It’s Labor Day, and fall is in the air!
Personally, I feel that we didn’t get much of a summer this year, but some years are like that.
Here are a few things about fall that I love:
Mosquitoes are gone!
Hot cider by the fire!
Foliage is fabulous!
Pumpkin Pie! (NOT pumpkin everything else!)
Hiking is great!
Walking and hiking have numerous health benefits, including mental health! According to the Cleveland Clinic, hitting the trails can boost your mood, improve your sleep, and reduce your risk of heart disease.
Here in New England, even if the fall foliage is not spectacular, it still has the power to make us smile and take a deep breath. Pretty much any trail in the woods will bring fresh air into our lungs, sunshine for Vitamin D, and enough beauty to bring smiles and remind our brains that there is much more to life than worry or stress.
As with any aerobic exercise, hiking comes with wonderful heart health benefits. Many studies have shown that aerobic exercise reduces your risk of heart disease. With aerobic exercise, your heart becomes stronger and your circulation improves.
It you have high blood pressure; hiking has been shown to reduce your blood pressure.
No bones about it, research has shown that when you hike or walk, you’re increasing your body’s bone density. You’re also slowing how quickly your body loses calcium. And if you wear a backpack, increasing your weight bearing load, you get an even bigger “bone benefit” from your hike or walk. Ned always wears a heavy back pack when we hike, and he works up quite a sweat carrying that extra load!
You may wonder exactly what is considered “hiking” as opposed to “walking.” The difference is usually that when hiking, the ground is uneven, which takes more concentration and can improve balance, and hiking is usually a bit longer and more difficult than walking. However, start where you are comfortable! Any amount of walking or hiking is great if you’ve been indoors with the A/C on all summer!
Just get out there and smile!
Here’s a picture from one of our hikes last fall. We caught a gnome coming out of her tree house!
Best of Health,
Kathi
