Medicinal Benefits of Hiking

[carole]

I’ll be the bad guy (gal ) and add a controversial view. While I will definitely agree that hiking is a great activity mentally and physically, and walking in the woods beats walking in a mall any day, I don’t think hiking in itself makes one healthier. There’s more needed on a day to day basis to make the hiking activity beneficial.

For example – society in general is becoming obese, not just overweight, but extremely overweight. Maybe there are statistics out there but some forms of recreational activity seem to have less overweight participants than others. How often do you see overweight runners, bikers (mountain or road bikers not motorcycle), swimmers perhaps? Now compare it to participants of motorcycling, boating, golfing. It might be eye opening to take a group of 100 who regularly participate in a form of activity and record the proportion in each group that are overweight. Maybe even compare the portion of each group that is in good physical condition and mental health. I’d be interested in how the group of 100 hikers would fare.

 

[DougPaul]

I guess the testimonies we are seeing here are the best scientific facts about hiking and health.

Sorry. These are anecdotal reports and are of no scientific value. At best, they might suggest something to be studied in a proper scientific study.

Proper scientific studies such as would be required here can be rather difficult to design properly and carry out.

Doug
Professional researcher.

 

[The Hikers]

I apologize for my non-scientific wording.I do believe, however that any form of exercise and conditioning has proven its benefit towards health, the avoidance of sickness and disease, and the recovery from the same.
That is what I meant.



No Credentials Given

 

[pedxing]

Carole - its definitely worth saying that hiking would only be one piece of a healthy lifestyle. I can't call you the bad gal for warning against "irrational exuberance" over the benefits of hiking and for suggesting we look beyond the testimony of believers for evidence.

Doug's point in that regard is also well taken. I add that anecdotal evidence on a hiking board definitely will reflect sampling bias. If there were a 100 people who felt hiking had ruined their lives and their health and 100 who felt it had done wonders for them - which group would be more likely to be posting on VFTT?

It reminds me of an old war movie I saw as a kid, a US fighter plane is hit and bursts into flame. The co-pilot tells the pilot to dive straight down in order to put out the flames. The pilot asks if he is sure it will work and the co-pilot says "yeah, I worked debriefing guys whose planes were hit and everyone who tried it said it worked." As the pilot goes into the dive, the co-pilot adds "come to think of it, if somebody tried it and it didn't work - they wouldn't have lived to tell about it anyway." (disclaimer: I don't really remember the details or the dialogue - but that's the basic idea)

Personally, I'm convinced that hiking is great for me (and backpacking even more so) and its fun to see what looks like a while designed study that suggests it is good for most people.

 

[Puck]

The research that identifies stress as the primary indicator in heath is exhaustive. The more stress the higher the rate of morbidity and mortality. Stress is our reaction to stressors. Stress mediators are the things that we can do that limit stress reaction. Hiking can be a great stress mediator. Neil raises a great point, if your hiking stresses you then there could be negative effects.

I agree with Doug Paul. The plural of anecdote is anecdotes not clinical study. I also echo Carole's interest in seeing how a hiking cohort would stack up against other activities. The hardest part about such a study would be reqruitment and funding.

Grumpy...thankyou and hang in there.
I am laid up with Lyme's or something else...diagnosis pending....I am going )(^*&#@$% nuts.

Credential given upon request

 

[pedxing]

Stress, "the primary indicator" for health? I'd like to see what exhaustive research you are referring to.

David, amateur curmudgeon.

(I'd assumed Doug Paul's list of his profession was more of an explanation for why he cared enough to post the critique, not an attempt to credential himself as an expert. Still, I couldn't resist joining in.)

 

[peakbagger]

Back when I worked in a Pulp Mill, employees had to be have a yearly Pulmonary Function Test in order to be fit tested for certain respirator equipment. This is anecdotal, but the folks who hiked the most usually were in the high range of the test, generally scoring over 100% for our age range. What was even more interesting is that the hard core runners typically scored somewhat lower. The rational was that they worked their lungs more efficiently than us hikers. The nurse always liked it when we tested, as we raised the average up for the typically sendentary smoking population that worked there.

 

[DougPaul]

any form of exercise and conditioning has proven its benefit towards health, the avoidance of sickness and disease, and the recovery from the same.

I also believe that hiking is probably beneficial to one's health. I just don't have appropriate evidence to prove it to a reasonable degree of certainty. (And a hiking BBS is not a good place to collect such evidence.)

The link in the original post points to an article describing a scientific study on the health benefits of hiking. I don't know how well the study and its conclusions have been accepted by the appropriate scientific community.

Doug

 

[Neil]

This thread has a misnomer in the title. Strike "medicinal" and replace with "health".

 

[JohnL]

I also wish to extend my best wishes to Grumpy in his fight against his cancer. Many happy trails ahead for you.

There have been numerous studies about the health benefits of walking and after all, that's all hiking is. Putting one foot in front of the other. So if you're hiking, you're walking. And if walking is beneficial for your health, so is hiking.

And no, I don't have links to the 10 best accredited studies. I don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows.

JohnL

 

[Maddy]

http://www.fatburn.com/free_tool_activity_burn.asp

This is a nice chart that indicates how much caloric "energy" you are expending with various activities.
Check out the hiking.
It seems pretty accurate when I compare what the brand new elleptical trainers at the gym are telling me when I work out.

