Health benefits of hiking, tramping or walking

What are the health benefits of hiking and trekking? Today more and more people, are rediscovering hiking and trekking as a major outdoor event – they are putting down their PS2s, Wees and turning off the computer. The question is where to go for the best walking, New Zealand, Nepal and many other countries around the world provide pristine conditions and fantastic trekking experiences. BUT have you ever actually thought, what are the health benefits of hiking and trekking? Are outdoor sports really beneficial for health? Can anyone hiking and trekking or is there an age barrier? Although the answers can be subjective by far the answer would always be positive. Most of the people would immediately state, "Yes there are countless benefits." No doubt, there are many benefits of hiking and trekking ranging from burning calories, muscle toning, preventing heart disease, even improving air intake and due to being outside improving the quality of the air breathed. The focus on nature allows you to tune into yourself as well as your surroundings. The fresh air during hiking provides a vital stimulus for your workout encompassing body, mind and soul. Another bonus about hiking is that many sporting activities require special equipment or training to get started, hiking much simpler and more beneficial than other forms of exercise. Literally, anyone can put on a pair of shoes and along with a few necessaries start moving into the woods for a little fresh air. The scenery, accessibility and diverse nature of hiking trails make this heart-healthy pastime attractive for people of all ages, fitness levels and income brackets. Moreover, except few points, hiking and trekking dosent even require any special expertise and skills. Check out the Beginners Guide to Tramping for more details. Hiking is a good way to combat boredom in your workouts. Each hike can be different with a different path, new terrain, trees, birds, dogs and people along the trail. You’ll increase your body’s ability to burn fat as you get your heart rate up and raise your metabolic rate. You will also increase your stamina and cardiovascular endurance. Hiking or trekking the participant to not only maintain but improve fitness over time simply because walking really is a good exercise. The list of benefits from hiking and trekking is infinite. Hiking is essentially walking which is considered to be one of the most perfect forms of exercise for your body – it is low impact and wont hurt your joints and can be as easy or hard as you link, also you get to enjoy some quality time together with the Mother Nature. Everyone can find trails to suit their physical strengths. And unlike other activities or sports, it is a pursuit that allows people to determine their own limitations. You will also get the benefits of building muscular endurance while hiking. This is especially important for women as they work to prevent osteoporosis and increase bone density. The natural earth is also better for the joints than walking along concrete or asphalt. Many research findings and studies show that hiking is an excellent way to lose those extra pounds that found there way onto your waste over the holiday season. Continual hiking and trekking will actually improve overall health. To improve overall health, we don’t necessarily need to do heavy and painful workouts, but just a short brisk walk of few minutes can be sufficient. According to the American Heart Association, it’s best to walk vigorously for 30 to 60 minutes 3-4 times per week. But even low- to moderate intensity walking can have both short and long term benefits. For example, in December, 2001, the US surgeon general called the increased rate of obesity in the United States an epidemic. The report states that 2/3 of Americans are overweight or obese, and the number is increasing year after year. In addition, thirteen percent of children are overweight. The report recommends that communities create safe sidewalks or walking trails to encourage physical activity. Not only these, but there are many more research findings that clearly show multiple health benefits of hiking and trekking. When it comes to enlist the health benefits, then the list may go endless consisting of several mental as well as physical health benefits, such as losing excess pounds, preventing heart disease, decreasing hypertension or high blood pressure, improving and maintaining mental health, slowing the aging process, preventing osteoporosis, improving the quality of the air we breathe, preventing and controlling diabetes, improving arthritis, relieving back pain (which has become an epidemic in the modern contemporary world along with healthy habits for a healthy life i.e. team building skills, positive attitude, kindness, empathy. At last but not the least, hiking has countless health benefits and the beauty is that it doesn’t cost you much. Don t forget while at hiking you can take other family members and your young children along with you without much difficulty – exposes them to this outdoor activity at an early age and they will continue through their lives, children also need to build physical stamina and be careful of obesity. Just try it, its an enjoyable and rewarding pass time with unexpected physical and mental benefits. How Many Calories Used by Hiking Exercise? Thirty minutes of hiking burns about 240 calories, so hiking is an excellent way of increasing your calorie expenditure, which will help you to reduce weight. This calorie-burning is based on a 150-pound woman. So if you weigh more, you'll burn extra calories, while if you weigh a little less, you'll burn less calories. How to Burn Calories by Hiking? It takes about 30 minutes of hiking to burn all the calories in a Hersheys Bar. Now that you know the benefits of hiking have a look at New Zealands Top Tramping Destinations. or read the Beginners Guide to Tramping for more details. Return to the Articles Page