Why are climbing and hillwalking so good for us?
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The health and well being benefits of physical activity are numerous. Apart from the obvious physical benefits, there are many mental health and social perks to hillwalking and climbing too.
The Covid-19 pandemic lockdowns served as a catalyst to more and more people realising just how important time outside and physical activity was to their wellbeing, and in recent years, they have even been prescribed by doctors as a supporting treatment for mental and physical health conditions. Regular participation in hill and mountain walking now stands at 3.58 million, according to a post-pandemic Sport England Active Lives report, but what exactly is so great about it?
For those taking their first foray into climbing or hillwalking, returning after a break or even veteran climbers and walkers who simply need a reminder: here's just a handful of reasons why climbing and hillwalking are good for us all.
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Benefits of hill walking
Physical health: Walking is one of the easiest and cheapest ways of exercising. Regular brisk walking will improve performance of the heart, lungs and circulation, as well as lower blood pressure. Find out more about the health benefits of walking on the Ramblers website.
Regular walking has been shown to reduce the risk of chronic illnesses, such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, asthma, stroke and some cancers Find out more about walking for health.
Mental health and well being: Walking may be more powerful than we realise. It helps us cope at work by helping de-stress amongst nature, it 'heals' our brains, helps us concentrate, makes us more creative and can help treat depression.
Benefits of climbing
Physical health: Climbing uses lots of muscle groups, both in the upper and lower body. Your back, abdominal and leg muscles all get exercised as well as your fingers, shoulders and arms.
Regular climbing can improve stamina and endurance as well as muscle strength. In addition, all the reaching and stretching for holds improves flexibility and agility. Getting out and about in the outdoors, walking to reach the crag you wish to climb on, is also good aerobic exercise.
Mental health and well being: Climbing offers a wealth of health benefits that are not just physical. It improves your self-esteem, mental agility and self awareness. It’s a great stress-buster and a full body workout, so it’s good for general wellbeing.
Climbing requires a lot of problem solving, mental concentration and focus, so it helps sharpen your brain. A lot of people like it as it allows you to escape everyday worries and just focus on the climb. It also can give a great sense of achievement.
Climbing can be a very sociable activity, you develop strong friendships with your climbing partners due to the level of trust involved and through sharing challenges and experiences. Read about the health benefits of climbing on the NHS Choices website.
Benefits of being close to nature
The need to respect and preserve the natural environment is never more apparent than to those who visit, explore and enjoy the landscape in which they undertake their activities. Public recreation and access to our countryside and green spaces are fundamental to people’s understanding and enjoyment of the natural environment, but walkers and climbers can still only access 11% of England and Wales currently. Often these 'permissive' sites are remote mountain, moorlands, heath and coastlines, meaning they’re only accessible to people who live there or who can afford the cost of travel and overnight stays, and the harmful effects from disconnection with nature – sometimes called ‘Nature Deficit Disorder’ - are increasingly recognised by the scientific community.
Unless people are able to access the natural environment they are unlikely to want to take action to enhance/conserve it – supporting recreational activities such as hillwalking and climbing are key to connecting the public with the natural environment. Championed by 42 leading national governing bodies and environmental organisations including the BMC, the Outdoors For All Manifesto aims to extend responsible access for everybody.
So - while the benefits are plentiful and numbers are up, there is still work to be done!
WATCH: Access Land | A BMC Right to Roam film
Inactivity statistics
As a nation we aren’t doing enough exercise to meet the amount recommended by the physical activity guidelines. Physical inactivity is associated with 1 in 6 deaths in the UK and is estimated to cost the UK £7.4 billion annually (including £0.9 billion to the NHS alone). Physical inactivity among today’s 11-25 year olds will cost the UK economy £53.3 billion over their lifetimes.
The UK population is around 20% less active than in the 1960s, and if this trends continue, it will be 35% less active by 2030, and one in four people in England do less than 30 minutes of physical activity a week.
The Ramblers offer tailored guidance on being more active for individuals with health conditions or mobility issues.
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