Hiking is Good for You!
If you want to stay fit and healthy but aren't motivated by the thought of going to a gym, take the more scenic alternative—go hiking in the red rock country. This outdoor activity is guaranteed to challenge all your sensory skills and not just improve your cardiovascular rate.
According to studies, an hour of hiking can burn from 300 to
600 plus calories. Thus, the longer the hike, the more calories you stave off.
Also, depending on the landscape of the hike trail and the duration of the hike,
hiking builds muscle tone and strength by utilizing a particular set of muscles
going up the trail and a different group of muscles on the way down. Balancing
skills are also honed as you go through different terrains and elevations on
the trail.
For instance, great Sedona Arizona hikes offer more than
one hundred hike trails with difficulty ranging from easy to moderate to
difficult. You can actually plan and pace hiking Sedona by selecting a
combination of easy, moderate, and difficult hikes similar to drawing up an
exercise plan with the treadmill, weights and other regular aerobic exercises.
With various Sedona hikes you can take a simply
straightforward trail that’s about five or six miles back and forth or you can
up the exercise to the next level by taking on a Sedona trail with a higher
elevation, longer route and more terrain features such as a couple of hills, a
stream perhaps, and maybe a canyon.
Aside from its physical benefits, hiking is good for your
psychological or mental health as well. Being surrounded by elements of nature
such as trees, hills, mountains, streams and their soft, soothing sounds lowers
stress levels. It’s a welcome break from all the hustle and bustle and noise
pollution of city life. Hiking sorts of “clears the head” and providing a new
perspective on certain issues you might have been dealing with personally or
professionally.
Hiking also provides an emotional boost. There’s a certain
high one gets when accomplishing a trail, especially a moderately difficult
one. It lifts one’s spirits to know that you did well or met nature’s challenge
face to face and have come out victorious. The adrenalin rush releases
endorphins that give you a natural high and sense of well-being.
As a hobby or sport or regular exercise, hiking definitely
provides benefits to the whole person and not just on a physical level. It’s
also a great way to meet new people and forge new friendships. Hikers share a
bond and understanding unique to their group. There’s animation in conversation
when sharing notes about a common hike, swapping tips on how to conquer a trail
as well as friendly bragging on how a one made it through a probably
death-defying climb.
Hiking is good for you. Start a hiking program today,
beginning with a short urban hike, perhaps through your neighborhood. From
there you can move on to short hikes through the woods nearest you or work an
easy trail in a nearby national park.
There’s nothing like a really good hike to make you feel
like you can conquer the world.