by Angela V 
I am lucky to have a pretty nice exercise routine that I follow every week. Even though I love my routine I always end up exercising indoors. Once the weather is nicer and summer approaches I get the urge to gets some of my workouts done outside.
Since it is harder to get out of the house to workout outside during weekdays we take advantage of the weekends and we often go explore different parks in our city. We go hiking and enjoy the fresh air with our two boys, discovering new beautiful places together.
Below are some of the top health benefits of family hiking, there are so many great reason to get outside
- Improved cardio-vascular health for everyone: Hiking is a fantastic way to get some exercise without being stuck at the gym. You can hike at your own level and plan a location and difficulty level that suits everyone. Hiking is safe and fun for the boys and it helps burn energy in a healthy way. You will also be burning a ton of calories without even thinking about it!
- Getting your Daily Dose of Vitamin D: Vitamin D is very important for all of us to keep our muscles and bones strong. The best source of vitamin D is the sun and just 10 minutes of sunshine will help you maintain a healthy level of vitamin D. A mix of fresh air and sun is the best for our family.
- Makes you Happy: This is a great one. Have you ever felt overwhelmed or stressed and closed your eyes to think about a peaceful gorgeous location? Well, hiking can make you happier, being outdoors and experiencing the beautiful views can help elevate your mood. A great way to get rid of stress and spend quality family time.
There are many more benefits of hiking as a family, after a hike we all sleep better at night and our fitness levels are also improving every week. Taking hikes can also help increase your bone density and fight arthritis and osteoporosis! Hiking can happen all year long as well, you can hike during the winter, we’ve had some pretty magical hikes on the snow as well.
We are always looking for new places to explore. Any local places you can recommend for family hikes? Please share your favourites in the comments below.
25 Comments on “Top 3 Health Benefits of Family Hiking”
Love you sense of adventure with young kids!
We love hiking with our children too. Great photos, your boys are adorable.
I don’t go hiking but I do think it’s a great thing to do especially with kids. Now if there was a coffee shop (preferably Timmie’s) at the half way point I’d be all for it. I could walk miles to get to a good coffee shop. 🙂
We just got back from a great walk on a nature trail, it was just a mini walk compared to most times as my little one insisted on bringing her doll stroller lol…….there’s a lot of scenic routes in the Niagara region!
We’re big fans of taking long family walks and hikes. It’s beautiful to see the changing of the seasons and all the different plants and animals during our adventures, and it definitely makes for quality family time.
Love that last pic……I love hiking in the winter!
I’m very religious about taking my daily vitamin D. It’s much more important than I ever realized after talking to my doctor.
So much fun! I love ti when we get out and do this. We just need to make it happen more often!
It’s been raining non stop here in PG (it’s like we’re in Van or something 😉 ). I can’t wait for the sun to come out so we can do some family hiking. It always puts me in the best of moods!
We love to get out in the fresh air and sunshine, especially now that the days are so warm. Love this post!
I think it also fosters a sense of adventure, exploration, adaptation, independence and enhances intelligence. Kids who hike and explore the outdoors, tend to me really successful in life and achieving their goals.
I love taking long family walks and hikes. It’s such a great way to enjoy the outdoors. Getting fresh air and vitamin D is so important.
We haven’t done any family hikes, we love our walks but my oldest daughter being autistic we struggle to get her to walk just around the neighborhood sometimes so a hike wouldn’t really work for us but I would love to go for hikes. walking through nature and staying active is essential
I love hiking but my boys aren’t a big fan yet (6 years old) so hoping to take some short hikes this summer while camping to expose them to it!
What great pics. I agree with the benefits that you listed and would also add that you often will sleep better.
I knew there was a reason why I loved hiking:)
Awesome tips and ideas,love all the photos
Its so nice to see families getting out and enjoying nature,i need to get out more!
I agree that hiking is fun as a family. It is so important children connect with the outdoors.
a fabulous way to take in nature and exercise
These top three health benefits of family hiking should give us all food for thought. Cardio-Vascular health is so important and it is important to have exercise as regularly as eating or sleeping. The benefits last a lifetime and it is wonderful to start so young. Children love to be with their parents. I see it in my great grands. Nobody really can take Mommy and Daddy’s place. Thank you for a thoughtful and positive post.
I love hiking but haven’t been doing it as much as I’d like to! I do hope to go on family hikes once my daughter is older.
I love hiking! It’s my favourite way to spend my time being active outdoors.
This is so great – we also love family hikes!
Nice pics! We love going on family hikes throughout the year.