’ve been using a LARQ self-cleaning water bottle that kills bacteria via UV. This makes it easier to use a bottle over a period of time without that nasty taste you get from your saliva on the bottle lip.
Keeping hydrated will improve your endurance and stamina on the trails.
I hope you start hiking and seeing the amazing health benefits!
QUESTION: Do you like hiking as exercise? What do you think are the top benefits of hiking?
It’s great that your boyfriend is so active and likes hiking too! My boyfriend is probably just as, or more lazy, as me so we are definitely not motivating each other lol :) I hope spring/summer comes soon…at least can take a walk after dinner to burn off some of the food right away :S Although…those fries with curry butter sauce looks soooo delish! We need to go eat together sometime ^_^
Well, if you like hiking and are feeling at all adventurous, you could always incorporate some letterboxing into your hikes (www.atlasquest.com).
Cheers!
I’ve never heard of letterboxing, but it sounds like fun. Must try it out. Thanks for the suggestion!