Les randonnées Hot Girl sont les nouvelles promenades Hot Girl, et elles sont encore meilleures pour votre cœur, votre équilibre et votre santé mentale

À l’époque où je vivais en Floride, je me contentais de passer mes soirées à flâner dans le centre commercial voisin avec mon chien pour me détendre. Pas plus. Maintenant que je connais le bonheur d’une randonnée après le travail dans les Flatirons, mes simples promenades dans le quartier me semblent un peu fades. Et je ne suis pas le seul à échanger les jambes de mon tapis roulant contre des lacets. Katie Gassman compte plus de 32 000 abonnés sur son compte TikTok @hotgirlhikes consacré à vanter les bonnes nouvelles concernant les activités de plein air ; elle organise également des randonnées de groupe entre filles chaudes pour celles qui recherchent des copines avec qui partir à l’aventure.

Et il s’avère que de nombreuses données scientifiques expliquent pourquoi nous avons envie de passer du temps sur les sentiers. Edward Phillips, MD, professeur agrégé de médecine physique et de réadaptation à la Harvard Medical School et co-animateur de l’événement Nourriture, nous devons parler podcast, dit que la randonnée vous offre tous les avantages physiques et mentaux de la marche, plus quelques-uns.

« Il y a de merveilleux avantages pour votre esprit à prévenir la dépression, l’anxiété, toutes ces choses simplement en faisant une courte promenade », explique Phillips. « Donc, vous bénéficiez de tous ces avantages et ensuite, comme le disaient les anciennes publicités : attendez, il y a plus. »

Quelle est la différence entre la marche et la randonnée ?

Certes, la frontière est floue. Pour Phillips, la distinction réside souvent dans l’intention et la préparation. Si vous n’y réfléchissez pas à deux fois avant de choisir vos chaussures, quel sera votre itinéraire, si le temps risque de changer ou si vous devez emporter de la nourriture et de l’eau, vous partez probablement vous promener.

D’un autre côté, si vous enfilez des chaussures de randonnée plus robustes, emballez des couches supplémentaires, prévoyez de marcher sur un terrain accidenté et examinez votre itinéraire à l’avance, il s’agit probablement d’une randonnée.

Les randonnées ne nécessitent pas nécessairement un certain kilométrage ou une certaine altitude, explique Phillips. Mais cela implique souvent d’explorer de nouveaux endroits et d’être dans la nature. L’avantage de la randonnée ? Cela peut être aussi doux ou aussi sauvage que vous le souhaitez – dans tous les cas, vous en récolterez les bénéfices.

What are the benefits of hiking versus walking?

Walking is the most popular form of exercise in the world, and for good reason. There’s the longevity, bone strength, cardiovascular, and brain health benefits. Walking can boost your immune system, soothe joint pain, reduce the risk of breast cancer, and even quell your cravings for sweets, according to Harvard Medical School. But you get all those perks and more when you transform that walk into a hike.

1. Hiking challenges your heart and leg muscles

Trekking across a rolling trail is nature’s own interval training, Phillips says. Hikes often include various uphill and downhill sections, which leads to a natural undulation in effort. “You’re going to work harder going up. Your heart rate is going to come up. Your breathing is going to increase, and then when you’re coming down, you have a chance to relax a little bit,” he says.

This variation in incline demands more from your muscles than a typical stroll around the community’s retention pond. Your glutes fire up to help you conquer the uphill portions, and then your quads engage on the descent, acting as your body’s natural brakes, Phillips says. And these changes in incline don’t have to be dramatic: Even gentle hills can work muscles we don’t activate on a flat walk.

2. Hiking can improve your balance

Since hiking often takes place on terrain that’s a little rougher than your residential sidewalk, it’s an excellent way to challenge your balance. All of the movements you make throughout a hike, from stepping over a big rock to walking across a log, train your body to maintain its equilibrium under a slew of different circumstances. “And the more you challenge any system in your body, the more your body is going to adapt and get better at it,” says Phillips So if you find yourself stumbling down a trail littered with loose stones or take an unintentional dip in a babbling brook, don’t fret. Your next foray into the forest will likely be a little smoother.

3. Hiking can increase happiness and decrease stress

Perhaps more potent than the physical benefits of hiking are the mental perks. Studies have shown that people who spend meaningful time in nature report increased levels of happiness, positive social interactions, and purpose in life, according to the American Psychological Association. And the effects outweigh those seen by walking in urban environments: A pair¹ of² 2015 studies showed that, compared to their city-walking counterparts, people who took strolls in nature showed less anxiety, less rumination, and less activity in a part of the brain linked to depression.

Even the shapes we see on the trails can have a calming effect, Field Trip Health psychotherapist Mike Dow, PsyD, author of The Brain Fog Fix, previously told Well+Good. “Cities are made up of sharp angles from things like buildings, which the subconscious can perceive as danger, spiking adrenaline and cortisol levels,” he says. “Walking in nature exposes you to fractals, the soothing shapes that make up the universe (like seashells, snowflakes, and trees), allowing your serotonin levels to climb naturally.”

Phillips encourages hikers to try out the Japanese practice of “forest bathing,” a type of mobile meditation where you focus on the sights, sounds, and smells of the natural environment around you rather than, say, gabbing with your girlfriend about the latest work gossip. Studies³ show that slowing down to take in the natural environment around us on a hike can help put us into a more relaxed state.

4. Hiking can deepen relationships

People often recruit friends to hike with them, both for safety and enjoyment. And walking a few miles in the woods with your loved ones can help cultivate meaningful relationships. One study⁴ at the University of California, Irvine, for instance, found that sharing a sense of awe outside can bring us closer to each other.

Hiking can also make conversations easier. “You are often more concerned about your breath as you walk up an incline, or focused on the beautiful surroundings, and communication may flow easier,” psychologist Alyson Nerenberg previously told Well+Good about the relationship benefits of hiking.

Not in the mood to chat? Phillips says even hiking in silence with another person can foster feelings of connection.

It doesn’t take much

While all these physical and mental bonuses might inspire you to climb the closest peak you can find, just know that much like hot girl walks, hot girl hikes don’t need to be extreme to invoke all the advantages. Though longer hikes may offer deeper rewards. “We know the benefits are dose-dependent,” says Dr. Dow. “Having a long, unstructured, and meditative period of time in nature can better rebalance your neurotransmitter levels as you move from ‘doing’ to ‘being’ mode.”

That said, you probably want to leave Kilimanjaro to the pros. Just go after whatever trail near you feels accessible and fires up your own sense of adventure.