AHS - Health Benefits of Hiking
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For years, studies comparing exercise and physical and mental health consistently have found that regular exercise increases a person's overall health and results in a longer life. Why, then, does only 10 percent of the U.S. adult population exercise for more than 20 minutes, three or more days per week?[1]
Perhaps the answer lies in how people perceive exercise. Beneficial exercise doesn't need to involve a painful and boring one-hour workout. A good workout can be a brisk 30-minute walk with the dog, or a slower one-hour hike though a local park. According to the American Heart Association, it's best to walk at vigorous intensity for 30 to 60 minutes three or four times a week. But even low-to moderate-intensity walking can have both short- and long-term benefits.[2] These benefits are numerous, ranging from controlling obesity to preventing heart disease to improving the quality of air we breathe by spending less time in automobiles.
Every 60 seconds, someone in America dies of a heart attack[3] and each year, cardiovascular disease kills about 479,000 women and 447,000 men.[4] While heart disease is caused by more than just inactivity, the odds of avoiding this leading cause of death in America can be greatly improved by maintaining a regular walking routine. The results of 43 separate studies by the Center for Disease Control showed that by exercising, individuals significantly reduce their chances for heart problems, while those who do not exercise are twice as likely to have coronary heart disease.[5]
In addition, walking can improve your health if you already have suffered a heart attack. A prime example is Ralph Reimer, a respiratory equipment technician in Minnesota. After having a heart attack, his doctor put him on a walking schedule. He lost 30 pounds and his resting pulse rate dropped 30 points, significantly decreasing his risk of having another heart attack. Reimer said, "It's nice to have a second chance. I haven't felt this good in years.[6]
Decreasing Hypertension (High Blood Pressure)
Hypertension, more commonly known as high blood pressure, plagues millions of Americans. With modern developments, medication is the most common cure, but there are other, less costly options. Over the years, research has shown that regular exercise, such as walking, lowers blood pressure by 5 to 20 points.[7] More specifically, blood vessels dilate during a walk, thus reducing the production of insulin; high insulin produces high blood pressure.[8]
A recent study put 19 sedentary men with mild hypertension through an aerobic exercise program, and after 10 weeks, the men's blood pressure dropped dramatically. The doctor conducting the study pointed out that the exercise was not overly strenuous. "People in our study exercised at levels well within their comfort zones. Their exercise consisted of either walking, cycling, jogging or doing any combination of these activities for approximately 30 minutes, four times a week. The subsequent reduction in blood pressure suggests that physical activity of even fairly light intensity may be more helpful against hypertension then previous research has led us to think."[9]
As a result of eating the wrong foods and leading sedentary lifestyles, many people develop high cholesterol. Hiking has been linked to the decrease of the overall cholesterol level. More specifically, it leads to an increase in high-density lipoprotein (HDL), considered to be the "good" cholesterol, which helps remove "bad" cholesterol from the artery walls. A study comparing the cholesterol levels of mail carriers, who walked a few miles daily, to people engaged in no exercise, proved that walking leads to an increase in the "good" HDL. The study's results support hiking and walking as a method of stabilizing cholesterol levels.[10]
Hiking is a great way to lose a few excess pounds, thereby improving your physical appearance. According to Walking for Health, people "won't find a better way to lose weight than walking." The results may not be as fast as people would like, but they will probably be far more permanent and pleasurable than any diet or weight-loss scheme.[11] When hiking a comfortable 2 mph., a person weighing 150 pounds will burn 240 calories in one hour. Even more calories can be burned by increasing speed.[12]
A study conducted at Baylor University in Texas found that people who simply dieted lost weight quickly, but two years later, they had gained most or all of it back. People who just walked took longer to start shedding pounds, but two years later, they had maintained their weight loss and were still losing.[13]
Medical advances and a greater knowledge of the aging process continue to increase the life expectancy of humans. These advances, however, do not always change the way people view aging. To many people, becoming more inactive as they age is simply a part of life. These people are wrong.
Research shows that what we once accepted as a natural part of growing older-a decline in physical activity and strength- does not have to accompany aging; it simply is a matter of using it or losing it. A study of two groups of 15 middle-aged men was conducted between 1969 and 1992, during which time one group exercised regularly, while the other group exercised for the first five years and then stopped. When researchers tested these men at the end of the 23 years, they found that the non-exercisers lost 41 percent of their maximal aerobic power, while the exercisers lost only 13 percent.[14]
Another study showed that regular exercise slows or even prevents the aging of the immune system. Immunologists have long thought that the immune system declines naturally with age, and that by age 70, immune cells are usually not half as effective in killing infectious agents as they were at age 20. However, a study of physically active women in their 70s showed their immune systems to be as active as a young adults'.[15] Aging doesn't decrease the body's ability to be physically active and healthy, but rather leading an inactive and unhealthy lifestyle accelerates the aging process!
