What Can Hiking Do For You?
Hiking is excellent for your mental, physical, and emotional health. Go for a hike to distress and see what you discover about yourself along the way. I often say hiking is the best cardio because it doesn’t feel like a workout. It gets the lungs going, the heart rate pumping, and the legs burning. So what are you waiting for? Let’s get you out there!
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Some of the Benefits of Hiking
One of the benefits of hiking is that it allows you to be active, explore new places, and discover new hobbies like photography. I never knew how much I enjoyed hiking until I started doing it more. As John Muir once stated, “In every walk with nature, one receives far more than he seeks.” (John Muir, Travels in Alaska, 1915).
Living in the Bay Area makes it easy to plan these short trips. There are so many places to see around this area, and many are only within a few hours. I have explored significant areas of Northern California and seen some of the most stunning views. Hiking is a big stress reliever; it’s challenging, but it keeps me focused and allows me to take photographs of places I want to remember.
Hiking With Children
Going hiking has allowed me to teach my children about the outdoors, and we have learned so much about nature and the environment. Being able to hike and learn about the world is pretty intriguing, and I want to continue doing it with them as much as possible. It is a great way to create memories as a family together, so I highly suggest giving it a shot with your little ones.
Make Hiking Fun
I do try to make it fun for my kids by allowing them to collect rocks for their rock collection, which has grown a lot since we started our hiking journey. It’s filled with random items and rocks they have picked up along the way. Hiking brings us together, and I always appreciate the bond it gives us as a family. I will continue pushing my children because they must stay active and learn about their environment. Here are other reasons why hiking can be good for children.
Find What Works for You
For many people, exercising can be challenging to find time for, and at other times, you don’t have the motivation to want to do it, but one thing I know for sure is that hiking is a great way to stay active. Hikes vary from easy-moderate to strenuous. Many trails require some incline, but going uphill when hiking steep trails helps the legs get more robust; it’s great for the buttocks and helps regulate your breathing patterns after doing it more than a few times.
Being on the trails is an excellent way to stay physically active while exploring something new. Photography has been one of my favorite things to do on hikes, but as I tell people all the time, “some things are only for the eyes; it’s impossible to capture every moment, and being in the moment is what life is all about.” If you have never been hiking before, it is never too late to start, and you’re never too young or too old to begin.