5 Benefits To Your Mind & Body Health From One Easy, Outdoor Exercise Regimen
If a focus on finding balance and upping your wellness game is on your resolution list for 2020, we’ve got the perfect mind-body workout for you. And, as often as we’re introduced to the newest trends and destinations, the activity we’re proposing is something you can do pretty much anywhere in the world.
So what is this magical exercise regimen that’s good for you inside and out and can improve your mental well-being after just one session?
Hiking.
Hiking isn’t just a recent exercise trend that wellness aficionados and hipsters are dialing into to be one with nature. Although, if it is, that doesn’t make it a bad thing. Hiking is one of those activities that has a lot of good to give to those who regularly do it. Besides the physical exercise, and what it can do for your body, hiking is also a great activity or hobby for bettering one’s mental health.
The advantages of hiking that people talk about are often on the physical fitness side of things. It improves one’s overall fitness and improves endurance and cardiovascular health. However, mental health is also improved along with the physical when you’re hiking. Below are five surprising ways hiking improves your mental health.
It Clears Your Mind
Are you like me in that it’s easy to feel overwhelmed with all that’s going on in the world? Today, in the age of digital, anything and everything will reach you no matter how hard you try to control it. The daily news cycle will get to you whether it’s through TV, radio, your phone, or other people. This overwhelming flood of information can be exhausting. It can be difficult to retain your focus when there’s a lot going on. To stay out of sensory overwhelm, disconnect from the world every once in a while.
With hiking, you are able to do just that. Hiking helps you clear your mind as the continuous pace of a walk puts you into a sort of trance that allows for blank slate in your mind.
It Eradicates Negative Thoughts
Living in an urban environment disconnected from nature can intensify negative thoughts. It’s not natural, after all, to be surrounded by cars, artificial lights, and concrete all the time. If you’re starting to feel that negative thoughts are creeping in, take up hiking and go spend some time outdoors to help reduce this.
It’s hard to decompress when the noise of the city and urban life is getting in your head. When you’re out hiking, it’s only you, your body, and nature that you’re connected to. You don’t have to feel swayed by the rush of people and vehicles. Follow your own pace - grab your hiking sticks and start walking.
It Gets You Motivated
Motivation is a fickle state of mind, especially when you’re relying on it to get things in your day to day done. Having a strong sense of motivation behind our every move can really help in getting things done faster, with ease, and with quality. If you’re finding that lately, you’re losing motivation in the things that you do, then consider taking a moment to go out and enjoy nature through hiking. It’ll get your blood pumping and aside from that, taking the chance to center yourself can help you reconnect to your life’s direction, thus, improving your overall sense of motivation.
It Improve Your Creativity
Another beautiful benefit to hiking is the boost in creativity you’ll get when reconnecting with the outdoors. Spending your days amidst the noise of the world won’t get you the inspiration that you want. Sometimes, all you need is to be one with nature again to get your mind running. The more often you hike, the better it is for your mind. Sometimes it’s easy to get stuck creatively being in one place trying to pull ideas out of the ether. Out in nature, without email and constant digital notifications it’ll just be you, the ground below and the view ahead. Creativity will surely flow.
It Eases Stress Levels
Hiking can help reduce stress levels significantly. If you’re feeling burnt out at work, or just in a funk — hiking will help reduce the overwhelm that you’re experiencing. Stress, when left unmanaged won’t just affect your overall mental well-being. It can carry over into your physical fitness as well.
From motivation to de-stressing, hiking as a frequent hobby will improve your life not only in the physical sense but also in the mental sense. Consider carving out a day of the week to go out into nature and explore your local hiking trails.
Get your gear game on for your next hiking trip here:
post contributed by community member Geraldine Mills
