Movement & Longevity
Hiking is much more than just a leisure activity—it's scientifically proven anti-aging training for body and mind. From strengthening your cardiovascular system to activating your immune system: discover the surprising health benefits of this underestimated sport.
Line items
Walking has a long history. From being a normal, tedious form of travel, it has evolved for us today into a leisure activity. And let's be honest—which other sport can combine movement, connection with nature, and social interaction as well?
The image of hiking is somewhat outdated, however. Even with children, the suggestion to go hiking usually doesn't meet with much enthusiasm…
But hiking really has something special to offer and is definitely not just for older people! Be curious to discover what unexpected health benefits this type of outdoor movement can have.
Let's first take a look at the well-known Blue Zones. The people there live particularly long and are highly physically active (1). When you look more closely at how they achieve this high level of movement, one thing stands out: walking is an important part of their daily routines. Errands are done this way, the commute to work involves covering additional distances on hilly terrain, and visiting relatives means something quite different…
But what lies behind the anti-aging effect of exercise? Simply put, the answer to this complex question is: it influences what happens in our cells. Whether metabolism, mitochondrial function, or protein synthesis—exercise modulates signaling pathways that play a crucial role in regulating aging (2,3). Furthermore, it's an effective tool against something cells really don't like: oxidative stress. It can significantly contribute to cellular aging and the development of age-related diseases in various organs (4–7).
And indeed, numerous studies today show the health effects associated with simple walking.
Regular brisk walking (approximately ≥2.5 hours per week) is associated with a 30% reduced risk of type 2 diabetes compared to almost no walking, for example (8).
A meta-analysis of 24 high-quality human studies (RCTs) also shows that regular brisk walking can improve several known risk factors for cardiovascular disease (9). This includes both reduced blood pressure and improved cardiorespiratory fitness (VO2max). This indicates how well the cardiovascular system can supply mitochondria and muscles with oxygen and thus ensure energy production.
We all know it. As the incline increases, normal walking suddenly becomes strenuous. The muscles along the front of the hip, knee, and ankle joints must work hard to push the center of the body uphill. Hiking on a mountain—against gravity—is a form of endurance strength training that puts relatively significant demands on the cardiovascular system.
And anyone who has run downhill for long knows: that can be more exhausting than going uphill! One of the muscles at the front of the thigh, the rectus femoris, must work comparatively even harder here (10). The muscle lengthens (instead of contracting) while maintaining tension—this is by definition eccentric resistance training, which often delivers stronger stimuli than conventional strength training.
By the time you're starting to huff and puff, you notice: hiking does much more for your muscles and cardiovascular system than a walk to the bakery. The same should apply to the health effects.
…is possible while hiking even in the rain. Because in addition to the many physical benefits, it has the potential to increase emotional and psychological well-being, improve mood, and reduce the risk of various mental health conditions (11,12).
And that's not all. So it doesn't catch you again next year: hiking could be the solution to the annual Christmas problem of lack of gift ideas. Because it makes you creative! In a study by scientists Oppezzo and Schwartz, walking compared to sitting increased the creative performance of study participants by as much as 60% (13).
Hiking can be especially restorative when the path leads through the forest. In the vicinity of trees, the nervous system can calm down and stress levels drop (14). And the scent that the essential oils contained in the wood release in the forest is simply wonderful. But there's something even more remarkable: the phytoncides responsible for this scent can increase the activity of natural killer cells and thus strengthen our immune system (15)!
Wait a minute. We don't mean your buddy from your youth whom you lost touch with years ago. Here, "old friends" refers to the countless microorganisms with positive effects on our immune system that we encounter in nature. In an increasingly urban environment with high hygiene standards, we encounter them less and less frequently.
This growing separation and the accompanying loss of biodiversity of the human microbiome raises many questions in research—both in the context of increasingly common allergies and other inflammatory diseases (16).
A trip to nature and contact with the tiniest creatures that bustle about on stones, in the soil, or in the air could quietly improve your health while your gaze gets lost in the distance and the wonderful landscape.
Speaking of gaze and distance. We're touching on another important point here that you might not immediately connect with hiking. It's about eye health.
On a hike on a cloudy day, you're moving about at a light intensity of approximately 5,000 lux. When the sun shines, you can reach as much as 100,000 lux. Indoors, where you're probably reading this text right now, the light intensity is only about 500 lux. The problem: the lack of high light intensities in everyday life is associated with an increased risk of developing myopia (17). Another reason to get out into nature!
