Hiking and Health—All You Need to Know!Need to exercise but hate the gym? Instead of pumping iron in the gym or sweating yourself in an aerobics class you can’t keep up with, give hiking a go.

Hiking has numerous health benefits and will keep you in shape.

Here’s how hiking can improve health:

It Improves Heart Health

Every year, around 610,000 Americans die due to heart disease. Medical experts around the country are urging people to take heart health seriously and take some time off their day to engage in at least 30 minutes of exercise.

Hiking is an excellent way to look after your heart, especially if you choose to hike on hills. When you’re going uphill, your heart is forced to pump harder. It also helps strengthen core muscles that weaken due to prolonged sitting.

In addition to strengthening your core and boosting heart health, hiking will also enhance your balance skills – something a treadmill can’t give you.

If you have poor vision or issues with balance, it helps to take hiking poles with you for better stability as you take on uneven terrain.

It Relieves Stress

Hiking is nature’s therapy. We may not find ourselves surrounded by nature the way our ancestors were, but it can be surprisingly comfortable to be immersed in it. There’s something about the open space, the fresh air and the lush green hills that put us at ease.

Hiking enthusiasts will tell you that hiking can help you relieve stress. Some studies that suggest that spending time in woodlands and green spaces that can bring down stress levels.

Being in the outdoors does give a sense of composure and peace, which is something you’re not going to get from sitting behind a computer screen all day.

It’s Great Exercise

For our body to function properly we require at least half an hour of moderate to intense exercise every day. Exercise keeps our muscles and joints in check so we can go about our day without feeling sore weak.

Hiking is a physically strenuous activity. It’s one of those activities that engage every single muscle in the body. If you want to make sure that all the muscles and joints in your body are being worked out, then make hiking a regular activity.

Whenever you do decide to hike, make sure to take the best backpack with you to minimize injuries and pain you experience.

Light Hiking Gear is an expert at designing lightweight backpacks for all kinds of hikers. We have a collection of affordable daypacks, StrongLites, and UltraLites that was made to support hikers on alltypes of trails. Check out our selection of award-winning backpacks online and place your order today.