So you’re thinking about getting into hiking? Whether that be for your fitness, mental state, or maybe you just want to take some cool pictures in the mountains.
Hiking is a surefire way to improve your life in many ways and is one of the easiest outdoor activities to start. In this article, I will share with you the benefits of hiking that I have noticed the most. By the end, I hope you will be inspired enough to take on your first adventure into the outdoors.
Why hiking is good for you:
- Physical benefits
- Mental benefits
- Navigation skills
- Industry knowledge
- Community
Now let’s take a deep dive and I’ll explain each one in depth.
Physical benefits from hiking:
So let’s start with the most obvious one. It doesn’t take a genius to tell you that hiking is a demanding activity, more than you might realise!
When we talk about hiking, we assume legs (quadriceps, hamstrings, calves and ankles). This isn’t wrong, they do most of the work. Yet to walk anywhere you need a certain degree of balance. Here is where we welcome your glutes, abs and hips (core muscles) to the party.
Your core muscles also help protect your back, which will be under pressure from carrying your backpack. If you’re on challenging terrain, there’s a good chance that you’ll also have to use your arms to scramble over rocks too.
So in terms of muscles worked, it’s not far off a full body workout. If you take hiking up as a hobby and do it regularly, you will see improvements in all of the above. My legs can withstand tenfold the torment they used to and my endurance is on another level!
If you are worried about these muscles taking too much of a beating on your first hike, start yourself off with this workout.
Mental Benefits of hiking:
Where to begin? This topic deserves a post of its own, which I will be doing in due course. In the meantime, I’ll keep this summary short and sweet.
Being in the mountains for me is a form of meditation. It gives me time to be alone without the never-ending stresses of real life grinding away. Hiking in the wilderness provides mental clarity, helps reduce anxiety and stress, and opens up your creative side. It also boosts your mood and self-esteem by releasing plenty of endorphins.
For the longest time, I had what I thought to be a ‘fear of falling’. Put me on the front row of any roller coaster and I was fine. But in a situation where all the control is on me, I would brick myself.
I suppose this is more of a climbing/scrambling-related point. But these days I take on much more technical routes that are full of exposures and huge cliff drops. A lot of fear is in your mind and by facing it head-on, you have no other choice but to get on with it and overcome it.
Navigation Skills from hiking:
Another one that might seem obvious, this one comes with a bit of practice. Now full disclosure here, I don’t carry a physical map with me when I go out on a day hike. Controversial I know…
Fear of getting lost is something that prevents a lot of people from doing this. I started off doing well-known local trails. Google then became my best friend. I would screenshot instructions for various hikes a bit further afield and rely on them. Along with a power bank and cable to charge my phone if required.
I then levelled up to using the OS maps app. I would highly recommend this, you can download the app and choose to not subscribe. You can find GPX files for most of the major hiking/mountain routes in the UK for free online. Simply download them to your phone, import them to the app and simply follow along.
I used to get lost in local areas quite often. But to be honest, you’re never that far away from civilisation if you’re sticking to popular routes. Now you can stick me on top of any mountain in Snowdonia or the Lake District and I know exactly where I am.
Hiking Industry Knowledge:
This would be the same for any activity/sport/hobby. The more you do it, the more you learn. When I was starting out, I would message complete strangers on Instagram and ask them for advice on routes, equipment and parking etc… and still do from time to time!
The below is the exact message I sent someone when I was figuring all this out.
By putting yourself out there and challenging yourself, exploring more, purchasing equipment and putting it through the test, and keeping up to date with regular news, you naturally become more knowledgeable in your field. Kind of nice that I sometimes get messages from other people asking for advice now.
Hiking Community:
I touched on this briefly in the industry knowledge section. Any time I messaged someone for advice, they were happy to answer. The outdoor community is full of great people. If you head out for a hike, most people you walk past will all say hello to you. Better yet you might even stop and have a conversation with them or even join up with them for the rest of the day. Compare this to walking around central London for a day, you’re lucky if anybody even looks at you.
I once headed to the lake district for a weekend on my own and met two strangers whilst exploring a cave. I’m still friends with them to this day and we meet up regularly for hiking trips despite living on opposite ends of the country to each other.
Here’s the 3 of us jumping on a rock!
So there you have it, my top 5 on why hiking is good for you explained. If you were on the fence about it previously then hopefully, this has helped you decide whether it’s a good move for you.
So give it a go, get outside and see how you feel.
If you’re not fancying strenuous hiking yet, I have a guide on magical places in Cornwall that are much more accessible.
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