Hiking is a hobby that is being adopted by many people across the world. Hiking for beginners can however be an uphill task especially if they are not fit. Our working environment is more passive now than in the past.
We sit for long hours and order for stuff to be delivered to the doorstep. We are at a time when you need to be intentional about your health because everything seems to be moving away from healthy living.
Hiking for beginners and the benefits that come from it is a topic that is close to my heart because I am a firm believer in nature. Nature has the power to heal both physical and mental health problems.
Discipline is paramount in hiking. You must have the willpower to finish the course despite feeling tired and worn out. We advise beginners to start with short trails and graduate gradually until they are able to do a thru-hike on trails such as the Pacific crest trail.
Hiking does not require any special skills, yet it is one of the best ways to recharge and stretch out. Here are some of the benefits that you will enjoy once you start your journey into hiking.
Benefits of Hiking for a Beginner
Nature has a lot to offer and you will never know by just admiring the view from your office window. You need to dress down and be on the move. Explore and challenge yourself. By doing so you will accrue benefits for your mental health, physical health, and social life.
You know your mental health is not in a good place when you get irritable over the smallest of issues. This can be caused by accumulated everyday pressure at work and at home. We need to come to the realization that life is not getting easier and purpose to find a way of venting out our frustrations.
According to the American Hiking Society, Hiking is therapy. In the chaotic world that we live in, it is hard to find tranquillity and clarity. Being out there gives you the opportunity to organize your thoughts and find solutions.
Always be reminded that your brain can only handle so much before it starts degrading. You need some silence once in a while to help your mind regenerate and be able to perform optimally.
The health benefits that you will reap as a hiking beginner include:
Hiking reduces stress
There is no doubt that connecting with nature is the best way of getting away from stressful situations. The beauty of nature excites our happiness hormones and consequently improves on our well-being.
Hiking beginners are advised to possibly start off by themselves before joining a group. This will help you develop your own habits and motivation on the trail.
The Japanese people call it Forest Bathing which is a mindfulness practice of absorbing the forest atmosphere or energy. It is a meditative practice that involves taking a walk in a natural environment and developing a connection with the surrounding.
Hiking beginners need to learn concentration, which might not be easy at first but will be more natural with time. Remember our minds are used to rushing from one activity to another. We are ever planning this or that, working out things, and implementing others, hence the feeling of weariness that we get at the end of the day.
You can use this idea of connecting with nature as your motivation to start hiking.
Hiking is a cure for insomnia and sleep disorders
Do you have problems sleeping at night? Your mind keeps racing when you need to relax and enjoy your 8 hours of sleep. We present to you hiking as a solution.
Mental fatigue is one of the main causes of insomnia. The relationship between sleep and being productive during the day is a cycle. In cases of insomnia, you stay awake at night, feel tired and demotivated during the day, and are too stressed out at night to sleep well. Some days you will oversleep and others you will barely sleep.
Before you resort to medication, which can actually be addictive, we recommend you try out hiking. Start with the nearby places that are not too strenuous and graduate to more challenging terrains. As you do this, you will discover much more about yourself, and you will learn better ways of handling stressful situations.
Hiking is the best form of exercise because first, your mind is relaxed unlike in aerobics where you are just looking forward to a hard time. Second, all your body parts get engaged when walking including your legs, core, and even hands.
Your mind too is stimulated since you need to remain alert and aware of the obstacles ahead.
Your Memory and brain function will improve tremendously
Hiking is a form of physical exercise that is mostly underrated. It involves the brain more than you can imagine. The human brain functions as a muscle that becomes stronger the more it is used.
A hiking beginner will first find it difficult to remember directions and most of the time they get lost in the forest. With time, however, you learn how to read the map, use a compass and even memorize the signage on the trail. These survival skills will ensure you get back home safely and will also awaken your memory.
You get the chance to disconnect from technology
Screen time is a challenge in most homes. It is becoming harder for people to keep their gadgets away. This habit has a negative impact on family connections since people no longer hold discussions. It is typical to find a group of friends or members of a family all seated together but everyone is focused on their phones.
Hiking is one of the best activities that you can engage in as a group of friends or even by yourself. You can listen to music or opt to just connect with nature.
As opposed to being on your phone the whole evening after work, you can stroll into the woods or even go further over the weekend.
As a hiking beginner, you can tag your kids and pets along but longer trails might not be favorable for them.
