Have you ever felt like you need a break from training & to want to get away from the city for a bit? If you do, I recommend going to the mountains to go for a hike. All the martial arts training you go through can be draining, & hiking is one of the best activities to help you recover.
Based on my experience, going to the mountains hiking different trails has been beneficial for my overall health. It may be a rest day for me, but it’s a light activity that helps keep my conditioning up to par.
Since hiking is such a positive experience, I want to tell you why you should do it for an active recovery activity.
At the top of Ha Ling Peak
Table of Contents
6 Reasons Hiking is the Best Active Recovery Activity For Martial Artists
1. Keeps You Conditioned
Hiking may be a low-intensity type of cardiovascular activity, but it for sure has benefits for helping you stay conditioned for martial arts. Keeping my heart rate low while walking around the trails was still great for maintaining my endurance.
When I got back into training after my active rest day of hiking, my conditioning felt mint. The recovery from hiking felt as if I developed a boost in energy & not feeling as tired during & after a session.
2. Allows You To Work On Your Balance
For an active recovery activity or exercise, training your balance is a great one to do. Hiking is one exercise for balance since going on rocky or high elevation trails allows you to work on it. In Martial Arts, balance is an essential aspect of anything you do in it.
So based on my experience, hiking has allowed me to develop better stability for martial arts.
3. Helps Reset Your Mind
Whenever I have a getaway to go on hikes at different trails, my mind always goes into a reset mode. During the hiking moments, observing nature causes you to forget about reality.
When you’re in the moment of just exploring what’s out in the outdoor environment, you feel relaxed because you’re enjoying the beautiful views. This experience causes a reset in your mind, which gives you the feeling of starting fresh.
4. It Makes You Happier
If you’re doing the same routine over & over during your rest day, it can get boring after a while. Going hiking for active recovery is beneficial for enhancing your mood, which is great before going back to a hard week of training.
So if you go on hikes to explore what’s in the mountains, the beautiful views you see will make you happier. If you’re hiking on a hot sunny day, the Vitamin D you get also enhances your mood.
Research says exposure to sunlight helps the brain release your Seratonin hormone, which calms the mind down & boosts your mood
5. Reduces Stress
After a week of training, it’s a possibility that the mind can feel stressed out from all the hard work. Not only because of hard training but also from life-related tasks. To relieve the stress, going on a hike will do the trick.
As mentioned, going hiking helps make you happier & to forget about reality. Feeling that way for sure reduce stress levels since your appreciating the moment of enjoying nature.
6. Helps Improve Your Sleep
An adventurous time of observing & exploring what’s out in the outdoors can help improve your sleep. With a clearer mind, reduction of stress, & mood enhancement to eliminate negative thoughts, you can sleep a lot better.
Sleep is essential for a martial artist because you need to be well-rested if you want to have a solid training session.
Conclusion
After a day of hiking, you will feel a difference in how you feel physically & mentally. The experience of exploring nature makes you feel grateful, happier & stress-free. Therefore, once you get back into the martial arts gym, you feel like a whole new you during training.
Since hiking allows you to stay conditioned & develop a clearer mind, you’ll see that your energy & level of focus enhance when training.
If you have any more questions about the reasons hiking is the best active recovery activity for martial artists, please leave us a comment, or send an email.
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Hi there! I’m Austin, editor & owner of the Mixed Martial Arts Life or Lifestyle (MMAL) blog. Martial Arts have been one of my biggest passions for years & I have spent most of my life learning different types of disciplines. To find out more about my adventures & passion for martial arts, read all about it here on my blog.
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