Why Hiking is Good for the Body and Mind

Outdoor Hiking: Why It's Good for the Body and Mind

Author - Unknown

Rating:****

I quite enjoyed this article on how outdoor hiking promotes mental and physical health.

The article talks about how hiking outdoors can promote your mental health. It can keep your motivation to continue to exercising also keep it interesting. You can also make your hiking trip social, or you may go alone, but if you chose to go alone be sure to tell someone who will notice you are gone where you are going. Hiking with other people can make the trip feel more like fun and less like exercise and there is always the possibility of meeting new people at the campsites you visit. Hiking/exercise is a really good form of stress reliever and can lead to better mental health, It can help you feel closer to nature as well as possibly increasing your happiness. Completing a challenging hike may also create a feeling of achievement more fulfilling than a workout at the gym. The article explains that hiking can create a different workout each time and the scenery can always change. Sometimes people feel awkward exercising in public and hiking is a great way to get away from that. You can chose any difficulty of hike to match your fitness level. Hiking also promotes weight loss. Hiking also puts pressure on your bones, encouraging healthy bone structure. Also being in the sunshine will raise your Vitamin D levels. It can also help with your cardiovascular system and define muscles especially in the legs. 

This article has inspired me to continue to hike, and even do it more than I already do. It seems like an extremely beneficial and fun activity that you can either do alone or with your friends and family. There are many things I read about in this article that I never considered it doing for you, which makes me want to do it all the more. 

Unknown. Outdoor Hiking: Why It's Good for the Body and Mind. 2011. Website.