Osteoporosis is a bone disease common in older women who lack sufficient amounts of calcium. This deficiency reduces bone density, increases the bone's porosity and brittleness, leading to a susceptibility to broken bones. Hiking and walking help reverse the negative effects of osteoporosis by increasing the bone density and slowing the rate of calcium loss, thus strengthening the bones and decreasing their susceptibility to break. The University of Washington found that women with osteoporosis who walked for one hour three days per week increased bone density in the spine and other parts of the body by six percent over a nine-month period.[16]
Improving and Maintaining Mental Health
Depression and stress are common medical problems in today's world. Thanks to research on the benefits of walking, however, people who suffer from these ailments are learning that they don't need to take pills, receive injections or undergo therapy to improve these problems. They've found a simper and much less expensive way to feel better: walking every day. Studies have shown that a brisk walk generates a significant antidepressant effect, and that exercise can reduce anxiety as effectively as a mild tranquilizer. How does this work? Walking causes the release of calming brain chemicals called endorphins, which are natural tranquilizers.
Also, walking releases adrenaline, produced by the body to cope with real or perceived danger. If the adrenaline isn't released from the body, it accumulates, causing muscle tension and feelings of anxiety.[17]
A recent study tested 36 walkers for anxiety, tension and blood pressure levels before, during and after 40 minutes of walking. Results showed immediate decreases in tension and anxiety as well as blood pressure after walking, regardless of how fast or slow the participants walked.[18]
Improving the Quality of the Air We Breathe
The transportation we choose every day affects the health of millions. Automobile emissions rank number one among all causes of air pollution, the cause of at least 50,000 respiratory illness cases annually in the United States.[19] Walking can replace short-distance motor-vehicle trips, which are the least fuel-efficient and generate the most pollution per mile traveled. A family that walks two miles a day instead of driving will, in one year, prevent 730 pounds of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere.[20] What a difference this would make to your lungs!
Preventing and Controlling Diabetes
Diabetes, a common chronic metabolic disorder, changes the way a body breaks down and uses starches and sugars (glucose). Normally insulin, a hormone produced in the pancreas, helps store glucose in a form that later can be released for energy. In a diabetic, the pancreas either does not produce enough insulin or produces no insulin. If not controlled, diabetes can lead to blindness, kidney failure, hear disease, stroke, and nerve damage. The number of Americans with diabetes is up almost 50 percent from 1983. According to Richard Eastman of the Diabetes Institute, this increase is caused by, among other things, increased rates of obesity and physical inactivity.[21]
Regular exercise, including hiking, can help prevent diabetes and can protect the body from the degenerative effects of diabetes. For a person who has Type I (insulin-dependent) diabetes, walking can reduce the amount of insulin the person needs. A person with Type II (non-insulin dependent) diabetes can actually reverse the course of the disease through diet, exercise and weight loss.[22]
Preventing the Common Cold and Flu
As the previous examples show, maintaining a regular walking program can help prevent or decrease the effects of many life-threatening diseases. But what about everyday illnesses, such as the common cold or flu? Dr. David Nieman, a professor of health and exercise science at Appalachian State University, has found convincing proof that moderate physical activity-nothing more than a brisk half-hour walk-can help the body ward off cold and flu bugs.
Dr. Nieman conducted a study in 1989 in which he recruited 50 women in their 30s and 40s, all non- exercisers, and divided them into two groups: the first remained idle, and the second began to walk 45 minutes a day, five days a week. After 15 weeks, the walkers reported half as many days with cold and flu symptoms as the sedentary women. In addition, the blood tests of the walkers showed a steady increase in the disease fighting activities of immune cells called "natural killers," believed to fight off viruses and cancer.[23]
Many people's response to arthritis pain is to stop or decrease the use of their painful joints. Unfortunately, this is the worst treatment for arthritic joints; lack of movement actually compounds the problem. Once properly diagnosed and treated, most people with arthritis can benefit from a regular exercise program. Recent research suggests that walking may be the best exercise for them.[24] Walking helps strengthen muscles, especially leg muscles. People with arthritis in their knees or ankles seem to benefit from stronger leg muscles, because they relieve some of the pain that may occur when bones rub against bones. In addition, the natural tranquilizing effect of walking helps decrease arthritis pain.
