This simple outdoor activity can improve Americans’ health, says governor
One U.S. governor is telling Americans to take a hike – literally.
West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey is encouraging residents to get outside and walk at least one mile per day.
The state plans to designate official “Mountaineer Mile trails” in its 32 state parks that have hiking trails.
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The MAHA-supporting governor spoke with Fox News Digital on Tuesday while at HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy’s announcement of impending food dye bans.
“We’re getting a lot of traction with our Mountaineer Mile, and everyone knows the importance of getting out and working and walking. That’s really starting to gain a lot of strength in West Virginia,” said Morrisey.
Getting Americans healthy again will require a multipronged approach to reducing rates of obesity, diabetes, stroke and congestive heart failure, according to the governor.
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“You’re taking the crap out of the food, you’re incentivizing people to eat good food … making sure people are working and have purposeful lives, and then we’re also encouraging people to go out and exercise.”
Hiking can help build stronger muscles and bones, improve balance, boost heart health and decrease the risk of respiratory problems, according to the National Park Service.
“150 minutes of walking a week has been shown to extend your lifespan by up to seven years.”
Celebrity trainer Jillian Michaels has touted the benefits of walking, previously telling Fox News Digital that she encourages Americans to have a daily step goal.
“150 minutes of walking a week has been shown to extend your lifespan by up to seven years,” she said at the time. “Something simple like that goes such a long way.”
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Starting with a simple goal of 5,000 steps a day and using a walking pad is a great way to begin, according to Michaels.
Hiking in nature has also been shown to reduce anxiety and depression.
Stanford researchers have found that people who walked for 90 minutes in a natural outdoor setting showed decreased activity in a region of the brain linked to depression.
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“These results suggest that accessible natural areas may be vital for mental health in our rapidly urbanizing world,” said co-author Gretchen Daily, the Bing Professor in Environmental Science and a senior fellow at the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment, in a study report.
“Our findings can help inform the growing movement worldwide to make cities more livable, and to make nature more accessible to all who live in them.”