 

[Puck]

Stress, "the primary indicator" for health? I'd like to see what exhaustive research you are referring to.

David, amateur curmudgeon.

(I'd assumed Doug Paul's list of his profession was more of an explanation for why he cared enough to post the critique, not an attempt to credential himself as an expert. Still, I couldn't resist joining in.)

Sure do a google scholar search with 'stress' and 'health' or do a search on pub med. See you if you hit the bottom. A masters in public health and epidemiology will have you spend a ton of time on this subject. It is also a corner stone in "medical sociology" It is simple if you are chronicaly stressed (maladaptive stress)you will get sick. If you stress yourself with "thrills" like rock climbing (adaptive stress) you are actually helping yourself. Two very different endocrine pathways.

 

[Neil]

It is simple if you are chronicaly stressed (maladaptive stress)you will get sick. If you stress yourself with "thrills" like rock climbing (adaptive stress) you are actually helping yourself. Two very different endocrine pathways.

Sounds like Selye's eu-stress and dis-stress. No stress at all will supposedly kill you so if you have to have stress you might as well enjoy the ride!

 

[woodsxc]

Sounds like Selye's eu-stress and dis-stress. No stress at all will supposedly kill you so if you have to have stress you might as well enjoy the ride!

Arrrrrg! This is bringing back my least favorite part of my psych class.

But hiking is good for you.*


*I base this claim on absolutely nothing.

 

[jniehof]

How often do you see overweight runners, bikers (mountain or road bikers not motorcycle), swimmers perhaps?

Mildly pudgy is a pretty common physique for the non-competitive cyclist (including myself). The body punishment of extra weight is much less for cycling than, say, running, and any extra pure power reserves can pay off.

There's quite a bit of selection bias there, too. A person who has great difficulty keeping the weight off, whether for genetic reasons or minimal time for training or because they like a good stout too much (points at self), is unlikely to take up marathon running. Whereas hiking and cycling are very "democratic" active pursuits: any body type and any level of fitness can participate at some level and reap the benefits.

 

[woodsxc]

Maybe there are statistics out there but some forms of recreational activity seem to have less overweight participants than others. How often do you see overweight runners, bikers (mountain or road bikers not motorcycle), swimmers perhaps/

Since we're not talking about Olympians or professional athletes here, I would say that you can find a pretty good number of people who swim regularly but are kinda pudgy. Lipids are buoyant and so some fat will not severely impair your swimming, provided you've got some muscle underneath.

Also, keep in mind the differences between "overweight" and "obese". Overweight means that your weight is above the recommended limit for your height. I know some guys who are technically overweight and have about 3-4% body fat. They spend a lot of time in the gym and are really muscular, so they are heavier than the normal or "healthy" weight for their height. They are healthy, probably more healthy than most people, but are still overweight. Obesity refers to your body fat content. If you are obese, 99.9% of the time you are also overweight (glandular disorders are the only cause I can think of for obesity without being overweight).

In Illinois, the IHSA (governing body for athletics) set minimum body fat levels for wrestlers to try to stop guys from cutting ridiculous amounts. The limits were 7% for males and 12% for females. You had to weigh in, pee in a cup to pass a hydration test, then get your body fat measured. Using that weight as a baseline, you were allowed to cut such that your body fat composition was no less than 7%. Coach got a print out with name, weight, body fat comp, and each guy's "7% weight". For example, a guy who weighed in at 115 with 10% body fat could drop 3 pounds and wrestle at 112 but if he were 115 with 8%, he couldn't go to 112 and had to wrestle 119. I don't think my body fat was ever more than 6%. ats self on back:

A guy I was talking to said that when he was in the reserves, they had to be under 22%.

 

[J.Dub]

A person who has great difficulty keeping the weight off, whether for genetic reasons or minimal time for training or because they like a good stout too much (points at self), is unlikely to take up marathon running.

What if the ever-crafty race organizers were to put a keg of Guinness at the finish line for...ahem...'re-hydration?'

"Run, Forrest! Run!"

 

[Little Rickie]

I also believe that hiking is.... "probably".... beneficial to one's health. I just don't have appropriate evidence to prove it to a reasonable degree of certainty. (And a hiking BBS is not a good place to collect such evidence.)Doug

"probably"....

Do you believe in anything that doesn't "have appropriate evidence to prove it to a reasonable degree of certainty"?

Why do you hike ?

 

[Daniel Eagan]

Since we're not talking about Olympians or professional athletes here, I would say that you can find a pretty good number of people who swim regularly but are kinda pudgy. Lipids are buoyant and so some fat will not severely impair your swimming, provided you've got some muscle underneath.

I am living proof that you can be an overweight swimmer. My regimen is 2500 yards as many days a week as I can get to the pool (sometimes four, usually two or three). I am a good swimmer, and it's really helped with hiking, especially breathing and endurance. But I don't expect to lose weight swimming--I think I would have to get up to 4000 or 5000 yards a day before that would happen.

In fact, many of the older swimmers at my pool are definitely not cut and chiseled. Toned, yes, but not wiry.

 

[WinterWarlock]

Grumpy - my best wishes for you...hope the hiking couples well with traditional medicine and you get/stay well.

I found this article from a blog I read...no, this is not scientific evidence, but it is a nice view on what's been said here.

http://www.tommangan.net/twoheeldrive/index.php/2009/04/17/hiking-as-therapy/