If you’re scaling a famous mountain, climbing a boulder or even just going up an indoor rock wall it all uses a lot of physical effort and stamina.
I have been preparing to climb Kilimanjaro for 4 months now and I feel absolutely fantastic! The practice I have been doing combined with the workouts has left me feeling like a new person, my body is in better shape and I am now much more focused mentally in my daily life.
If you’ve ever done any type of rock climbing then I am sure you know what I am talking about here. Climbing leads to a healthy lifestyle that will have a knock effect in all areas of you life. I started to do a little research to see if I could back up the way I was feeling and find out if other climbers felt the same, I was not surprised to see that everything I read confirmed what I already knew – climbing is good for the mind body and soul!
Build your muscle and endurance
If at the beginning you are like you me you would think that climbing is all about your upper body strength, it is in fact about much more than that. Your lower body is just as important, your footwork is key and there are a whole host of other factors involved.
The health benefits of climbing cannot be ignored, in just one hour people burn around seven hundred calories! Add to that your improved endurance and flexibitly and you know that you’re on to a winner here.
Get your brain working
It is true that climbing ail actually improve your brain function! So not only will you build your lean muscle and improve cardio but you will also work out your brain. Climbing involves a lot of practical problem solving skills at each moment. At no point can you lose focus, this increased level of focus and concentration during your workout will impact on your brain’s ability to function in other areas of your daily life as well.
Get rid of the stress
Nearly all forms of exercise has been proven to get rid of stress, this is because when we exercise we increase the levels of norepinephrine in our brain – this chemical is what our brain uses to respond to stress. So when we go climbing outdoors we can be safe in the knowledge that we are lowering our stress levels as well as getting all the other benefits listed above!
