It seems like a easy question to answer at first, but “how fast will hiking tone legs” isn’t that simple a thing to pin an exact time frame on.
As we are all different shapes and sizes, and we will be hiking different routes at different speeds for different durations we will all get different results. However, if we consider the following, we might be able to come up with an acceptable figure.
Is Hiking A Good Exercise For Getting Rid Of Excess Fat And Toning Our Legs?
Firstly we need to ascertain whether Hiking is suitable for Fat Loss and Leg Toning. Luckily, the answer is yes, decades of Studies have shown that Hiking is one of the best exercises around for Burning Fat and Toning the Body.
Hiking is also inexpensive and it is accessible to almost everyone. The popularity of Hiking as one of the main pastimes for a healthy lifestyle is at an all time high, as there are so few barriers to getting started.
Very little equipment is needed and we get to choose the terrain that we are going to be hiking over and the intensity that we are going to work at. If we want to burn fat and tone up, the ball is very much in our court.
How Soon Will I See Results From Hiking?
How soon you will see results will depend on your condition when you start hiking and how hard you work. There are several variables that will affect the speed at which you will see your results:
- How out of shape you are
- Your percentage of body fat
- How much time you have available for hiking
- How long you hike for
- How far you hike
- The terrain you hike over
- The intensity you hike that terrain at
- How much additional weight you carry
All of the above will have a noticeable effect on how fast you will visibly see the effects of your hiking on your body. Although the effects may not be immediately visible, processes will be happening on the inside.
Fat will be replaced with muscle, your cardiovascular system will be improving, your blood pressure will be stabilising, you will be more flexible and your fitness will be improving, so don’t be disheartened if your outward physical appearance doesn’t change immediately.
Can Flabby Inner Thighs Be Toned By Hiking?
Flabby inner thighs will definitely be toned by hiking, providing you put in enough effort in to your hikes for the changes to take effect. As we mentioned earlier, there are numerous factors to consider to ensure you obtain the best results from hiking to tone up.
However, almost any form of hiking at all is going to tone your inner thighs, it just may take a little longer than you expect if you are slowly plodding along flat tracks around the edge of a lake, carrying only water and a snack in a small lightweight backpack.
Does Hiking Reduce Cellulite?
The appearance of the dreaded cellulite is caused by fatty deposits just below the surface of the skin, and I have to admit, it looks awful. Getting rid of excess fat such as belly fat and cellulite is probably the number one thing that drives people to take up exercise in the first place in my opinion.
The best way to burn off body fat, and therefore cellulite is by doing Cardio, and Hiking is one of the best forms of Fat Burning Cardio that I know of.
All we need to remember is that if we can burn off more calories than we are putting into our bodies by doing cardio such as hiking, our body will have to begin to use the stored fat deposits (Beer Bellies, Double Chins and Cellulite) for the energy that it requires to continue. It really is that simple. I can never understand why people think this is complicated.
Is It Ok To Hike 7 Days A Week?
Hiking 7 days a week is fine. I have done it for years as have many of my friends, when of course we have enough free time that is.
When I was younger the consensus was that training 3 times a week for 45 minutes to an hour was the optimum amount of time to train to give your body time to recover and repair itself. It seems that mantra was wrong. Recent studies have shown that this format was not correct and it is in fact better for our overall health if we train every day.
Obviously factors such as the intensity and duration of our training has to be taken into account, but there should be no issue with anyone hiking for 7 days a week. In fact the science backs up that we should be doing it if we can. The following benefits have all been associated with regular hiking:
- Good muscle tone
- Low body fat percentage
- Low Blood Pressure
- Low Cholesterol
- Increased Cardiovascular performance
- Increased Lung Capacity
- Hiking reduces Low Mood
- Hiking positively rewires the brain
- Hiking builds endurance
- Hiking builds core strength
- Hiking improves your performance in other sports
Quite a list of positive attributes that can all be associated with regular hiking, and the drawbacks are almost not existent.
What Happens If You Hike Every Day For A Month?
During my research I came across a really interesting article written by someone who decided to hike for 3 miles every day for a month to see what the results would be. You can see the whole article by clicking on the link at the end of this paragraph, but here are the bullet points:
- I was more well rested even though I was sleeping for less hours
- I had better focus
- I ate better
- I became more regular
- I lost 5 pounds
- I got stronger and faster
- I began to crave running
- I began to crave other forms of exercise too
- I developed an easy routine
- I realised the I didn’t need to hike every day
It is quite an entertaining read and well worth a visit if you have the time.
Source: https://www.howtopoopinthewoods.com/
Will Hiking An Hour A Day Be Enough To Tone My Legs?
Hiking for an hour a day will definitely be enough to tone your legs. As long as we hike with enough intensity and for 30 minutes to an hour in a session we will quickly see changes in out body as we begin to burn off our excess fat stores.
The tougher we make our hikes, the quicker we will see results, but an hour a day seems like more than enough time and it could be fitted into most people’s busy schedules.
Can I Tone My Legs In A Week?
A week s not a lot of time if we are talking about body recomposition. I would say that doing moderate hikes you should be ably to tone up your legs in 4-6 weeks.
However, saying that, it could be possible if you hike for long enough with enough intensity and carrying heavy weight over tough terrain. It may not be the most enjoyable week of your life, but it is probably doable. I suppose it depends on how much you want it. Almost anything is possible with the right mindset, some drive and determination.
What Is A Good Distance To Hike In A Day?
I would say that if your target is to tone your thighs and get fit, you should be hiking for at least an hour on a day hike. When we are planning for our DofE hikes with our students, we normally plan to hike at around 5km/hr. However, they are carrying quite a bit of weight and we go over some steep inclines.
So bearing this in mind I would say that any hoke between 5 and 10 km (3-6 miles) would be enough distance for regular day hikes to tone legs.
How Fast Will Hiking Tone Legs? – Conclusion
It appears that we can’t put an exact figure on it, but as a general rule of thumb it would be not too far off the mark to say that if you hiked with reasonable intensity a couple of times a week, you should see a noticeable difference in the tone of your legs in 4-6 weeks.
Adjusting the frequency, intensity and length of hikes will modify this further.