Tips on How to Prepare for Hiking as a Beginner
When starting your journey as a hiking beginner, you need to prepare well. Lack of preparation can make your trek difficult and discourage you from going on.
Hiking beginners tip 1: Have the right gear
Your hiking gear can determine whether you will enjoy the trek or you will feel inconvenienced. The gear includes:
- Shoes
- Clothes
- Sunglasses
- Hat
For the clothes, you will need to look into the weather forecast to determine what to wear or carry. The length of time you will be out there will also dictate how much luggage you need to pack. As a beginner, we are assuming you will not go on a long trail hence it will take you a day or two.
The right shoes are also essential since they will determine how far you will go as a hiking beginner. You will not enjoy hiking if your shoes are too heavy, or too tight that you end up with blisters on your feet.
Sunglasses and hat are important to shield your eyes and face from the scorching sun.
If you intend to pick hiking as a hobby, you may need to invest in good quality attire which is more expensive but will serve you for long. There are cheaper varieties but you may need to buy new stuff each time, hence becoming more expensive cumulatively.
Hiking beginner tip 2: Have a plan/schedule
Before you set out to hike, create a plan of how and where you will start from. As a hiking beginner, you need to start from the short and easy trails before graduating to more unforgiving terrains. We suggest you create an annual plan of the places you intend to go to and stick to it.
The plan must include an estimated budget for each trip, broken down into specific items that you may need, such as food, blankets, tents, water, among other supplies.
After planning and budgeting, you can set aside funds for the escapades in a savings account to ensure that money will not be an excuse.
Hiking beginners tip 3: Work out for physical fitness
While you may be getting into hiking as a form of working out, you need to train your body for resilience before starting out. This is even more necessary when you intend to hike up the mountain. There are several fitness programs online that you can follow.
Getting physically fit does not necessarily mean that you lift weights among other strenuous exercises. You can simply jog for 15 – 30 minutes every day, or take a walk or even work out on the treadmill consistently for your body to get used to being on the move.
Hiking beginners should just try and be consistent with 30 minutes of workout for at least 3-4 days a week and improve gradually.
Hiking beginners tip 3: Carry enough water and snacks
Water is life and this is not a cliché for hikers, but a fact. You can walk long distances without eating but lack of water will wear you out and put your life at risk. Sweat a lot while hiking because your body is at work. You need to replenish the water that your body is losing.
A hiking beginner will need more water because the body is yet to get used to operating under a strained environment. You should therefore carry enough for yourself because your needs are different from those of everyone else.
Over time, you will learn how to hydrate your body without necessarily waiting until you feel thirsty. The feeling of thirst is your body indicating that it is completely deprived of water and you do not need to get there. Keep sipping your water as you go.
The other option is to carry a water filter and fetch water from the available sources along the hiking trail. These are some of the hacks that you will learn as you progress in your journey as a hiker. You will know how to look out for water sources as well as the trails that have water and those that do not.
Hiking beginners tip 4: Find information about the trail and prepare for any eventuality
You need to do intense research on the trails that you intend to explore. This information is available online and in publications such as the American Hiking Society.
The information you will be looking out for includes places where you can go, the hurdles that you may encounter, and what to carry. If you do your research well, you will have an easy start to your hiking journey, and you will enjoy more because the obstacles will be fewer.
Hiking beginners tip 5: Start with a group
For a hiking beginner, we advise you to start in the group before you are able to hike solo. Being in a group will give you motivation and allow you the chance to interact with fellow hikers, some more experienced than you.
Being in a group is an easier way of learning since you get to hear first-hand experience about the trails that you intend to visit. Your fellow hikers will demonstrate skills such as navigation, reading the compass, and following the maps, hence giving you an easy start.
Where being in a group is not possible, you can get a partner, be it a spouse or a friend, and recruit them into hiking so that you can do it together. Having someone else with you will also provide accountability.
The other way of getting a hiking partner is by posting your intention on social media. You will however need to do a background checks on the interested parties so that you do not endanger your life.
This tutorial is meant to make your journey to becoming an experienced hiker easy. We are glad to provide you with this important information in a simple way. Hiking is not a complicated activity if you prepare well and adhere to the preparation list provided here.
Conclusion
We hope you have enjoyed reading and have learned some tips and tricks for hiking as a beginner. Let us know what you think in the comment section, including any information that you feel we should have included. You can also share and subscribe to receive any new guides.
It is out hope that you will enjoy hiking more by the day.
References:
https://americanhiking.org/
https://www.wellplannedjourney.com/hiking-for-beginners/