10 reasons hiking is good for your soul

There is a tonne of data that demonstrates the health benefits of hiking. Nothing gets your heart rate up like a brisk ascent as a type of workout. View this awesome infographic.

The benefits are numerous in terms of the body. Regular outdoor activity, even a little hike, can lower blood pressure, cholesterol, and your chance of developing type II diabetes as well as heart disease.

Hiking builds strength. And it exercises more than just your legs. For a truly holistic workout, your upper body and core are engaged as you scramble over uneven terrain and maneuver past boulders, fallen trees, over streams, and over tree roots.

But the advantages of hiking for your entire mental and physical health and wellness are nearly incidental.

This isn’t a piece about how to get in shape and lose weight in 30 days. People, it’s 2018, and it’s time we paid attention to more than just aesthetics. Our New Year’s resolve (hike more, worry less!) underlines the fact that health is more than just cardio and weight training. Here are five benefits of hiking for your soul (and why you should start hiking in 2018).

1. Walking in nature calms the mind and lowers tension

We all have busier lives than before. Our daily administrative tasks, busy social schedules, and nine to five occupations are enough to keep us perpetually stressed out.

Over and above the advantages of exercise alone, going on a trek lowers your blood pressure and cortisol levels and has a calming impact that only nature can.

2. We are happier after hiking

Rumination, or the repetitive replay of unfavorable thoughts in our minds, such as obsessing on embarrassing or unpleasant experiences or worrying about everything we perceive to be wrong with our life, is reduced by spending time in nature. Never undervalue the “happy effect” of spending time outside.

3. Hiking enhances the quality of sleep

When climbing or walking on uneven ground, 28% more energy is expended than when doing the same on level ground. Additionally, you are eliminating all of the modern stimuli that we frequently expose ourselves to throughout the day and just before night (such as phones, computers, TVs, and similar devices). The outcome? improved sleep!

4. Hiking can help you remember things.

According to studies, those who regularly spend time outdoors—whether they are hiking or not—have better memories and recall. Grab your boots and hit the track if, like me, you are terrible at sudoku!

5. Hiking lowers stress and depressive symptoms

Hiking has been shown to lessen anxiety by calming the mind and allowing you to focus on your breathing to a partially meditative state, which is associated with the advantages of lowering stress levels. Go outside to relieve stress naturally and to instantly improve your attitude.

6. Have a challenge to overcome? Take a hike

According to researchers, the daily overload of mental stimulation and information bombardment overwhelms our brains, depleting our cognitive resources and restricting our capacity for creativity and problem-solving. The depleted attention circuits in our brains are restored when we spend time in nature away from these stimuli (so leave the technology at home!).

7. Hiking encourages generosity

Every time we discover a truly magnificent natural feature or travel a track or trail for the first time, we always return home with a deeper respect for mother nature and her wealth. Our sense of gratitude and our compassion toward those around us actually increase as a result of the related increases in happy emotions.

8. Reconnect and give yourself some time.

Going on a trek provides an opportunity to pause, refuel, and re-establish contact with yourself when you’ve been too busy to notice when you find yourself caught up in the race. You may be able to tell if you’re feeling a little under the weather or have been more stressed than normal by just spending some time to reflect on your own needs.

9. Taking a friend hiking

Even though going on a hike with companions can strengthen friendships and generate lifelong memories, hiking alone yourself can be a spiritually energizing experience.

10. Acquire the ability to be present.

When was the last time you focused on being wholly in the moment and present? Going outside and enjoying nature breaks down the barrier between you and the natural world. Everything is real and up close. Only nature, no filters.

Make it a challenge for yourself to go on a hike once a month in 2018. Your spirit will appreciate it.