Go Take a Hike!
As the weather begins to warm in Seattle, I start to day dream of getting out in nature and taking advantage of all the beautiful hiking trails that the Pacific Northwest has to offer.
I admit to being a fair weather hiker – the cold and I do not get along. But as I rose to blue skies this morning, I realized that the past few months spent indoors, in front of digital screens, has taken it’s toll on me.
So here they are, 6 reasons to get outside and go take a hike this spring – as though you need an excuse!
Get in Shape
An hour of hiking can burn over 500 calories, depending on the incline and the weight of your backpack. Well maintained hiking trails can be easier on the knees and feet as they are softer than the concrete that most people normally walk or run on.
In addition to the calories burned, the altitude itself may also linked to weight loss. According to an article written by Wired, participants in a study not only consumed less calories at higher altitudes, but they may have felt less hungry because levels of leptin, the satiety hormone, surged during the stay, while grehlin, the hunger hormone, remained unchanged. Their metabolic rate also spiked, meaning they burned more calories than they usually did.
Finally, finding time to hit the trail or planning your travels around hiking encourages you to view exercise as a part of your lifestyle, rather than a chore. that needs to be crossed off your todo list.
Get the Know the Land
If you happen to be traveling, hiking is an amazing way to get to know the topography of a new region.What better way to see everything, than to climb to the highest point and see the area around us? Day hikes or overnight treks offer a completely immersive experience, and you get a close look at the local flora and fauna of the area.
You may not find yourself completely along if you choose a more popular hike, but it is rare to find a crowd at the summit. Therefore, hiking can also be a great way to avoid the typical tourist traps where bus loads of people are pulling up.
Take a Mini Vacation
Living and working in the city, I find myself perusing the travel section of Pinterest in order to feed my insatiable wanderlust. While my day job prevents me from spontaneously taking off around the world, there are so many gorgeous hikes within an hour of Seattle that make it easy to take a mini escape during the weekend. I’ve saved quite a few to my profile on the Washington Trail Association’s website that I’m excited to tryout this year!
Improve Your Sleep
Walking for as little as 10 minutes per day could improve your likelihood of getting a good night’s sleep, as we discovered during research conducted by the National Sleep Foundation. Therefore, anyone who is interested in a better night’s sleep should consider hiking more.
In addition, getting outside during the daylight hours helps to sync your circadian clock, which also helps improve your sleeping patterns.
Boost Your Immune System
Most people who have been hiking would agree that hiking significantly improves ones mood. Now, a Japanese study has shown that walking in nature decrease the stress hormone cortisol. Excess cortisol can wreak havoc on your immune system and lead to weight gain, so managing stress is certainly important to overall health.
This study also found that taking a walk in nature has a profound effect on our immune system in other ways. A single day trip to a suburban park can boost immune activity for at least a week, and participants that hiked twice a day for three days in a row had their white blood cell counts increased by a whopping 40 percent!
Lighten Your Mood
Does the hustle and bustle of every day life leave you feeling down? You are not alone! It turns out that city dwellers have a 20 percent higher risk of anxiety disorders and a 40 percent higher risk of mood disorders as compared to people in rural areas.
Additionally, this study revealed that walking and hiking will improve your mood by releasing endorphins into the body. Hiking also increases blood and energy flow to the brain, and improves mental activity.
Gain perpective
In addition, hiking helps to put life into perspective. When you are surrounded by large mountains, tall trees, wide lakes, or raging waterfalls, your daily troubles often begin to seem small in comparison.
Hiking provides a deep connection to Earth’s natural beauty and affords you the opportunity to see things from a perspective that will leave you feeling energized.
Now that you are feeling fully inspired and no longer have any excuses to avoid hiking, I’d love for you to leave a comment below regarding which trails are on your bucket list for this year!