For many people who do not know, hiking, is a very puzzling behavior.

Spending a lot of time, carrying a big bag, going deep into the uninhabited mountains or no man's land, with poor road conditions and little to no supplies, sometimes facing the threat of getting lost, snakes and insects, you may have sore muscles, weak legs, blistered feet, and may even be injured as a result.

For those who have never hiked before, outdoor hiking is a kind of "money for crime".

So why do so many people choose to hike?

Some people are exercising for health

As the saying goes, "the old man's feet first decline", sedentary people who can't move their feet all year round, it is impossible to maintain a young physique. And hiking is one of the easiest and most economical ways to get fit.

So what are the benefits of long-term outdoor hiking for the body?

1、Enhance human bone quality

Hiking is equivalent to weight training for the bones, which allows the body to absorb more calcium, which helps prevent osteoporosis and reduce the risk of hip fracture. It also exercises to the back muscles, which can consolidate the spine, slow down the aging process of the bones and improve the hematopoietic function of the bone marrow.

2、Improve the nervous system

Regular participation in hiking can improve the function of the central nervous system, making people more energetic, the brain thinking more clearly and flexibly, and improve learning and work efficiency. It can also improve the blood supply to the brain, relieve fatigue and mental tension in the nervous system, and improve the quality of sleep.

3、Prevent cardiovascular diseases

Regular adherence to hiking can remove the cholesterol deposited on the walls of blood vessels, enhance the elasticity of blood vessels and reduce the incidence of cardiovascular diseases. It can also increase the caliber of heart vessels, increase coronary blood flow, improve the distribution of blood flow in the heart muscle, and make the heart stronger.

4、Improve lung function

Hiking can improve the strength of respiratory muscles, help maintain the elasticity of lung tissue, improve the ventilation and ventilation function of the lungs, increase the maximum ventilation, enhance the strength of the diaphragm muscles, and also ease the symptoms of chronic emphysema and bronchitis, and reduce the desire to smoke.

5、Enhance the digestive system

Hiking can improve the secretion function of the digestive glands, promote regular peristalsis of the stomach and intestines, increase appetite, regulate eating habits, and have a good effect on the prevention and treatment of hypertension, diabetes, obesity, habitual constipation and other diseases.

6、Improve immunity

Regular participation in hiking exercise can improve the body's immunity, reduce colds and colds secondary to tonsillitis, pharyngitis, bronchitis, pneumonia and other diseases, as well as emphysema caused by bronchitis, pulmonary heart disease, etc.

7, weight loss and body shaping

Because the intensity of hiking is appropriate, the oxygen supply is sufficient, the duration is long, and the total energy consumption is high, so it has a unique weight loss effect. Regularly adhere to hiking can help the whole body muscles and tendons to get exercise, exercise to get a flat abdomen, proportional calves and firm hips, to maintain the body's physical beauty.

Some people focus more on the spiritual aspect of enjoyment

When adhering to hiking for a period of time, the physical condition and habits of people will undergo some changes. But these changes are only physical, so many people really love hiking, in addition to the physical condition of the improvement, more is the spiritual level of enjoyment.

1. hiking, can make people forget about stress, empty the mind

In hiking, you can go to the most beautiful places in the world, beaches, deserts, forests, jungles and mountains, away from the bustling city, no more annoying work, noisy horn sound, there is only the clear and pleasant sound of running water and open and pristine scenery.

Along the way, you will come into contact with a lot of people: old people, children and young people from different regions, countries, nationalities and beliefs, and you can share your life experiences with them.

Although physically and mentally a little tired, you can enjoy releasing the pressure of daily work and emptying your mind.

2. Hiking, can make people love life more

When we have crossed thousands of mountains and rivers, tasted food without taste, walked through the lights, tried to sleep at night, and felt the sound of falling down in time, finally, we go back to the original starting point and start to live carefully in earnest, then we will definitely know more about the beauty of life than before.

Or, in the hiking, the sky and the earth, the place where you look, or the pale yellow sand, or lofty snow mountains, a moment, you may have an epiphany, in fact, life can be very pure, the years can be very beautiful. Can't help but feel proud to be alive.

3. hiking, can make people reacquaint themselves

When hiking, the human mind will be in a state of neither complete drift, nor completely focused, very close to the state of the brain when meditation. Therefore, hiking is not only the process of scenic excursions, but also a time to reacquaint yourself.

You will never know how much energy you have in your small body, and you will never know that you can be so strong mentally and physically. Through hiking, you will find out that you can do many things, and it turns out that you can do them better.

Maybe it's only in pure nature that the inner voice is amplified and we can see our true selves!

The right way to open hiking

To a certain extent, hiking can make our body healthier and our spirit more satisfied, so hiking is slowly becoming a mainstream, and more and more people are joining the ranks of hiking.

However, the incorrect way of hiking may also damage our health.

1. Knee injury

Many people suffer from joint pain when hiking, most often in the knee area.

And knee injuries that occur during hiking may cause a variety of conditions, such as: bursitis, knee tendonitis, meniscal tears, ACL damage ...... and so on, and this injury is almost irreversible once it occurs.

Therefore, we need to take some precautions to prevent the above injuries from occurring.

• Choose supportive hiking shoes that can cushion the pressure on the knee to a great extent.
• warming up and moving the muscles around the knee before hiking.
• reducing the weight of the equipment as much as possible to reduce the stress on the knees.
• using the Zig-Zag method of descending to reduce the gradient of the descent, thereby reducing the damage to the knees.
• wearing knee pads to gain additional support for the knee and improve knee stability.
• Using hiking poles to give your feet a boost and reduce some of the pressure on your knees.

2. Sunburn

UV rays can be very strong in some areas, and without proper protection, it is easy to get sunburned, which can also lead to premature aging of the skin and skin cancer in the long run.

If you are aware of the damage caused by UV rays, how to prevent it.

Try to start hiking before dawn and find shade to rest in during the middle of the day when UV rays are strongest.
Apply sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher 20 minutes before starting the trip.
Wear a sun hat, sunglasses, and a light and breathable Kellogg's sunscreen. Physical sun protection is the most reliable way to protect yourself from the sun.

3. Back injury

Back injury is one of the most common injuries in hiking. There are usually many reasons for back injuries caused by hiking.

Walking with weight for long periods of time can make our lower back muscles become fatigued, which can also cause back injuries. Climbing, uphill and other movements are often encountered during hiking, which may also cause back sprains if the posture is improper.

In order to prevent the occurrence of lumbar injuries, we need to take the following preventive measures.

• Strengthen the hip muscles through exercise, which can greatly share the pressure on the lower back.
• activating the lumbar muscles by doing a good warm-up exercise before starting a section of the hike.
• Using hiking poles while hiking can also reduce the pressure on the lower back.

In addition to prevention in the above ways, choosing a suitable outdoor backpack can also help to avoid lumbar injuries to a great extent. The main protection for the lower back lies in the backpack system, which can disperse the pressure of our backpack from the outside and provide support. For hikers, a good backpack system is very important to protect the lower back.

Conclusion

Hiking itself has never been a sport full of fun. But there are still countless people who choose, and even obsessed with hiking.

What is the point of hiking?

In fact, there is no standard answer. Some people are curious about the scenery and intend to measure the world with their feet; some people use hiking to empty themselves because life is too stressful; some people want to use hiking to find their true selves ......

For most people, hiking is just a way of life, not unlike playing basketball after work or going to the movies on weekends. It's not as noble as people think, it's not given a lot of meaning, and it's not about spending money to find abuse as people think, it's just very natural and pure.

Read More

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