Top 3 Reasons You Should Do More Hiking

Top 3 Reasons You Should Do More Hiking

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

With many aspects of present society artificial, nature is one uncontaminated thing possessing an ability to relieve and revive our spirit.

For me, hiking in nature is about being in the moment, rather than trying to achieve something.

Remember, joy is in everything and anything we experience or might experience. We just need the courage and strength to turn against our habitual lifestyles and engage in a bit of the unconventional.

Regular hiking, as little as half an hour a day mind you, can reduce cancer risk, improve cardio vascular health, moderate weight and prevent diabetes.

Not to mention, walking improves blood oxygenation and circulation, immune response, removes toxins, and helps relieve stress.

A healthy body is a happy body, and hiking happens to be one of the best ways to stay healthy and get plenty of exercise.

It’s an economical way to increase your activity level, while offering a plethora of additional health benefits.

Remember to ease into it comfortably, especially if you’re a bit “out of shape.”  

I encourage you to invest in a great pair of  hiking shoes if you don’t plan to go barefoot.

This little tidbit alone has the ability to make or break your hikes.

You’ll notice that on Adventure Hacks we rate our trails by intensity, so do your research and start out with a level that’s right for you.

Hiking offers a plethora of great health benefits, and I’ve listed the top 3 here today.

Top 3 Reasons To Hike More

Reason #1 – Grounding and Powerful Anti-Oxidants

If you choose to let go of insecurity and give this a shot, I guarantee hiking barefoot will change the way you think about stress. When you hike barefoot or touch your skin to the earths natural surfaces, free electrons from the earth transfer into your body via the soles of your feet. These free electrons are some of the most potent antioxidants known to humans.

Reason #2 – Fresh-Air Means Improved Human-Microbiome

When you get out of the stale stagnant air of your office or home and introduce your body to fresh air, you are actually aiding your metabolism, digestion and immune system by building your microbiome (the bugs that live inside you which are actually quite beneficial).

Reason #3 – Vitamin D3 aka The Sunshine Hormone

Sunlight is the best and only natural source of vitamin D and when you get your ‘D’ from sunshine your body only takes what it needs. There are 30,000 genes in your body and vitamin D has been shown to influence over 2,000 of them. Vitamin D aka the sunshine hormone is also involved in regulating the immune system and cells where it may even help prevent cancer.

Now that we know WHY hiking is awesome, let’s talk about WHERE it’s awesome! Check out my top 20 favorite California hiking trails here.

Be sure to let me know why you hike in the comments section below!

-David Aston