If you spend your days working on open-air job sites, you may think that the last thing you need is more time outside. But being outside isn’t the same thing as enjoying the great outdoors. Hiking lets you get out into nature while also helping your mind, your heart health, your waistline, and your mood. 

Quick look

• Hiking can reduce stress and anxiety while boosting optimism.
• Hiking also has physical benefits, including improved heart health, greater lower-body strength, and burning up to 760 calories an hour.
• The endorphins released by hiking can act as a painkiller and mood-booster.

4 ways hiking can help your mind and body 

After a long week, it’s tempting to sit down, put your feet up, and fall into a TV coma. But when Monday morning rolls around, it doesn’t feel like you really did anything. The weekend flew by, and you have nothing to show for it. 

Hiking is much more than yet another item to add to your “should” list; it’s a low-cost, high-reward way to reduce stress, improve health, and squeeze the most out of your time off. 

1. Hiking reduces stress

Many people are chronically stressed and don’t even know it—and when your day job is all about long hours in a high-pressure environment (and often less-than-ideal work conditions), you’re almost shoo-in for a stress-filled basket case. And because stress shows up differently for everyone, you might not feel stressed, but you could be. 

Stress can manifest in the body as:

• Headaches
• Muscle tension
• Chest pain
• Fatigue
• Changes in sex drive
• Sleep issues
• Digestion problems

Mentally, stress can make you feel:

• Anxious
• Restless
• Unfocused
• Unmotivated
• Overwhelmed
• Forgetful
• Irritable or angry
• Sad or depressed

Here’s the fix: research shows that hiking can reduce stress levels, improve mood and mental well-being, and help you feel more optimistic. 

One study showed that people who walked in a forest had fewer ruminating negative thoughts and less activity in the part of the brain linked to mental illnesses. People who walked beside a highway, however, didn’t have the same benefits. 

2. Hiking boosts heart health

Roughly 5.3 million premature deaths each year are linked to physically inactive lifestyles. According to data from the American Heart Association, 1 in 25 construction workers have been diagnosed with cardiovascular disease. It doesn’t stop there—1 in 4 are obese, 1 in 25 have diabetes, and nearly 50% don’t get enough exercise. 

It’s crucial to keep your body active and your heart healthy, and hiking can help you do both. 

A good hike gets your heart rate up and improves your heart health, which is an important step toward reducing your risk of heart attacks and strokes. The World Health Organization recommends that adults get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity each week or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity activity. Hiking once or twice a week is a great way to meet this requirement while also enjoying the sunshine, great views, and, hopefully, great company. 

3. Hiking helps you lose weight

Stress, poor diet, and a lack of physical activity all contribute to the high rate of obesity in the construction industry. While we don’t condone body-shaming of any sort, there’s no arguing that obesity isn’t healthy. Your health is affected by many factors, and while being thin doesn’t necessarily mean being healthy, carrying extra pounds puts a lot of extra strain on your body. 

Carrying just 10 extra pounds puts an additional 30 to 40 pounds of force on your knees with each step, in addition to the extra strain on your organs. Being overweight can also affect your mental health. 

Studies have also shown an interesting connection between depression and obesity: People with obesity have a 55% higher risk of developing depression over time, while those who are depressed have a 58% higher risk of becoming obese. Getting down to a healthy weight can interrupt this feedback loop.  

While diet is important in maintaining a healthy weight, physical activity is another big piece of the puzzle. Spending hours running on a treadmill or sweating through a HIIT class might not be your thing, but hiking can build endurance, burn calories, and strengthen the biggest muscles in your body.  

A 210-lb person hiking at a mild 1-5% grade for an hour can burn around 500 calories. If you choose a steeper hike with a 6-15% grade, you’ll burn 760 calories an hour. 

Whether you want to get down to a healthier weight or prevent the number on the scale from creeping steadily upward, hiking is the gift that just keeps on giving.  

4. Hiking makes you feel good

Hiking helps your body release endorphins, which can help you feel happier, more optimistic, and more energetic. These chemicals can also reduce the feeling of pain in a similar way to Tylenol and can even have some of the same effects as morphine but without the risk of addiction or dependency. 

Even just being immersed in natural environments like those found on hiking trails has been shown to help you feel good. Research shows that simply spending time in nature can decrease your blood pressure, relax your nervous system, and strengthen your immune system.

How to get started

Taking advantage of all the benefits hiking offers requires little more than a good pair of shoes and a few inexpensive supplies.  

Find a hike

Apps like AllTrails are a great tool for finding routes near you. Each hike has information about distance, estimated time, and difficulty level. You can also read tips and reviews and see pictures posted by other hikers. We recommend starting with a short, easy hike to see how it goes.

Keep equipment simple

To get started hiking, you don’t need a fancy backpack, high-tech gadgets, or a wardrobe full of North Face gear. This list of 10 basic things is enough to get started.

• Comfortable shoes
• Sunhat, sunscreen, and/or sun-protective clothing
• Extra clothing (it typically gets colder the higher you hike, and it’s not unusual to find snow at the top of some hikes in the middle of summer!) 
• Plenty of water (more than you’d think you’ll need, especially if it’s hot out)
• Snacks (trail mix, granola bars, sandwiches, or protein bars are great easy options)
• Comfortable shoes
• Basic first-aid kit
• Headlamp
• Knife

Bring a friend 

Hiking with a buddy is not only safer, but it also means you get to blend a fun hangout with a healthy activity. Human beings are social animals, and there are tons of benefits to spending time with other people. If you don’t know anyone who likes hiking, many cities have local hiking groups to join, which can also help you meet new people.

Take precautions

Remember to hike safely. Bring bear spray if bears are in your area, and research any other high-risk animals on hiking routes in your area, like cougars, wolves, snakes, and even skunks. Make sure you know how to look out for, retreat from, or defend yourself from these encounters. 

Always let someone know where you’ll be hiking and when you expect to be back, and download a copy of the trail map so you can access directions offline if you get caught without cell service (the AllTrails app automatically does this). 

Wellbeing, one step at a time

Lowering your stress levels can lead to a difference you can feel. By helping your body release stress through hiking, you’ll sleep better, give your muscles a chance to relax, and feel happier—all of which will give you energy and motivation to take on the week ahead.  

Finally, remember that you define what hiking is to you. You don’t have to be scaling mountains or heading out on weeks-long expeditions across the Andes (unless that’s what you’re into!). You’re far more likely to continue hiking (and reaping the benefits of doing so) if you actually like doing it. So pack some awesome snacks, choose a route that appeals to you, and take a hike—literally.