Top Metro Vancouver hiking trails

Before the winter season sets in and the local mountains – and streets – are covered with snow and slush, many hiking enthusiasts are looking to cram in some last-minute hiking. Here are some great hiking trails in the Metro Vancouver area.

Top 10 hiking trails according to Trailpeak

Health benefits of regular hiking

Adults

Improved cardio health
Improved muscle tone
Lower risk of heart disease and stroke, high blood pressure and Type 2 Diabetes, high cholesterol and triglycerides, and lung, breast and colon cancer
Increased bone density, or a slower loss of density
Reduced depression
Better sleep
Lower risk of early death. “If you are active for 7 hours a week, your risk of dying early is 40% lower than someone active for less than 30 minutes a week.”
Weight maintenance. Hiking burns up to 370 calories per hour (this applies to a 154 pound individual).

Kids

Kids who love hitting the trails and taking in the sights get many of the same benefits as adults. These benefits include:

Improved cardiorespiratory and muscular fitness
Better bone health
Less chance of becoming overweight
Less chance of developing risk factors for heart disease, high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes
Possibly reduced risk of depression and feeling less stress, more ready to learn in school
Sleeping better at night

For both adults and kids, hiking requires using almost every muscle:

Legs
Knees
Ankles
Arms
Hips and butt
Abs
Shoulders
Neck

And, as Ignacio Malpica, a certified fitness instructor and personal trainer in Boulder, Colorado, says, hiking provides a lot of the same benefits as yoga, since it benefits an individual’s body and mind. “It creates awareness in your eyes and ears and the rest of your senses.”

Find hiking equipment on Kijiji.

Image: www.funhiking.com