4 reasons why you should take time off and go hiking

This is us right before we started! 

 

I am a workaholic. I like to work long days, set long to-do lists to feel the pleasure of accomplishment when I finish it at the end of the day. But as always in life this medal has two sides: as much as I like to work, get inspired, build new businesses and realize projects as much I have problems to switch off my head, to fall a sleep and to just do nothing. For that reason (and for some quality time) we went off to the mountains for hiking last week. For Christmas we got new hiking boots and practically now six months later we did the first full tour with them – without any blister!!!

When I was a child we never went hiking and I wouldn’t complain about it. Being a child I hated walking, biking or anything that implied me moving my body until I sweat. And when I tell people about how much I love hiking nowadays they tell me often that they had to hike when they were children and they still hate it.

Maybe you feel similar and think it is old fashioned, boring, just walking. Here are a few reasons why I think you should try hiking:

It get’s your body moving

Being behind the desk all day I get to move on wedding days or when you decide to go for a run. Hiking starts just like a simple walk and the longer you walk the more you feel every inch of your body. Last week I truly felt the pain as we lost track and walked a lot more than we expected in the beginning and it felt so good to feel the pain of movement.

The moment comes where you stop thinking

I never thought this would be possible but when we start the tour my mind is loud singing and screaming at me. It feels like it runs crazy with all the things that happened the last time and ideas for the future just run wild in my head. But the great thing is the longer you walk the less you think specially about work. At one point you only think about your next step, the next pause, your feet and at once just nothing….

 You can set your own pace

In contrast to working days where you have meetings, emails and to do lists where everything has to go quickly and you work like a machine when you go hiking you walk at your own pace. You have nothing to do than finishing your itinerary that day and you can do it in your own speed. Believe me this feels like an unexpected freedom that you almost forgot.

You feel the pride of accomplishment

Once we finish a route and we walk the last 5 steps towards our car or a restaurant or wherever we finish that day we feel pride: we made it. 25km last Thursday felt like a milestone for me. I never hiked that far before and this accomplishment made me feel so proud of myself.

PS: Don’t forget the sun protection, I had the worst sunburn….