THE DO’S AND DON’TS OF HIKING

- July 11, 2020

In two words hiking for me is: fun-exercise. I started hiking in May 2020, and the fulfillment of getting to the top of a hill after a very long and vigorous climb has made me always want to continue hiking till today. A little truth? Hiking is hard. Yes, so if you are a newbie like I was as at May 2020 thinking to try hiking one day, please cancel any thought that you would just walk through to the top easily (this was actually my thinking when I first started lol). Hiking teaches you endurance and team spirit. So trust me when I say the going is hard and you might feel like giving up in the process but reaching the end/top gives you some kind of empowerment to want to do more and it is this feeling that has made me keep hiking till today. Hiking has a lot of benefits on our health, mental and social wellbeing;

It improves blood flow in the body and cardiovascular health and this is very helpful to prevent diseases such as diabetes hypertension, obesity, arthritis.
You can burn about 100 calories on an average, for every mile, you walk without consciously trying to burn as much calories. What I’m trying to say here is, you can burn a lot of calories easily while hiking when compared to jogging, or running on a treadmill which can be a bit more stressful
It helps to improve bone and muscle strength
It gives a calming effect by lowering stress levels, it raises heart rate and this helps to reduce high blood pressure and the risk to heart-related diseases, it also uplifts mood and makes one happier which is great to prevent mental health issues such as depression and anxiety
It helps improve memory and clears the mind. Studies show that spending time in nature can help improve recollection and thinking
It helps build relationship and bond with friends and family by relying on each other for help and support while hiking. And this is not limited to just friends and family only because while hiking, you also meet new people and this improves ones social life
It Improves sleep. If you have been finding it hard to sleep, just by having a long and vigorous walk would tell any form of insomnia that your body needs to rest

There are a list of things you should know before planning a hike

DO’S

Make inquiries on the location of the hike before going hiking to ensure the grounds are safe and secured for climbing activities
Decide how long you plan ongoing hiking. Some take days and camp within each night of the hike (I have actually never tried this before and I doubt if I would but who knows it might be fun. Just make sure it’s within safe grounds) or it can just be hours (this I prefer because all you need to do is go up and come down)
Wear comfortable clothing that won’t make you uneasy during the hike whether it’s shorts, leggings, jeans, t-shirts, tank-tops. Wear whatever won’t give extra stress while hiking
Wear hiking shoes or boots. If you do not have this wear shoes that have good grip so as to prevent slipping from surfaces
Take a bag pack containing all necessary items needed for the period you would be gone such as water, sunscreen and moisturizer, first aid kit, cellphones, change of clothes (if its more than a day), food, nuts, smoothies (Check out our Instagram page for fun and healthy smoothies )

DON’T

Do not litter. Keep wherever you go during and after the hike clean
Do not go alone. Well, some people actually, go on a personal hike but I do not buy into this because there are points where you might need support from someone while climbing. So this is the reason I do not support hiking alone
Do not go hiking without drinking water. This is to prevent headaches and dizziness during the cause of hiking
Do not hike without a trailer. A trailer is a person who knows and is familiar with the routes or tracks you would use during the hike
Do not use heavy perfumes to avoid attraction from bugs and insects. Use mild or underarm deodorant if you must use one

If you are for the ‘team hiking’ and feel something should be added to the list of do’s and don’ts please let us know in the comment section below. Hiking is a fun exercise so, if you are also looking to try something fun but challenging you are welcome to the hikers club. I hope you found this article very helpful and let’s keep SAYING YES TO STAY HEALTHY!!