Whether you are usually a city rat or a country rat, hiking is an excellent way to keep fit while enjoying nature, halfway between sport and leisure. Alone or in a group, on marked or unmarked terrain, hiking only requires being well equipped. Few other physical activities can claim to this extent to bring their participants in contact with the sublime of nature - along majestic coastlines, overlooking a raging ocean from cliffs, flying over a sea of clouds in the peaks... - with the possible exception of extreme sports, which are far more dangerous and not recommended at an advanced age. Family sport par excellence, from 7 to 77 years old, here is all the same what you need to know to practice it as an elderly person.
A gentle sport, hiking is undoubtedly the most suitable for seniors, and for maintaining a body that is no longer as vigorous as it was in its heyday. Walking allows you to work all your muscles in depth and gently. No need to draw on its ultimate resources to complete a course - if it is practiced correctly, at least. Because you must always be aware of your limits and not attack someone stronger than yourself. Choose a course adapted to your level, and adapt your approach to it. The faster it is, the more the walk will of course tone your body, but the goal is not to find yourself lost and exhausted in the middle of a forest.
Among the health benefits of hiking is the maintenance of the cardiovascular system – less risk of clogging your arteries when the heart muscle is regularly used to send blood where it is needed. This is valid even for cardiac people, since hiking being an endurance sport, it does not suddenly and intensely solicit the cardiovascular capacities. However, this does not in any way exclude carrying out a cardiac check-up before embarking on the hike! It therefore has both curative and preventive virtues in this regard, especially at an age when the heart tends to run out of steam. It is not the only one:the lungs also struggle more with age, especially if you have smoked – a vice that does not really rhyme with hiking elsewhere. However, it also has very positive effects on the maintenance of the respiratory system, stimulated by the effort - in particular when it is practiced at high altitude, where the scarcity of oxygen puts it to the test.
Among the other virtues of this activity, we can also note its role in the fight against osteoporosis, this disease which weakens the skeleton and frequently affects women after menopause. Indeed, the impacts on the bone structure made during walking constitute microtraumas. If this does not sound like good news, think again, since our body, even at an advanced age, shines with its regenerative abilities. It will therefore fill in these microscopic cracks and make the bones even more resistant, a bit like how the lesions inflicted on the muscle mass during exercise lead to muscle gain. Similarly, the cartilage is also maintained by hiking, which makes it an excellent way to fight against osteoarthritis.
In short, walking, practiced at your own pace and according to your physical abilities and your level of experience, will have very positive virtues on your body by its gentleness - provided of course that you practice it regularly. Like any gentle physical activity, it is only after regular practice over a long period that you will feel the beneficial effects, and it is not so much you who will feel them as your body, in depth, who will thank you. Be careful, as often before starting any physical activity, it is better to seek the advice of your doctor, especially if you already suffer from particular problems, and if you are over 70 years old. Although hiking is a relatively gentle activity, it depends above all on your practice of it. And although it has preventive and curative virtues for certain people, for example cardiac, if any pathology exists, it is always essential to discuss with your doctor on this subject.
What your doctor is not likely to discourage you on – and neither your psychiatrist! — these are the virtues of hiking for morale. It is proven that contact with nature, as with sylvotherapy, is full of benefits for this one. The level of cortisol - this hormone decked out with the nice nickname of "stress hormone" - in the blood is reduced, for example, following long walks in the forest. However, few other physical activities can compete with hiking in terms of contact with nature, whether we are talking about immersion or variety of landscapes. The French territory, just him, is dotted with marked trails, starting with the long-distance hiking trails (GR), which allow you to discover the national territory in all its diversity, between coasts and mountains. Enough to reduce your anxiety by taking advantage of extraordinary vistas.
Often practiced in groups, hiking is also an excellent way to fight against the loneliness and isolation that affect many elderly people, especially after the loss of a partner. It is a social activity to be practiced with friends, which therefore makes it possible to rebuild this bond often weakened following retirement. Likewise, it can be done as a family, and allow you to get closer to your children and grandchildren.
Because of its virtues and its minimal physical commitment, hiking is also the first sport recommended by doctors during depressive episodes or simple low morale. While it is of course useless to reply to people suffering from depression that all they have to do is "get out of their homes and get some fresh air" as if it were a vulgar problem of idleness, it is certain that hiking can contribute to getting out of it, associated with an appropriate treatment - just as it will only have positive virtues on the body if we take care of it in other ways, avoiding harmful products such as smoking and adopting a balanced diet!
Be careful, if hiking is full of virtues and allows you to gently maintain your body as well as your morale, the fact remains that you are no longer as dashing once retired as during your glorious youth. Because yes, the body remains more fragile, even if the effort required is not necessarily the most intense. We are more sensitive to pain and effort, as well as to climatic conditions, we lose our balance and we are more fragile in the event of a fall... So let's avoid being daredevils, and leave informed and prepared. A person new to hiking and without experience will obviously not have the same abilities as someone who has done it all his life. Finally, as mentioned above, a cardiac assessment should be carried out systematically after the age of 65, in order to be aware of one's capacities, and therefore of one's limits.
If you're not sure where to turn when you're a beginner, be aware that there are many experienced guides offering group formulas which, if they are not openly dedicated to seniors, are classified according to their level of difficulty, and therefore more suited to one or the other. The destinations are just as varied as there are landscapes in France (or abroad for that matter) and different services can be offered depending on the desired level of comfort, such as carrying luggage between stages for example. No excuse not to get started!
Once launched, there is no need to overwork yourself, nor to compare yourself to the youngest. Hiking is an individual and recreational sport, not a competitive one. It's okay to ask for breaks or help, if some sections are too difficult for you. It is important before you start to warm up, by stretching and starting with a slower pace than your cruising speed. Just because hiking is full of health benefits doesn't mean there's no risk of injury, whether it's a broken bone from a fall or chronic conditions like tendonitis.
Finally, equip yourself appropriately. Quality walking shoes are of course essential before starting. Walking sticks are much more efficient than canes, and reduce the load on your joints. Of course, remember to pack enough snacks and water, as well as something to cover yourself with – without weighing you down like a mule!
As you will have understood, it is never too late to hike, provided you take the necessary precautions.
