Walk and hike your way into fitness and find out why it’s one of the best ways to boost your overall wellbeing. In association with Red January.
Walking and hiking are some of the best exercises you can do to improve your overall quality of life. They are considered accessible, low-impact, and low-intensity ways to stay active. Find out why you should aim for your 5k steps a day below.
Introducing regular and consistent walking into your daily routine works wonders, whether on the treadmill, outdoors on a forest trail or on a busy city sidewalk.
It also meets some prominent health markers when done at a moderate intensity and can even rival the effectiveness of running if you expend the same amount of energy. Not to mention, there are plenty of physical and psychological benefits to getting your daily steps in.
Although walking is considered low-intensity, walking meets the criteria of a well-rounded workout. This includes a higher:
• Heart rate
• Blood flow (lowers blood pressure)
• Energy levels
• Brain activity
Walking for just 30 minutes a day has been shown to improve mood, reduce your risk of a variety of diseases including heart conditions, diabetes and depression and even improve your sleep quality.
If you’re a regular walker, you might wonder when you've seamlessly transitioned to a hiking enthusiast!
Walks are usually shorter, more convenient, and lower in intensity compared to hiking. The biggest difference between the two is where you do it. Hiking is generally defined by its unique natural sights and rougher terrain, which means a city stroll wouldn’t qualify as a hike. This can be anything from walking trails through forests, mountains, or the countryside. Not to mention, walking usually doesn’t require additional equipment, while hiking may require you to pack a few essentials, including specialized footwear, hydration, snacks, and navigation gear.
Hiking takes the physical benefits of walking to the next level. Bringing in the fresh countryside air, rougher terrain and often steep hill climb means that hiking works your leg muscles better than ever before. A backpack filled with your hiking essentials will add extra resistance to the workout.
The psychological benefits of hiking are similar to those you enjoy when walking or exercising, but with an added uptick in mental health benefits because you’re surrounded by nature. In addition to boosting brain activity and cognitive function, both walking and hiking release endorphins, the feel-good hormone, while reducing the stress hormone 'cortisol.' This, in turn, minimizes feelings of anxiety or depression.
While exercise alone reduces negative feelings, hiking in nature combines physical activity with beautiful scenery, fresh air, and wildlife activity, which can induce a great meditative and calming state.
While walking itself provides these benefits too, the unique scenery isn’t quite as accessible when walking through a bustling city, and you’ll have to contend with greater noise pollution. The benefits of hiking are unique due to the quieter, scenic, and less populated environments, and they have a significant impact on mental wellbeing.
Hiking certainly doesn’t need to be a task you take up alone. Join friends on your nature trails, moorland walks, and summit climbs to share conversations, experiences and memories. You may even make new friends along the way; many well-known hiking trails are filled with campsites, B&Bs, pubs and museums or historical sites to visit.
If the physical, psychological and social benefits aren’t enough, you can also benefit from digital attention for your hiking efforts. Who doesn’t want a profile pic at the cairn on Pen y Van or standing hillside with the winding Cuckmere River in the background? Remember to pack your smartphone, a portable charger and a waterproof backpack to pop it in.
The health benefits of hiking are plentiful, whether physical, social or psychological. Most importantly, it can rekindle a passion for nature and teach you to find pleasure in spending time away from your electronics, clear your mind, and reset your perspectives during times of stress.
So what is Red January and what does Red January stand for? Red Jan is a nationwide movement that empowers mental wellbeing through physical activity. It’s a community-led initiative to promote getting active during a time of year when we are more likely to struggle with mental health. Kick the new year off right and register for Red January 2023.