- Image via Wikipedia
I’m sure I don’t have to convince you that hiking offers major benefits. First of all, this enjoyable and inexpensive sport can be practiced almost anywhere, in urban, rural or wilderness environments. It is noncompetitive and can be enjoyed by any age group, gender or fitness level. Each participant can set their own limitations.
Hiking is an aerobic exercise that offers major health benefits. These include physical, social and mental health benefits. Here is a list of some of the benefits of hiking:
Physical Health Benefits of Hiking
1. Increases fitness;
2. Prevents and reverses obesity;
3. Provides the lungs with clean air;
4. Helps decrease hypertension;
5. Helps prevent heart disease;
6. Being a weight-bearing exercise, it helps improve bone density and decrease osteoporosis;
7. Helps control diabetes;
8. Helps diminish arthritis symptoms;
9. Increases stamina.
Social and Mental Health Benefits of Hiking
1. Refreshes your state of mind and gives you a new and improved outlook;
2. Provides solitude when you hike alone;
3. Provides healthy social interaction when you hike with other people;
4. Gives time with family.
Oh yes, there is one more benefit that I can readily relate to. Hiking, with all of the above physical, social and psychological benefits, helps to slow the aging process. Now, if I could just find a sport that would reverse that process!
By Richard Davidian, Ph.D.
Tired of paying full price for outdoor gear?
Click here now for the latest REI deals.
———-
We welcome comments. Please join the conversation.
Please subscribe to our RSS Feed for more great outdoors tips and issues (top right corner).
Loaded Guns Now Allowed in Our National Parks by Law
How to Treat Rattlesnake Bites
Learn to identify edible wild plants with Edible Wild Plants Cards.
Follow me on Twitter for more great outdoors tips and issues.
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Glad to find this site. I look forward to reading more. I’ve written several hiking articles on my Associated Content pages. Here’s one on the .
Great list of hiking benefits.
Thanks for the follow on Twitter — I followed you back. Glad you found me and I found this site.
John Soares´s last [type] ..North Fork American River Hiking Trails and Swimming Holes
Welcome. Let’s chat on Twittter.
For others who might see this. I’m at htttp://www.twittter.com/rdavidian. I tweet on hiking and backpacking.
Welcome, Don. You didn’t quite leave a complete address for your articles. We’d like to have a look.
{ 1 trackback }