Weight Loss, Naturally: How Forest Trails Can Be Your New Gym

When most people think about weight loss, the first thought that comes to their mind is workouts at the gym. There’s no doubt that there are advantages to gym workouts, such as access to various weight loss machines, the ability to have a structured routine and getting motivated to workout by being surrounded by other people who are also working out. However, after a few weeks or even days, these same things can turn into disadvantages. For instance, because there are so many different weight loss machines, you start to wonder if you are making the right choices. Similarly, your carefully structured routine becomes monotonous and being surrounded by people who are working out makes you feel self-conscious because you compare your abilities or body to theirs. This is why walking on forest trails can help with your weight loss, as it offers a unique workout environment where treadmills and dumbbells are replaced by a scenic yet powerful natural gym, complete with fresh forest air and the gentle whisper of leaves.

How Forest Trails Can Be Your Weight Loss Gym

You are probably impatient to start your weight loss journey, but this is all the more reason to stop and create a healthy and balanced weight loss plan. Use a weight loss calculator to understand your weight loss in relation to exercise as well as diet. If you have led a sedentary lifestyle for several months or more, you need to start with short walks and basic workouts to help you get moving. Here’s how you can turn a forest trail into your very own weight loss gym:

Burn More Calories

Walking on a forest trail will help you burn more calories than walking on a treadmill at the gym. Research on the impact of walking on uneven terrain found that uneven terrain increases the number of calories you burn by as much as 28%! One of the main reasons for this is that you have greater muscle co-activation while walking on uneven terrain, which leads to greater energy expenditure. In addition to that, the incline on forest trails helps to burn more calories as it requires more energy to move uphill. For instance, a 5% incline can burn up to 50% more calories. Wearing lightweight and durable gear, such as Coalatree’s eco-minded trailhead pants, can make the experience more comfortable while supporting your performance.

Use Natural Elements to Exercise

While walking and hiking are great ways to lose weight, you should also include core strength exercises into your daily routine. Core strength exercises do not burn a lot of calories, so they are not considered to be the best weight loss exercises, but they do improve posture and stability, which helps to support other weight loss exercises. You can use trees to help you exercise; for instance, you can include push-ups, planks, and deep squats while using a tree for balance. You can also find a tree with a strong horizontal branch that you can use as a natural bar for pull-ups. 

Stay on the Fitness Wagon

Every year, in the first days of January, gyms around the world are flooded by new members. However, most of these people give up within a few weeks or at most a few months. Studies on gym attrition rates show that at least 50% of people who start attending drop out within the first 6 months. Walking the forest trails helps you enjoy physical activity while also reconnecting with nature. This is why you are more likely to continue using these trails and even increase the length of your walks over time, which will translate into faster but lasting weight loss. To help maintain consistency, gear that adapts to your lifestyle—like Coalatree’s eco-friendly hoodies and quick-dry layers—can keep you motivated to return to the trails in any weather.

Lose Stubborn Belly Fat

You probably realized that you had started to gain weight when you had trouble fitting into your pants. This is pretty common because your midsection tends to store fat more readily and is also more resistant to weight loss efforts. