People’s preferences when it comes to travel are changing. Every time tourists opt for nature excursions where they can go hiking. It is not that city tourism has been left aside, but that the public is more spread out. So much so that, in recent years, many organized hiking tour companies are springing up across Europe, such as Orbis Ways.
Of course, for beginners it is a relief to find qualified professionals in this field who can inform you in a general way about aspects such as obtaining permits to go through some areas, weather conditions, the routes that can be done, etc.
What do you have to know before hiking?
Hiking is not the same as trekking. The first refers to walking along marked trails and the route does not last more than one day. And the second, the paths are not marked and you can do it in several days or stages. Whichever you choose, there are things you should know before you get started.
If you are a beginner, you will have to train gradually to avoid injuries since your body is not used to working so intensely and you can suffer damage. Likewise, you should avoid putting on new shoes. The foot has not adapted to these shoes, so they can hurt and cause blisters.
If you plan to ride a route that has climbs, you should make the ascent in short steps at a steady pace. Do not go to accelerate the pace to arrive before because you do not know how much you have left and you can reach the end very tired. During the ascent, you will notice that the twins begin to perceive the overexertion. A very simple and effective trick to give those muscles a break is to slightly change the position in which you support your foot. Just tilt it just a little bit. In this way, a different group of muscles begins to work and the load of the effort is distributed. It won’t take long for you to notice great relief from overworked muscles.
Another very important thing that will depend on whether you have more or less overload is the fastening of the backpack. It has to be adapted to the lower back. This way you don’t put all the weight on your shoulders. And water always at hand. It seems silly, but when you’re walking at a good pace, it’s uncomfortable having to interrupt it to take off your backpack, grab your water bottle and start again.
Benefits of hiking
Once you have prepared yourself, you have organized your route and everything you have to take with you, you just need to enjoy the healthy benefits that hiking brings you. Walking for pleasure reduces stress and anxiety. In addition, the fact of spending time doing physical exercise produces satisfaction since, in turn, it tones the muscles of the legs, buttocks and abdominals. In fact, walking outside burns more calories than a treadmill.
Contact with nature makes you reset your mind. Long walks breathing clean air positively affect the body. Much more so in young people whose natural defense system is strengthened and their thermoregulation capacity is sharpened. When exposed to solar radiation, it promotes the production of vitamin D with positive effects on the skeletal and immune systems; so the risk of contracting diseases typical of the cold months is reduced.
As far as the body is concerned, it stimulates the production of red blood cells, providing more oxygen to the muscles and improving physical performance. In turn, it helps lower blood pressure, heart rate, and cholesterol values. Therefore, it contributes to reducing cardiovascular diseases, obesity and overweight, diabetes and osteoporosis, respectively.
Why should you do the Camino de Santiago?
It should be mandatory for all people to do the Camino de Santiago at least once in their life. The Camino de Santiago is more than going through different places, at different stages to reach a destination.
It is an inner journey, you have a lot of time to connect with yourself, be alone with yourself, think, meditate, reset your head and be in the present moment because there is only you and the path. Although there are more people, the Camino de Santiago is a very personal journey, of reunion with yourself, in which each one lives it in a different way. You have time to listen to yourself, see what you feel, what hurts, what calms you down, what scares you or what paralyzes you. Walking for several days in a row has been shown to promote meditation.
It is all a personal discovery. For this reason, everyone should do the Camino de Santiago once in their life. Did you know that walking for pleasure is constituted as a relaxing and de-stressing activity? That would be, in fact, the first and most important psychological benefit of doing the Camino: stress reduction. Are you ready to start?
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