You know hiking is good for your health. But do you know just how good it is? If you are heading out for a hike this weekend, take note of all the good you are doing for your body. For adults, regular aerobic exercise such as hiking leads to:
-Improved cardio-respiratory fitness (heart, lungs, blood vessels)
-Improved muscular fitness
-Lower risk of coronary heart disease and stroke
-Lower risk o
f high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes
-Lower risk of high cholesterol and triglycerides
-Lower risk of colon and breast cancer, and possibly lung and endometrial cancer
-Increased bone density or a slower loss of density
-Reduced depression and better quality sleep
-Lower risk of early death (If you are active for 7 hours a week, your risk of dying early is 40% lower than someone active for less than 30 minutes a week.)
-Weight control; hiking burns up 370 calories an hour (154-lb person)
Hiking with kids
Kids get many of the same benefits, including:
-Improved cardiorespiratory and muscular fitness
-Better bone health
-Less chance of becoming overweight
-Less chance of developing risk factors for heart disease, high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes
-Possibly reduced risk of depression and feeling less stress, more ready to learn in school
-Sleeping better at night
What’s more, hiking exercises almost every part of your body: legs, knees, ankles, arms, hips and butt, abdominals, shoulders and neck. “Hiking exercises your body and your mind, and nourishes your imagination,” says Ignacio Malpica, a certified fitness instructor and personal trainer in Boulder, Colorado. “It creates awareness in your eyes and ears and the rest of your senses.”
