It’s understandable that in the past couple of months our quality of life towards our physical and mental health has had some challenges. With everything going on in the world today, it’s important to benefit from the physical activities that we still have access to. A great outdoor activity such as hiking to pop on your to-do list this Spring!

Hiking is an excellent way to get out for the day from everything to just clear the mind. Expanding your horizons with learning, reflection, peace and to improve our mental well-being.

Enjoying the scenery of nature and the sound of the birds to bring you into that calm environment. With the fresh air and all the exercise, along you start to feel more motivated and energized. Assure that a good night’s rest shall follow, however let’s get back to the activity part shall we!

How Does Exercise Improve Mental Health

There are so many health benefits that come along with exercising. It improves both our mental and physical health. The specific benefits to mental health are:

 

  • Reducing Stress
  • Negative mood 
  • Social Anxiety
  • Depression and Anxiety

 

The benefits of hiking to our physical health are:

 

  • Body Circulation
  • Muscle Strengthening
  • Weight Loss 
  • Reduce the risk of Heart Disease
  • Reduce Bloating
  • Lower Cholesterol Levels
  • Lower Blood Pressure
  • & much more.

Health benefits of Exercise

Exercise regularly such as hiking helps us feel good and well accomplished. We all have a different purpose as to why we exercise, whether it’s to lose weight or simply to place ourselves in a healthy mindset. The atmosphere of going on a hike really can help lower blood pressure.  However, be sure to bring lots of water with you!

During any exercise our body tends to sweat and lose water weight through the pores. In this instant your body is getting dehydrated and in need of rejuvenation. This is when water with electrolytes becomes essential during your hike on a hot summer day. Water helps rehydrate the body to help fuel your muscles and stabilize your body temperature along with your electrolytes.

Adding electrolytes to your water is a great source of minerals that helps nurture your muscle functions and maintain a proper acid-balance. Electrolytes contain sodium, potassium, and chloride. 

The sodium and potassium help to maintain the fluid levels inside and outside of the body’s cells. The chloride helps maintain a proper pH-balance of your body fluids. Electrolytes forming to stabilize antacid containing alkaline salts, helps in the development and maintenance of all bones.

Depending on our body's mental and physical condition, regular physical activity can be difficult to maintain. Try creating an exercise program dedicated to you and what you enjoy doing. Whether it’s going on a gorgeous nature hike or simply running on the treadmill, the effects of exercise target the same thing, us entirely.

What Should You Bring With you?

It’s easy to forget to bring something with you, so let’s create a list together so none of us forget in the future! Being out in the woods you can find yourself in remote areas far from home. So, let’s pack light because no one likes to carry anything heavy on their hike! 

 

  • Light backpack
  • Water
  • Electrolytes
  • First Aid Kit
  • Protein Bars
  • Phone
  • Camera

 

We’ve already talked about the water and how important it is to fuel the body on your journey. Adding a few protein bars is always a plus to help the hunger until you return. 

 

First Aid kit is always something we forget but very simple to pack. Could be as simple as a few band aids and cream to help with swelling, inflammation or infections. A phone incase of emergency and a camera because who wouldn't want to take a picture of the spectacular views you can find!

Is it time for a Hike?

It’s amazing how life’s satisfaction can be as simple as adding a hike into our schedule. Our lives can tend to be extremely busy at times, and then we forget that days, sometimes even weeks go by and we haven’t done much activities. Planning ahead and creating a schedule seems to be the most useful source to stay on track. 

It’s understandable that sometimes the weather doesn’t always cooperate with outdoor activities. Checking the weather ahead of time can help you plan your activities on your time off more efficiently. 

 

If not, a little rain won’t hurt, plus it might even be extremely refreshing. However, if we're being honest, the sunshine would be a great bonus to add that Vitamin D into our routine. So therefore, planning ahead is a great tip for a successful active scheduel.  

 

The truth is... anything you enjoy doing is a form of therapy! This means something that can help calm your mind while being in a relaxed atmosphere. 

 

Hiking, a form of relaxation as well as a great way of maintaining a healthy balance. During these times taking care of our health has become a huge priority for most, as it should always be the top of our list. When our lives get busy, we tend to forget about what our body needs. Bringing the physical and mental benefits of exercise as discussed above is a superb place to start.

 

Hiking brings you that inner peace with yourself as you disconnect to the outside world. A great form of activity that helps us stay active, to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Covering that aspect of the physical body to help maintain proper function of our bones, muscles, and tissue development. That also touches base on our mental health. 

 

Our brain should always be top priority, as operating with a clear mind should always be what we strive for.The brain is an organ that collects our thoughts, emotions, memory, and determination. Going on a hike can improve and activate our senses. This helps us declutter any additional thoughts that are making us go in circles. Give yourself a chance, get out there and discover what hiking has to offer.




So, what are you waiting for? Grab your water, apply your electrolytes and let’s go discover!

 

Disclaimer 

Pascoe Canada does not offer health or medical advice as we are not a healthcare practitioner. Please speak with your healthcare practitioner before beginning any program related to nutrition, diet, exercise, fitness, medical, and/or wellness. All content published by Pascoe Canada is developed through collaborating with licensed medical professionals and contributors. This includes text, graphics, images, and other material on the website, newsletter, and products (“Content”). This content is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. The content does not substitute professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Please always do your own research on whether this is for you along with your healthcare practitioner advice. Always consult your healthcare practitioner prior to using specific herbs because you might have underlying conditions that need professional care. The content is general in nature and is subject to change. It is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic reactions, or adverse effects.