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GetHiking! Health Benefits

Hiking regularly, or making a hike a part of your regular exercise regimen, can have a dramatic impact on your physical and mental health. It’s something nearly everyone can do, and it’s a lifelong activity, something you can do long after your body has said no to more aggressive outdoor pursuits.

Hiking reduces your chances of heart disease.
Hiking on a regular basis can lower your blood pressure by 4 to 10 points.
A frequent walk in the woods can help reduce your chances of getting diabetes. If you already have the disease, hiking, combined with a proper diet, can reduce or even eliminate the need for insulin therapy.
As a weight-bearing exercise, hiking can help stave off osteoporosis.
A regular exercise program centered around hiking, coupled with a sound diet, can help you achieve and maintain a healthy weight. Depending upon your pace and other factors, you can burn up to 500 calories per hour hiking.
A walk in the woods can clear your head — and that’s not us talking, that’s your endorphins, according to recent studies. It’s also effective at reducing stress and relieving anxiety.
Hiking improves muscle fitness.
Hiking lower your risk of high cholesterol and triglycerides.
Hiking can lower your risk of colon and breast cancer.
After a good hike you’ll sleep better.

Sources: American Heart Association, Diabetes Institute, WebMD.com, University of Southern California, American Cancer Society, National Sleep Foundation.

GetHiking! Meetup programs

GetHiking! has Meetup-based hiking groups in North Carolina in Charlotte, the Triad, the Triangle and Western North Carolina, and in Charlottesville and Virginia Beach in Virginia., with a combined membership of more than 8,200. Emphasis for each group is on local hikes; about once a month we try to do a combined hike, either in the mountains, the Uwharrie National Forest or at one of the larger state parks in the Piedmont.

Find out what hikes we have coming up, what hikes we’ve done and sign up for the GetHiking! Meetup nearest you, by visiting:

North Carolina

GetHiking! Charlotte

GetHiking! Triad

GetHiking! Triangle

GetHiking! Western North Carolina

We also have an affiliate in Greenville, N.C., GetExploring! Greenville

Virginia

GetHiking! Charlottesville

GetHiking! Virginia Beach

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GetGoingNC Blog

10 Coastal Escapes Made for These Times November 14, 2024
Once again, we find ourselves in need of hikes that aid in our escape, that help to calm the mind. They won’t necessarily solve our problems, but they will give us temporary escape. Sometimes, that’s all you can ask for. Today’s five hikes are all at the coast, and best hiked during the cooler, less […]
9 Long Hikes to Help Restore Your Spirit November 7, 2024
Wednesday morning I needed the calming powers of a long walk. Trouble was, I couldn’t think of a walk long enough to help. The 1,150-mile Mountains-to-Sea Trail? The 2,189-mile Appalachian Trail? The 6,800-mile American Discovery Trail? Compounding the problem: I had to get to work. I had maybe two hours at best to hike. And […]
Embrace the dark, with a night hike October 30, 2024
It’s happening, people! Starting this Sunday, that dwindling daylight will sharply ratchet back an hour. So, while you might be able to sneak in a quick hike after work this evening before the sun sets at 6:19 p.m., next week you’ll be hard pressed to hike before the 5:12 p.m. sunset. What to do? Night […]
Find peak color on these Piedmont trails October 24, 2024
Last weekend, we noticed a smattering of color in the Piedmont. By midweek, autumn was in full kaleidoscopic bloom, with a flush of reds (scarlet and red oaks), a flare of yellows (sycamores, poplars and ashes) and the occasional splash of brilliant orange, courtesy the sugar maple. That transition underscored how quickly fall color comes […]
The latest on visiting WNC October 17, 2024
We’ve had two weeks of gorgeous fall weather, which makes a hiker think of just one thing: a hike in the mountains. Alas, that’s not as easy as it’s been in the past. The mountains of Western North Carolina in particular continue the long road to recovery from Hurricane Helene. But progress is being made: […]

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GetHiking! Health Benefits

GetHiking! Meetup programs

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