I discovered the benefits of hiking as a hobby when I was a distraught single parent who barely had time to do anything else aside from working full-time 5 to 6 days a week. I was always stressed out and barely had enough sleep. It was then when I saw a picture of a beautiful waterfall on the internet, located in a mountain situated in Southern Luzon.
I planned to go on my first weekend hike. The sights and scenic views took my mind off my problems, and the effort of walking slowly uphill for hours took all my focus and concentration. I felt recharged. It was meditative, oddly relaxing, and new.
I Caught the Hiking Bug
And so I caught the hiking bug during that first hiking experience back in 2007. Somehow I’ve never felt more alive, more aware of my surroundings, and more focused on the present. Back then, I know I’ll be planning my next hike sooner than I expected.
Through the years I discovered the benefits of hiking on my overall health.
Here are 10 benefits of hiking and why it’s good for you:
1. Hiking strengthens your immune system.
A study in Japan gave birth to “Shinrin-yoku”, or what is known as forest bathing. Research shows that trees give off phytoncides that protect them from germs and microbes. These phytoncides are antimicrobial essential oils that boost our immune system and improve our mood. This is why we feel so much better after spending time in nature – the calming effects of phytoncides can decrease blood pressure, relieve stress and anxiety, and may even help fight cancer, not to mention the enormous benefits of exercise.
2. Hiking improves bone density and slows down bone loss.
Hiking is a weight-bearing exercise that can help improve bone density and bone strength. When you walk over logs, squat to get under low branches, walk long-distance, and scramble up and down on rocks, your muscles pull up your bones, thus stimulating bone growth and bone density.
3. Hiking promotes cardiovascular health.
We need aerobic exercise to keep our heart healthy. Hiking is one form of aerobic exercise that also allows you to go sightseeing while you’re at it. Walking uphill, in nature, is much better than walking on the city pavement breathing toxic city air.
The CDC stated that walking at least 1 hour daily can lower blood pressure and blood sugar levels.
Contrary to previous research stating that you need to walk for an hour to induce happy hormones in your brain, a study by Iowa University, in a journal called “ Psychology of Sport and Exercise, revealed walking outdoors for 15 minutes is enough for you to feel the positive energy boost.
4. Hiking enhances your creativity.
Need ideas for a project? Thinking of solutions to a problem? Take a hike!
A study made by researchers at Stanford University (Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition) revealed that walking can increase your creativity levels up to 60%, more so if walking is done outdoors.
So if you’re running out of ideas, take a hike.
5. Hiking is a good treatment for chronic pain, mental fatigue, depression and anxiety.
For the past several years, stress activated a sudden autoimmune disorder that gave me chronic pain. The pain was indescribable, but for some reason, it dissipates every time I hike, or at least masked to a tolerable level. When I learned to handle stress properly, the disorder seemed to disappear as if it was never diagnosed at all.
Just when I thought I’d be living with chronic muscle pain I also learned that regular hiking and effective stress management can actually make the symptoms disappear.
When you exercise, the brain releases endorphins that act as natural sedatives. These endorphins work with brain receptors and dopamines responsible for that euphoric, energizing feeling. Endorphins enhance your drive to fulfill a goal – like reaching a mountain’s summit for example.
This happy and fulfilled feeling can last for hours replacing every moment of pain you experienced during the climb. The forest trees give off phytoncides to rejuvenate you. The powerful combination of endorphins and dopamines while you immerse yourself in forest phytoncides all work together to create a pleasant, relaxed, and alert disposition in hikers and outdoor enthusiasts.
Hiking and Anxiety
Interestingly, when I stopped hiking regularly, anxiety and depression sneaked in. It was one of the challenging phases of my life. Anxiety affected my work and my personal relationships. It drained all the positivity in me. There was a time when I almost gave up.
Someone special to me urged me to go back to an old love when life got too busy. I decided to drag myself from the pits of depression and take a hike – alone.
Mt. Ulap, located 5 hours in the temperate regions north of Manila, seemed to be the perfect choice at the time. I climbed on a weekday to avoid the crowds of hikers. Luckily for me, there was no soul in sight except for my guide and a stray dog who keeps following me. I was on sick leave at the time, to recover emotionally and physically.
The climb cleared my mind. From then on I slowly healed from the death grips of depression and anxiety.
6. Hiking can improve the quality of your sleep.
How do you improve insomnia? Take a hike! Anyone who loves camping under the stars knows how energizing a good night’s sleep under the stars can be. Exposing yourself to natural daylight while walking outdoors induces quality sleep at night. It helps to regulate a natural circadian rhythm, enabling you to exercise during the daytime. Thus, the body naturally goes to rest mode at night.
7. Hiking can improve memory.
So you want to improve your memory? Hiking can help you increase your hippocampus, that part of the brain responsible for learning and thinking skills. This is proven in a study done by the University of British Columbia which states that aerobic exercises keep your heart pumping more oxygen to your brain.
8. Hiking fosters your sense of adventure.
Keeping that sense of adventure alive within us helps keep positivity in perspective, constantly giving you a good reason to always have something exciting to look forward to. It drives your natural need to explore.
9. Improving your vision is one of the amazing benefits of hiking.
Greenery always have a relaxing effect on the eyes . Coupled with low intensity exercise like hiking, it helps to induce the brain to release neurons that are responsible for visual information.
10. Hiking opens up a world where your social status, stressful workspace, and the cares of urban living won’t matter for a while. This is a world far away from cubicle land, from pollution, and from the daily grind.
Hiking has good restorative effects on your mind, relaxing it so you can focus on every step. It helps you focus on the present .
When you hike, it is an exercise in mindfulness. If we all take time to be with nature and take advantage of our bodies’ capacity to release happy hormones during exercise then we can fight depression and anxiety naturally. This is one of the more significant benefits of hiking .
Nurturing our body, mind, and spirit is the best gift we can give to ourselves.
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