Benefits of Trekking

Most of us know we need to exercise more, but with increasingly busy lives, it is
Important to prioritize the activity that will give us the greatest health benefit. After a long day
sitting at a desk inside a stuffy office, working out in a gym couldn’t be less appealing. Its no
surprise that more and more people are diching the gym and hitting the trails to improve their
health. And the good news is, just 30 minutes a day of walking or hiking can make a significant
impact on your health.

1. Live longer.
Research has shown that just walking five miles a week at a slow pace is enough
to reduce your risk of heart attack, stroke and heart failure by 31%. Five miles is just
10,00 steps – so if your addicted to your fit bit and find yourself pacing around at night
to reach 10,000 steps, then well done – you are absolutely smashing the target.

2. Boost your mood.

Doctors are increasingly prescribing exercise such as walking to combat
depression and many clinical studies have showed that exercise could improve
depressive symptoms to comparable extent to the use of anti-depressant drugs.
Trekking is an excellent mood booster because it combines the psychological benefits of
exercise with the mental health benefits of being surrounded by nature and socializing
with other people on the trail.

3. Strengthen your heart.

Walking becomes a cardio work out when you push your self to the point that
conversation becomes more difficult. Cardio exercise is important for strengthening the
heart, lowering blood pressure and cholesterol.

4. Increase your metabolism.

Just spending 20 minutes in any fix position needs to a decrease in our
metabolism and four hours of inactivity almost completely shuts down enzymes that
metabolize fats. When you are at work, it is important to take regular screen breaks to
combat this. Trekking can also improve your metabolism by building muscle mass in
your legs. The more muscle mass you have the greater your resting metabolism rate. For
every 4.5 lbs. of muscle mass, your resting metabolic rate increase by 50 Kcal per day.
5. Burn calories.
For many people, this is one of the most important benefits of trekking. When
you consider that taking a dog for a half an hour walk burns 100 calories, it is easy to see
the weight loss potential of trekking. That means that we are almost burning our entire
daily allowance of calories, which is a good thing considering how delicious food is.

6. Heal chronic back pain.

It’s a scary fact that the average American seats for 13 hours and sleeps for 8
hours a day meaning they are active for just three hours. The setting epidemic is one of
the reasons why so many of us suffer with chronic back and joint pain daily.

7. Strengthen your bones.

Your bones require loads to be place on to them maintain their strength. Weight
lifting is a good way to improve bone density, as is trekking with a ruck sack. Trekking has
the added benefit of being a low-impact way to exercise, which is useful for those who
suffer with joint pain.

8. Improve your balance.

Trekking on trails is an excellent way to improve your balance and mental agility. The
uneven surface promotes the small stabilizing muscles in your ankles to get a stronger and
react more quickly if you lost your balance. This stabilizing muscles are vital for pro
proceptions which is your body’s six sense that help you balance or catch yourself if you
tripped. If we don’t train our pro proceptions, then it naturally declines as we get older,
making us more likely to suffer injuries from falls into old age.

9. Increase focus and productivity.

Its shown that 10 minutes of movement increases productivity and mental focus at
work, so get outside and take a walk on your lunch break. By in accorporating a trek to your
weekend activities, you will further increase focus by reducing stress and increasing your
physical fitness.

10. Make new friends.

Adults with larger social circles are showed to have decrease blood pressure and to
live longer. Being part of a group with a common purpose, such as on a trekking trip,
increases your sense of belongings and purpose, which is great for your emotional well-
being.