Do You Hike? 5 Reasons to Get With Nature Today

The great outside is waiting for you.

There’s only one thing I love more than toast, and that’s hiking.

I like to get outdoors with a friend or two and walk in nature. It doesn’t matter where as long as there are one of the following: trees, or rocks, or water, or a windy trail. If you get all four in one place, that hits my sweet spot.

Hiking is therapeutic and healthy. It does great things for your body, mind and soul. Do you get out there and explore trails?

Work That Body

Hiking is great exercise. Multiple muscle groups get some attention when you wander down a trail with irregular features like rocks, roots and puddles. This is nothing like a flat and straight sidewalk. There are little deviations everywhere. You might be ducking around a branch to avoid a face full of leaves. You could find yourself side stepping around a puppy surprise left behind by the uncouth dog owner. You might meander up a hillside on a bit of an angle.

Regular hiking will keep you in in much better shape. Not only do all of those muscles see some action, but your cardiovascular system has to up its game too. Getting that breath going faster and building some heat in your body is what you need to do to stay above the dirt.

Hiking Sharpens The Tack

How is your brain doing? Is it operating at full capacity?

I bet your regular day is full of routine activities that hardly challenge your mental activity. Things like:

walking on flat ground

repeating the same old same old (brushing teeth, holding coffee cup)

feeding your minions

washing your popcorn (well, maybe not everyone’s day to day)

All of these regular activities are things you can do on autopilot. Your subconscious mind can have you brushing your teeth or washing your popcorn without even breaking a sweat. It’s stuck in a rut.

Hiking is a bit different. Your brain and body have to navigate all the little unknowns. There are micro adjustments to your balance, your footing, your speed going down a slope. You have to make a ton of tiny decisions every few feet on a trail, just to stay upright and not trip on a root.

This really gives the ‘ole subconscious and nervous system a wake up call. It’s time to pay attention! And that sharpens the tack. When you go back to your regular, indoor life, you’ll upgraded reflexes and mental toughness.

Hiking Lowers The Mental Ruckus Volume

Everyone has a lot on their mental plate these days. We need to calm that stuff down. Going for a walk in nature leaves us relaxed and happy, and who doesn’t need that?

Getting away from our scripted lives and our urban stresses, even for a few hours, is so helpful to our well being. 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.

A study on the effects of nature on a person supports the idea that you can have lowered stress and increased mental ability. You can read a bit about it here: The benefits of nature experience: Improved affect and cognition

Hiking Boosts Creativity — Can You Use More Creativity, Anyone?

This one I know for a fact is true. It works every single time. Hiking down a trail gives me ideas for things to write about and situations to draw. 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.

If I’m stuck for what to write, I put on some shoes and head out. There’s no point sitting there looking at blank paper or screen when I’m lucky enough to live in the wilderness. I will be back soon enough with a fresh load of stuff to try out.

You might not be as close to it as I am. I know I’m blessed with an abundance of nature. So when you do get out to hike, make sure you maximize this benefit! Bring a little notebook, or make sure you record your ideas in your phone.

There are plenty of studies on this. Here is one: Creativity in the Wild: Improving Creative Reasoning through Immersion in Natural Settings

Hiking Burns Calories

This one is just a bonus. But who doesn’t want to burn an extra 250 calories an hour while having fun, becoming more creative and reducing stress? This is a win win win win situation, people.

You aren’t going to find a better way to burn calories and get all of these other benefits too.

And of Course, Getting Great Selfies!

I’m throwing this reason into my article for free. I know I said 5 Reasons to Get With Nature Today, and this will make six. So you get this one for free, just like the other five! Talk about a bargain.

Nature selfies can’t be beat. They are the best ones, bar none. I do like seeing a good bathroom selfie with some laundry in the background too, but I really like seeing people pose in nature. Waterfalls, mountains and lakes make great backdrops for your new profile pics.

Remember to be safe when taking selfies, though. Stay away from cliffs!

Go Hiking If You Can! Today!

I bet if you read all the way down to here, you like hiking. Well, what are you waiting for? Get out there! Call a friend and go explore a new trail, or visit a favorite. And take a selfie for me while you’re at it.

Got any good trail stories? I would love to hear them.