Mental And Physical Benefits Of Outdoor Walking – New Study

In today`s life staying fit is one of the main concerns for most people. Walking is one of the most famous physical activities which is done by people of all ages. In the US alone 111 million people started walking in 2018 as a means of staying fit.

Another term that got popular in recent times was the walking sister activity in which individual hikes on a mountain to stay fit. This has attracted 57.8 million Americans by 2020 and the numbers are increasing on a daily basis.

Mental And Physical Benefits Of Outdoor Walking

Walking and hiking both are highly effective in maintaining a good physique however both are different. Walking can be done in any outdoor area like going to get groceries and stuff or even indoors in a gym on a treadmill, but hiking is done on a natural land or on a hill. Hiking involves more force as one needs to walk on the incline and more calories are burnt as compared to walking.

Hiking and walking help you build up your cardiovascular muscles and are good for the heart. Many of the doctors recommend both these exercises to people who have heart and diabetes issues. The best part of both exercises is that they can be done by people of all age groups.

Darryl Higgins who is a health expert says that both are a good form of exercise and one of the main benefits of this exercise is that one need not invest in any equipment, all a person needs is his shoes and water bottle for staying hydrated.

Many people state that hiking burns more calories however it also depends upon the individual and how much they hike. The terrain also plays a major role in burning your calories, if the terrain is flat then it is the same as walking however if there is an incline then the hiking becomes tough and hard. It has been estimated that a normal person burns about 100 calories while walking one mile and about 200 or more calories on one mile of the hike. This is due to the change of terrain and during hiking people normally carry some additional stuff which puts weight on them and helps burn more calories.

Many people nowadays who live in the city don’t have time to visit a mountain hike and get back to work, so people have started taking the bag pack with them for walking which gives them additional weight to burn more calories.

One must make sure that the attire they wear is comfortable for either of the tasks. It is recommended to wear sports shoes while going for a walk or a hike as this will have better grip and are more comfortable. The clothing should also not be skin tight and be a bit loose so that there is proper air circulation. Many people wear sports t-shirt which are largely available in all the stores.

Many times people overdo walking or hiking causing dehydration. Carrying a water bottle is the best alternative so that you are not dehydrated. If you feel uneasy or dizzy, take a break and sit down to catch your breath. At the start, it is hard on your lungs to pump out more oxygen as it is not used to. With time your breathing will be regulated and you will be able to cover more distance in a short time.

Prepare a plan as to what distance needs to be covered on a daily basis and stick to it. Within a few days, the result will be seen on the person`s body and they will have a better cardiovascular system.