Exploring your local hiking trails makes for great outdoor family fun. What’s better than getting the family out on a crisp Fall morning to get some exercise, reconnect with the beautiful, natural world, and maybe even do some outdoor family photography? Here are three reasons you should consider hitting your local hiking trails!
1. It’s healthy.
Going for a nice stroll on local hiking trails is great cardiovascular exercise. According to Discover Good, a nutrition site, “Engaging in mild to moderate intensity exercise is linked to improvements in lung capacity and increased cardiac function.” Not to mention the fact that cardiovascular exercise particularly burns fat well. Combined with good nutritional balance, hiking can lead to a significant loss of both fat and weight.
2. It’s great for kids.
Hitting the local hiking trails with your kids is a great way to get them out into the real world, and introduce them to a past time that’ll keep them interested for the rest of their lives. Matt Jaffe, an About.com guide writer, says, “A lot of activities and sports have limited life spans for participants, either because of injuries or logistical challenges… But because hiking is low impact and you can anticipate and control the intensity and duration of your workout, it’s something that you can keep doing long after your rugby days are finished.” Not to mention the fact that strolling down your local hiking trails is a great opportunity to step away from the desks, reality TV shows, and game consoles, and give kids a real, unfiltered experience of the world.
3. It improves everyone’s mood.
When you hike trails, you calm your nerves and lift your spirits. Being part of a family can be difficult, and outside stresses can cause tensions within the home. You can dispel these by taking a nice, long hike with the family. Livestrong suggests that taking a hike can, “relieve stress and forget your worries for a while. Hiking with a group provides an excellent opportunity to socialize and exchange ideas with others.”
Taking the opportunity to explore local hiking trails with your family is a cheap, healthy, family activity that’ll boost everyone’s spirits and give a great chance to make some memories, which you can immortalize with outdoor family pictures. If you have any questions, feel free to ask in the comments.
