6 Reasons Why Hiking is So Good For You That You’re Crazy Not To Hike More

What a walk in nature does for you

What’s the difference between hiking or just walking around the block? It’s like night and day. Going for a stroll on a flat sidewalk is nothing like a good nature hike. You will still get a bit of a workout, but you miss out on several benefits hiking gives you. Nature is the magical ingredient.

Hiking is one of the best forms of exercise. It combines physical activity with fresh air and fantastic scenery. Spending time in nature is good for the mind, body and soul. Hiking is therapeutic and healthy. There’s no replacement for it.

“Look deep into nature and you will understand everything better.” — Albert Einstein

I like to get outdoors with a friend or two and hit the trails. I love trees, rocks, water, and a windy trail. Any place that has these 4 ingredients is like heaven.

Here are six reasons why hiking is so good for you that you are crazy for not hiking more. This is what a walk in nature can do for you.

1. Hiking is Better Exercise Than Walking

When you wander down a wilderness trail, it isn’t flat and straight like a sidewalk. It has irregular features like rocks, roots and puddles.

There are little deviations everywhere. Ducking around a branch to avoid a face full of leaves. Side stepping around a puppy surprise left behind by an uncouth dog owner. Meandering up a hill with a side slope and a drop-off on one side.

“It is not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves.” — Sir Edmund Hillary

All of this engages multiple muscle groups. Instead of just repetitively walking in a straight line, you use your core, your arms, your whole body.

Your cardiovascular system has to up its game too. You get that breath going faster and build some heat in your body.

Exercise is what you need to do to stay above the dirt. Hiking gives you plenty.

2. Exploring a Trail Sharpens The Mind

Hiking gets the brain working at full capacity. You get challenged and slapped out of any stale routines you developed while being civilized. Stuck in the same old ruts of everyday life.

Most people repeat the same actions every day:

• walking on flat, boring ground
• brushing teeth same way every morning
• holding coffee cup in right hand
• feeding your minions (some call them children)
• washing your popcorn (well, maybe not everyone’s day to day)

These normal activities are all on autopilot. You’re so programmed that you brush your teeth or wash your popcorn without even thinking about it.

“Because in the end, you won’t remember the time you spent working in an office or mowing the lawn. Climb that goddamn mountain.” — Jack Kerouac

When you go hiking, your brain wakes up again. Now you have to navigate all the little unknowns. Making micro adjustments to your balance to keep your footing. Going down a slope takes precision in your steps.

The old noggin is making a ton of tiny decisions every few feet on a trail, just to stay upright and not trip on a root and fall on your face.

All of this sharpens the tack. Upgraded reflexes and mental toughness are the result. You take that home with you when you leave the trail. It makes your daily life better.

3. Hiking Lowers Stress Levels

We all have a lot going on. Our lives in this modern world make us stressed. A good nature walk can settle you back down and drop those cortisol levels.

We evolved to be around trees, dirt and rocks. We aren’t meant to spend every day indoors, and only see a landscape made out of concrete. Getting out of the city environment revitalizes the soul.

“Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to find out that going to the mountains is going home; that wildness is a necessity.” — John Muir

Here’s a study of sixty people to see the difference between an urban city walk and one that takes place surrounded by nature. They found that it really helped the brain to get the nature experience, instead of the concrete jungle.

4. Hiking Boosts Creativity

Exercise gets the blood flowing through the brain. This helps big time with all of your thinking. More blood and nutrients mean that your thinking tools stay sharp.

Walking through nature seems to do something special to the creative process. It speaks to your spirit. Your subconscious mind rumbles to life.

“In every walk with nature, one receives far more than he seeks.” — John Muir

Researchers have looked into this many times and found a real effect of spending time in nature. One study was called Creativity in the Wild: improving creative reasoning through immersion in natural settings.

I use hiking to boost my creativity. I always make notes on my phone during a hike. Sometimes I can’t keep up with the creativity. It just keeps throwing ideas out there like a hockey player shooting pucks at me.

I save it all and go home rich with ideas. Thanks, nature!

5. Hiking Burns Calories

Who doesn’t want to burn an extra 300 or more calories an hour?

There really isn’t any exercise activity that is as enjoyable and burns that much flab at the same time.

Stop right there. I know where your mind went. You’re thinking naked fun time has hiking beat calorie burn-wise. You’re wrong!

Maybe it’s more fun, but naked fun time only burns about 3.6 calories a minute. That’s half as many as a good hike carrying a bit of weight in a backpack. You lose, naked fun time!

Choose your activity wisely. Just avoid hiking naked. It scares the animals away and might lead to viral internet memes.

6. You Get The Best Selfies On Cliff Edges

There’s only one thing that beats a good nature selfie. A nice pic of you in the bathroom with someone sitting on the crapper behind you.

But eventually, disturbing images of laundry or whatnot in the background of selfies gets old. I really like seeing people pose in nature instead. Waterfalls, mountains and lakes make great backdrops for your new profile pics.

Watch out for those cliffs, though. Don’t take risks getting that perfect selfie. Stay behind the barriers or you will end up getting featured on the news after your death. Plummeting to the rocks at the bottom of the cliff has killed many an adventurous soul.

The Bottom Line:

Hiking- Good. Not Hiking -Bad.

You must like hiking if you read all the way down to here. Well, what are you waiting for? Go out there and explore!

Get a friend or two together and go find some nature. See some wildlife. Enjoy the scenery. Boost your brainpower and find your creative muse.

And take a good cliff selfie. But remember, safety first!

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