Pars Today

The topic of this episode will be the role of hiking in health and wellbeing.

Hiking is one of the sports that can help cause wellbeing, calm and longevity of family members. As an aerobic sport, hiking is an energetic exercise in which the muscles of legs and arms are used in an orderly and regular manner. Sports physiologists, specialists of heart diseases and chest, neurologists and specialists of fatness recommend hiking for all age groups. This sport is a natural activity that can be done by all family members from the youngest to the oldest. Even those who have just recovered can take part in this exhilarating exercise. It needs no specific skill and can be performed at any time and in any place.

The easiest way to get accustomed to hiking is to walk near one’s place of work or residence in an orderly timetable. If you decide to hike from a place like a park, beach or mountain you’ll always have an excuse to procrastinate it. So, you had better choose a loop-like course near your home or workplace. Then you can start from the spot and return to it. Do not forget deep breath while hiking. It is recommended to drink water before hiking; so, 20-30 minutes before starting hiking drink one glass of water and take another glass just 5 minutes before the exercise. Of course it is better to start your journey on foot on soil and a soft ground rather than asphalted or cobbled streets.

According to the researchers, hiking every day for half an hour in a moderate pace will decrease the stake of chronic diseases up to 30-40 percent. If we want to benefit more from hiking we have to exercise 3-4 days a week from 30-60 minutes in a normal gait. In this way, we can not only reduce cholesterol and hyperlipidemia but also overcome many diseases resulting from physical inactivity. Physicians opine that hiking at high speed is very useful for the heart as the heart is a muscular organ; and anything causing more blood circulation in a muscle will empower that muscle. Hiking will remarkably reduce blood pressure, too. Those who walk for 20 minutes every day will decrease nearly 40% of the stake of stroke (brain attack) resulting from blood clots. Hiking every day for half an hour at a moderate pace will not only burn approximately 200 kilo calories but will increase metabolism in the body for the rest of the day. In addition, hiking will strengthen muscles and solidify the bones of joints; thereby reduce arthritis pains. Meanwhile, this kind of hiking should be done every other day to give the joints time to relax.

Overweight individuals who are suffering from certain diseases are prevented from pressuring their knees via walking much.

Another benefit of hiking is to cure depression. When the individual is suffering from neural tensions the blood pressure will rise and the hormones causing stress will enter the blood. Chronic stress will undermine the immunity system and make the individual prone to every kind of disease from simple flu to cancer. Hiking will cause the brain to produce “beta endorphin” which will help prevent anxiety and depression.

As per the researches, depressed individuals, who do physical exercise and hiking instead of taking medicament, will less likely face with recrudescence of their disease.

Therefore, go on hiking every day and enjoy your life.

AE/RM/ME