Even though going trekking is an exciting experience, it is not possible to regularly get away from you hectic schedule. However, short micro adventure like going hiking over the weekend is a fantastic way to revitalizing your life by immersing yourself in a little excitement amidst nature. Besides its a super easy way to plan a short break over the weekend so your can start the next week on a fresh note. Whether with friends or on your own- here are 7 reasons to plan a hike this weekend.
Take a Break From The City
The concrete and glass facades of the city is rarely said to bring joy to anyone and the fast-paced lives that we live leave no time for us to enjoy the little moments in life. Taking a break over the weekend to get away from the city and spend some quality time away from the crowds offers one a breather from the hectic city pace.
Get a Fun Workout
The best kind of exercise is the type that you commit to for fun. As most people know, if something is enjoyable rather than a task to be ticked off it becomes an activity to be savoured and one is more likely to stick to it till the end. Hiking on weekends is the perfect solutions to get fit using a really enjoyable workout as an alternative to your boring gym routine. Also, hiking is a great way to increase your endurance and get balanced workout. Having to hike long stretches at a steady pace while going uphill or downhill with numerous elevation changes on trails works your muscles to offer a wholesome workout. Time to change gym time to hiking time.
Experience Adventure and Excitement
Sitting in front of a desk all day often leaves one craving some form of adventure by the time the weekend rolls around. But while a week-long trek or adventure camp may be difficult to make time for, hikes can easily be organized for short distances according to your own personal wants and desires. Besides when faced with jogging with a view of the wall on a treadmill or hiking up and down a narrow trail with incredible views of jagged mountains or deep Wadis, we’ll pick hiking anyday. Many amazing hiking trails in Al Hamra lie only a few minutes away from the main roads but give you a feel of complete wilderness due to the landscape here. Finding the occasional camel, hidden crannies or lush oasis along a trail can be exhilarating, which only increases the adrenaline to give you the energy to push forward.
Relax and Rejuvenate
Many recent studies have explored how exposure to nature is great for reducing your stress levels and boost positive thinking processes. A famous study conducted in 2015 at Stanford University proved a definitive link between the subject’s taking a short walk (specially amidst green spaces ) and an significant increase in positive emotions both in the short and long-term. Even if you don’t believe that nature will help cheer you up, a brisk hike with some fresh air won’t harm you, we promise. The second big issue is the constant stimulation we face in the city which decreases attention levels and often leads to difficulty concentrating and make moments of non-stimulation tough to experience and enjoy. Interestingly, hiking and spending time surrounded by nature can help counteract these issues. Also, a professor at University of Utah has found that participants’ ability to come up with creative problem-solving methods increased drastically after spending some days hiking amid nature. Even though your hiking plans may not extend to a multi-day trip, spending even a little bit of regular time in nature is an excellent way to give your brain a break from the constant stimulation of everyday office life, and boost your brain’s approach to solving challenges and projects in your daily routine.
Great way to Socialise and Make New Friends
While the weekend may often pass by in a haze of partying and socialising, experiencing nature together with close friends is excellent bonding time. Unlike other hobbies where you may not be able to chat much during the activity, on a hike everyone is covering the same trail and there’s plenty of time to talk. In fact a friend could be just the motivation you need to push through those last couple of miles on a tough hike, so go ahead and plan a group hike with some friends for your next free weekend, and enjoy the dual benefit of working towards staying healthy while in the company of people you like spending time with. You will not just get to build a stronger social network improve at hiking but doing hobbies with friends and family can help you live longer. Going on an organised group tour is also a great way to meet new people who share similar interests as you.
Commit Grow and Achieve
Unlike working out at home or at the gym, cycling is an activity that you have to commit to by driving down to reach the trail, which means that you have greater motivating to complete it if only because once you have gotten halfway through a hike you have to turn around and at least walk back to where you started if you want to reach your car. By making you commit to it and making quitting harder to attempt, you are forced to overcome greater obstacles and achieve greater heights. While in the moment, a difficult hike might have you questioning why you did this to yourself, but, upon completion, you’ll most likely be filled with pride at conquered the trail, and that feeling of accomplishment will only push you to do more!
Combat Health Problems
According to the American Hiking Society, hiking lowers blood pressure, and reduce risk of diabetes, heart disease, and obesity. You can burn anything from 200 to 500 calories an hour when hiking on a moderate to brisk pace and a brisk hike especially makes for a great low impact cardio activity. Regular exercise and workouts can help substantially decrease the likelihood of developing type 2 Diabetes by lowering blood sugar levels, and the regular exercise, and movement of hiking help strengthen your bones and delay onset of arthritis and osteoporosis. Also, hiking through the trails for just ten minutes under the sun will give you your complete Vitamin D requirements for the day, though do remember to wear sunscreen in the bright Omani weather otherwise you are likely to burn to a crisp.
So what are you waiting for, happy hiking adventurers!
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