As you've seen, there are many good reasons why hiking is healthy. Perhaps you'll use this very Sunday for a nice hike. Your "old friends" as well as your real friends are of course welcome to join you.
And before you argue with your hiking companions about who has to carry the backpack, consider the whole thing from this perspective: every kilogram on your back provides an additional muscle stimulus and contributes its part to the effects mentioned above ;\-)
Ungvari Z, Fazekas-Pongor V, Csiszar A, Kunutsor SK. The multifaceted benefits of walking for healthy aging: from Blue Zones to molecular mechanisms. GeroScience. 26 July 2023;45(6):3211–39.
Chen K, Zheng Y, Wei JA, Ouyang H, Huang X, Zhang F, et al. Exercise training improves motor skill learning via selective activation of mTOR. Sci Adv. July 2019;5(7):eaaw1888.
Campos JC, Marchesi Bozi LH, Krum B, Grassmann Bechara LR, Ferreira ND, Arini GS, et al. Exercise preserves physical fitness during aging through AMPK and mitochondrial dynamics. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 10 January 2023;120(2):e2204750120.
Csiszar A, Ungvari Z, Edwards JG, Kaminski P, Wolin MS, Koller A, et al. Aging-induced phenotypic changes and oxidative stress impair coronary arteriolar function. Circ Res. 14 June 2002;90(11):1159–66.
Gioscia-Ryan RA, Battson ML, Cuevas LM, Zigler MC, Sindler AL, Seals DR. Voluntary aerobic exercise increases arterial resilience and mitochondrial health with aging in mice. Aging (Albany NY). 22 November 2016;8(11):2897–914.
Ungvari Z, Tarantini S, Donato AJ, Galvan V, Csiszar A. Mechanisms of Vascular Aging. Circ Res. 14 September 2018;123(7):849–67.
Gioscia-Ryan RA, Clayton ZS, Zigler MC, Richey JJ, Cuevas LM, Rossman MJ, et al. Lifelong voluntary aerobic exercise prevents age- and Western diet-induced vascular dysfunction, mitochondrial oxidative stress and inflammation in mice. J Physiol. February 2021;599(3):911–25.
Jeon CY, Lokken RP, Hu FB, van Dam RM. Physical activity of moderate intensity and risk of type 2 diabetes: a systematic review. Diabetes Care. March 2007;30(3):744–52.
Murphy MH, Nevill AM, Murtagh EM, Holder RL. The effect of walking on fitness, fatness and resting blood pressure: a meta-analysis of randomised, controlled trials. Prev Med. May 2007;44(5):377–85.
Franz JR, Kram R. The effects of grade and speed on leg muscle activations during walking. Gait & Posture. 1 January 2012;35(1):143–7.
Ball K, Timperio A, Salmon J, Giles-Corti B, Roberts R, Crawford D. Personal, social and environmental determinants of educational inequalities in walking: a multilevel study. J Epidemiol Community Health. February 2007;61(2):108–14.
Edwards MK, Loprinzi PD. Experimental effects of brief, single bouts of walking and meditation on mood profile in young adults. Health Promot Perspect. 2018;8(3):171–8.
Oppezzo M, Schwartz DL. Give your ideas some legs: the positive effect of walking on creative thinking. J Exp Psychol Learn Mem Cogn. July 2014;40(4):1142–52.
Park BJ, Tsunetsugu Y, Kasetani T, Hirano H, Kagawa T, Sato M, et al. Physiological effects of Shinrin-yoku (taking in the atmosphere of the forest)--using salivary cortisol and cerebral activity as indicators. J Physiol Anthropol. March 2007;26(2):123–8.
Li Q, Nakadai A, Matsushima H, Miyazaki Y, Krensky AM, Kawada T, et al. Phytoncides (wood essential oils) induce human natural killer cell activity. Immunopharmacol Immunotoxicol. 2006;28(2):319–33.
Hanski I, von Hertzen L, Fyhrquist N, Koskinen K, Torppa K, Laatikainen T, et al. Environmental biodiversity, human microbiota, and allergy are interrelated. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 22 May 2012;109(21):8334–9.
French AN, Ashby RS, Morgan IG, Rose KA. Time outdoors and the prevention of myopia. Exp Eye Res. September 2013;114:58–68.
