This weekend my family and I went on a day hike in Joshua Tree National Park. There’s something so serene about hiking in the outdoors and taking in the beauty of God’s natural landscape.
One of the most important recommendations I make to my clients about incorporating and maintaining exercise as a part of their lifestyle is to find an exercise they love to do. If you start going to the gym solely with the goal to lose weight but don’t enjoy your time there and have to talk yourself into going each and every time, eventually you’re going to stop going. On the flip side if you find an activity that not only brings you health and weight management benefits, but you really enjoy the activity, you’re more likely to make time for it in your day to day living.
Find an exercise or activity that you love and that feeds your soul
Whether you’ve never tried hiking before or it’s been a while since your last hike, I’d recommend to give it a try. If you prefer to exercise outdoors, hiking may be a good fit for you. A leisurely hike can burn anywhere between 300-600 calories per hour. Your total number of calories burned is affected by your weight, the terrain, the distance and speed of your hike, and the weight of any backpack you carry.
Hiking has several health benefits to offer. Engaging in regular exercise such as hiking can help lower your risk of heart disease, colon cancer, diabetes, and high blood pressure. Regular physical activity can also reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression, reduce the pain of arthritis, facilitate a healthy weight, and can contribute to healthy bones, muscles, and joints.
To find hiking trails near you, check out The Hiking Project. If it’s your first time hiking you can also check out this helpful information with hiking for beginners. Don’t worry, regardless of your fitness level, there are suitable hiking trails for everyone.
There you have it. All the information you need to give hiking a try. If you have kids you can even make a family outing out of your hiking experience and encourage your kids to be active as well. My daughter is almost two, and though she spent most of the hike on my husband’s back, she enjoyed taking in all of the beautiful scenery.
If you enjoyed this week’s blog post, comment and like below and feel free to share some of the things that you enjoy most about hiking.
Royally yours,
The Diet Duchess