you have to have aerobic exercise to be fit. Aerobic exercise is any type of workout where your heart rate stays at or near its maximum for at least 10 minutes. The best type of aerobic exercise is.
a) jogging
b) cycling
c) hiking
d) strength training
e) tennis
What is the best option?
c) hiking
e) tennis
What are some benefits of choosing a hike as an aerobic activity? Hiking has many benefits, but few are quite so addictive as the feeling you get when you summit a mountain and see what's on the other side. Okay, that might be a bit hyperbolic. But the peace and quiet, the fresh air and wide-open space of a good hike is hard to beat.
The greater benefits of hiking are those you bring home with you. Studies have shown time and time again that hiking is positively correlated with a lower risk of depression and anxiety, better reproductive health in men and women, better sleep patterns, increased bone density (strength), and smarter psychological health. Other studies have also shown that hikers see improvements in concentration span, focus and short-term memory recall. All in all, it's just not bad for you to take an hour or two to get outside for some fresh air every day.
One final reason to climb a mountain every now and then is that does wonders for your heart and lungs. A great hike can help you increase your lung capacity and strengthen your heart rate as you scramble up the side of a mountain, trying to beat the sunset.
This can help prevent heart disease down the road.
That being said, some people don't have the strength or fitness to help them summit a mountain. If you're in fairly good shape and can do pullups and other similar exercises, it won't be that hard to hike up a mountain. But if you're out of shape and carrying a heavy backpack, your thighs are burning after five minutes of running and your heart's beating so fast you think it might burst out of your ribcage, then it's probably not worth pushing yourself.
When you push yourself too hard during an aerobic activity like hiking or jogging, this is called "overtraining." And it isn't just unpleasant; it's also detrimental to your fitness routine and health in the long-term.
The first step to preventing training injury is to ease into your routine. When you're just starting out, do what you can, but don't push yourself too hard. You should be able to carry on a conversation while you're out hiking and if you can't, then it's time to slow down.
Beginners should also stay away from long-distance hikes or jogs at the beginning of their training routine. Hikes and runs are great ways of burning fat and keeping your body healthy, but they are also risky activities that can result in sprained ankles or worse if they're performed incorrectly.
In order to enjoy the incredible health benefits that aerobic exercise has to offer, start with a small hike or jog every few days. As you get more used to the activity and begin to build up your endurance, your body will have no choice but to become fit from the inside out. As a result, you'll be able to make even longer hikes and runs with little effort to drain your muscles.
A study conducted by The McDougall Program suggests that hiking has even more benefits on weight loss than running or jogging. A team of researchers from the University of Houston came up with a formula for calculating caloric expenditure using three popular cardio exercises: jogging, walking and hiking. The study found that when walking at the same pace and with the same intensity as jogging, a hiker's body burns an extra 113 calories every hour. This is because there is more of a caloric expenditure for hikers than for joggers.
The reason for this is that when a person hikes, their muscles are working much harder to keep up with the demands of their body. The demands of hiking cause the heart rate to increase by 25 beats/min higher than it would be doing if they were running. The cardiovascular system must do more work because there is more resistance while hiking uphill rather than jogging on flat ground, causing a higher aerobic response in muscle tissues.
It is also worth noting that climbing hills and jogging downhill cause greater muscle strain, which allows for greater caloric expenditure. Researchers believe that this is the reason why people lose weight when they climb hills on a treadmill rather than when running on flat ground.
The main difference between hiking and jogging is that hiking causes more of a metabolic stress in the body. "Difficulty" is a physiologic response to exercise in all humans, but one of the primary benefits of hiking compared with jogging is that it results in higher caloric expenditure.
This study seems to indicate that hikings are better at promoting weight loss and health than running or jogging.
Hiking is even better than the elliptical, which has been shown to promote weight and fat loss.
Some people are bored with the elliptical or they can't afford a gym membership, while many prefer hiking because it poses less of an impact on joints and muscles.
As a bonus, hiking also offers a more scenic workout. The fresh air is pretty awesome, as is seeing nature in all its majestic glory.
Running shoes have become an essential part of a runner's wardrobe; but there's no reason why you can't use them for non-running activities as well too! Hiking requires special footwear because it often involves uneven terrain and challenging mountains.
