Besides immersing yourself in nature, hiking is a great workout too!

Written By Claire Ang

1. Effectively burns calories

You don’t just work your leg muscles when hiking. With the uneven terrain and the occasional slopes, your abs, obliques, and lower back muscles will need to work to keep you stable. It’ll definitely improve your balancing skills too. You’ll burn over 400 calories per hour depending on the trail, level of intensity and the weight you’re carrying.

2. Strengthens your muscles

Hiking can improve your fitness level especially if you cycle or run often. If you’re a cyclist, hiking can help to strengthen your hamstrings. And if you’re a runner, hiking helps to train up your hamstrings and glutes. Basically, hiking helps strengthen the muscles you hardly train to eliminate imbalances. At the same time, it definitely helps improve your stamina too.

But Where To Go Hiking In Singapore? You Might Want To Explore More!

3. Lifts your mood

According to research published in the journal Landscape and Urban Planning, those who spend 50 minutes walking through nature reported less anxiety and more happiness than people who walked near traffic. Even enjoying nature’s view can help to reduce stress. Take a break from urbanisation and venture out to relax and renew in mother nature. So, instead of a brisk walk inside the mall, try nature for once. It’s worth it!

4. Improves your stability

Most generic exercises like running, lunging and squatting always move you in the similar directions. Hiking forces you to move in every way, as you climb over huge roots and twigs, or sidestep slippery rocks depending on your hiking trails. As a result, you strengthen the stabilizing muscles that help prevent common injuries.

5. Lowers your risk of heart disease

Did you know that hiking is a great workout to reduce your risk of heart disease? One of the factors that leads to heart disease is lack of exercise. If you’ve been sitting at your corporate desk all day, why not do something for yourself? Hiking is an enjoyable yet effective way to get your heart pumping. Remember, your health is the most important thing of all.

6. Improves Sleep

If you’re having trouble in sleeping, all those tea are not working anymore its time to move your body. Your body deserve a good rest too. Being exposed to vitamin D can helps control your wake sleep cycle that can leads to a good quality of sleep. So, if you’re someone who enjoy workout at night, you need to try to change your routine.

7. Prevent Diabetes

Hiking can indeed help prevent and lower the risk of diabetes. Regular physical activity like hiking can improve insulin sensitivity, which helps your body regulate blood sugar levels more effectively. Additionally, maintaining a healthy weight through activities like hiking can reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

So, do you still need a reason to start exercising? Stop searching for the benefits of hiking and start doing it now. You can begin by finding easy hiking trails in Singapore and gradually upgrade from there. Remember to always protect yourself with sunscreen, and the most important part is to wear the best hiking shoes!