Reasons to go hiking this summer

Hiking trains not only the body, but also the mind. The combination of physical activity and fresh air magically changes our perception of the world. If you still haven’t decided whether you should go hiking, these five reasons will definitely dispel all your doubts.

Hiking helps reduce stress

A study conducted in 2015 showed that walks outside the city, as opposed to walks along city roads, help get rid of heavy thoughts. Those who walked in nature for an hour and a half noted that they stopped dwelling on the problems that tormented them before the walk.

Hiking improves memory

Physical exercise has a positive effect on the brain, including improving memory and thought processes. To achieve this, you don’t necessarily have to break a sweat in the gym — long walks and hikes give exactly the same result.

Hiking Makes You Feel Happier

Recent studies have shown that long walks in the fresh air bring more pleasure from physical activity than walking on a treadmill for the same amount of time.

Hiking is an excellent psychotherapeutic tool

Research has shown that hiking in the mountains in combination with professional psychological help helps to cope with the symptoms of mental disorders. Patients with a strong tendency to suicide after such hikes showed a decrease in the feeling of hopelessness and suicidal thoughts.

Hiking develops creativity

In 2012, as part of an experiment, a group of volunteers was asked to go on a six-day hiking trip without gadgets. Before the hike, half of the subjects took a remote association test – a creativity test in which you need to establish an associative connection between words. The second half of the group took the same test on the fourth day of the hike and did almost 50% better than the first group of participants.