Kate Lorig, DPH, of the Stanford University Arthritis Center and co-author of The Arthritis Help-Book, endorses walking for arthritis management. She emphasizes the importance of developing personalized walking programs based on the severity of the arthritis. "I tell people to start slowly, walking as far as they can without feeling more pain than before they started. If that means walking across the room, fine. One block or two blocks? That's a good start."[25]
How often do you go home after a hard day at work and realize that your lower back feels stiff? If you're like most people, you probably notice this pain regularly. Almost everybody suffers from back problems at one time or another, whether caused from an injury or simply from sitting at a computer for too many hours. Unfortunately, many feel this is an unavoidable part of life. Here's good news for them: Walking prevents and cures the most common kinds of muscular backache, and even some kinds in which a disk problem has been identified.
The disappearance of, or enormous decrease in, back pain has been identified as the most common, clearly perceived health benefit reported by walkers.[26] The American Medical Association (AMA) in its Guide to Back Care notes that since walking puts less stress on the lower spine than sitting without a backrest, many people with back problems realize they are "better off walking than sitting."[27] However, if you are plagued by back problems and are considering walking away the pain, be sure to consult your doctor first to make sure your particular back problem won't be aggravated by walking.
Healthy Habits for a Healthy Life
Another powerful reason to hike doesn't involve a specific disease or a single facet of life. Rather, it is life. Each time you go outside and walk, as long as you stay within your capabilities, you will come home feeling better than you did when you left. Your body will feel better, your head will be clearer, and your stress level will have decreased. The result? You'll want to hike again! As you notice improvements in your body and state of mind, you may also want to start eating healthy foods. Says David Lillard, President of American Hiking Society, "Feeling healthy just plain feels good. With each hike you will feel better, and this might encourage you to continue your new healthy habits." Don't believe it? Go for a hike, and feel what he means!
Hiking is Walking, Walking is Hiking
Is there a difference between walking and hiking? Not at all. Taking a hike is merely taking a walk on a foot path, whether along a neighborhood trail or a mountain ridge. However, hiking in a natural setting will add to the pleasure of walking by offering the sights, sounds and smells of the great outdoors!
References:
[1] National Center for Health Statistics, Healthy People 2000 Review, 1993, Hyattsville, MD, Public Health Service, 1994.
[2] American Heart Association, Walking for a Healthy Heart, p.1, Dallas, TX, 1994.
[3] Bricklin, M. and M. Spilner, eds., Prevention's Practical Encyclopedia of Walking for Health, p.78, Emmaus, PA, Rodale Press, 1992.
[4] McFarling, Usha Lee, Heart Health, The Walking Magazine, p.69, September/October 1995.
[5] Burke, Edmund R. Ph.D, Benefits of Bicycling and Walking to Health (for FHWA), p.10, Washington, DC, 1992.
[6] Bricklin, M. and M. Spilner, eds., p.79.
[7] Ibid., p.82.
[8] Burke, Edmund R. Ph.D., p.14.
[9] Bricklin, M. and M. Spilner, eds., p.84.
[10] Burke, Edmund R. Ph.D., p.13.
[11] Bricklin, M. and M. Spilner, eds., p.207.
[12] American Heart Association, p.10.
[13] Bricklin, M. and M. Spilner, eds., p.208.
[14] Ibid, p.3.
[15] Jaret, Peter, Remedy, p.19, September/October 1995.
[16] Burke, Edmund R. Ph.D., p.13.
[17] Bricklin, M. and M. Spilner, eds., p.169.
[18] Ibid, p.168.
[19] The National Bicycling and Walking Study, p.18, US Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, Washington, DC, US Government Printing Office, 1992.
[20] Burke, Edmund R. Ph.D., p.4.
[21] Diabetes Up 50 Percent Nationwide Since 1983, The Washington Post, November 4, 1995.
[22] Bricklin, M. and M. Spilner, eds., p.38.
[23] Jaret, Peter, p.15.
[24] Bricklin, M. and M. Spilner, eds., p.8.
[25] Ibid, p.9.
[26] Ibid, p.11.
[27] Ibid, p.13
Prepared by the American Hiking Society, 1995. Reprinted with permission.
The AMERICAN HIKING SOCIETY has more than 100 affiliated outdoor clubs and trail groups, many of which organize outings and sell maps and guides to local trails. For a listing of affiliates, send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to: American Hiking Society, PO Box 20160, Washington DC 20041-2160. AHS can be contacted by e-mail at Amhiker@aol.com.
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