Take a Hike – Not an insult but great advice for the mind and body
While take a hike is often used as a slightly nicer way of saying “f*#k off”, it is actually very good advice for both our mind and body.
Some people feel that hiking is beyond them. They worry that is too hard or too challenging or that they don’t have time to do it. But hiking doesn’t have to be steep hills and rocky river crossings. Hiking can happen almost anywhere including
A city park,
A public garden,
A local state or national park or
A hilly trail.[i]
You might be surprised at how many of these are only 10-20 minutes drive away.
But why go hiking in the first place?
Physical Benefits
Hiking is a great, whole body cardio-vascular exercise activity.
It helps to
Strengthen your heart,
Reduce your blood pressure,
Control body weight, and
Improve balance[ii]
Additionally helps strengthen our bones and many muscles including your
Butt,
Quads,
Handstrings,
Core,
Hips, and
Calves.[iii]
Hiking up hills can help to get your heart working harder while uneven ground can help to engage your core muscles and improve balance.[iv]
Psychological Benefits
While the physical benefits of hiking are great, the overall benefits can go far further than this. Hiking can help improve you
Mood,
Creativity, and
Your mind.[v]
While exercise is great of the body, hiking also adds the element of nature. As we have looked at earlier, the benefits of exercising in nature are wonderful (The Benefits of Green Exercise)
When compared to exercising indoors, exercising in nature has been found to generate feelings of positive engagement, greater feelings of revitalisation, reduced tension, decreased anger and depression and increased energy.[vi]
Mood
We have already looked at how exercise in general is great for reducing stress. (Exercise can Reduce Your Stress)
Research has found that people in walk in nature are often less anxious and have less constant worrying thoughts (rumination).[vii][viii] In our busy life of computer and smart phones, we are often bombarded by constant distraction. Hiking in nature helps the mind to recover from this mental fatigue and ‘attention overload”.[ix]
Creativity
Science is just starting to examine the connections between creativity and nature by initial examinations have found hiking can boost creative thinking and problem solving.[x] Some believe that natural settings let our mind wander while others believe it is the unpredictability and spaciousness of nature that encourages creativity.[xi]
Either way, it looks like hiking in nature can really help to boost those creative juices.
Mind
We have seen how exercise can help us thinking better (Can Exercise Make You Smarter?) One study that followed 2 747 over the course of 25 years found that those who were fitter performed better on tests measuring cognition, memory, processing speed and executive function[xii].
Exercise increase oxygen to the brain helping our brains to grow, while improving sleep and reducing anxiety[xiii].
Additionally, hiking requires problem solving the somewhat unpredictable such as
Hidden obstacles,
Overhanging branches,
Uneven ground and
Slippery surfaces.[xiv]
Get Started
So your convinced that hiking is great for you? Here are some tips to get started.
Start slow. Choose an short and/or easy trail and gradually increase the challenge.
Take a friend. This is great for the company but also helps keep you safe.
Where good shoes. This can help reduce the chance of injury (from falls or blisters) and help make it more enjoyable.
Take water. Make sure you stay hydrated along the way.[xv]
Have fun!
Get out into nature.
Get fitter.
Get smarter.
Feel great.
Go take a hike!
[i] https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/five_ways_hiking_is_good_for_you
[ii] https://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/features/hiking-body-mind
[iii] https://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/features/hiking-body-mind
[iv] https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/health-benefits-of-hiking-raise-your-heart-rate-and-your-mood-2016092810414
[v] https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/five_ways_hiking_is_good_for_you
[vi] Thompson Coon, J., Boddy, K., Stein, K., Whear, R., Barton, J., & Depledge, M. H. (2011). Does participating in physical activity in outdoor natural environments have a greater effect on physical and mental wellbeing than physical activity indoors? A systematic review. Environmental science & technology, 45(5), 1761-1772.
[vii] Bratman, G. N., Hamilton, J. P., Hahn, K. S., Daily, G. C., & Gross, J. J. (2015). Nature experience reduces rumination and subgenual prefrontal cortex activation. Proceedings of the national academy of sciences, 112(28), 8567-8572.
[viii] Bratman, G. N., Daily, G. C., Levy, B. J., & Gross, J. J. (2015). The benefits of nature experience: Improved affect and cognition. Landscape and Urban Planning, 138, 41-50.
[ix] https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/five_ways_hiking_is_good_for_you
[x] https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/five_ways_hiking_is_good_for_you
[xi] https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/five_ways_hiking_is_good_for_you
[xii] https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-does-exercise-benefit-cognition/.
[xiii] https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/regular-exercise-changes-brain-improve-memory-thinking-skills-201404097110
[xiv] https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/five_ways_hiking_is_good_for_you
[xv] https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/health-benefits-of-hiking-raise-your-heart-rate-and-your-mood-2016092810414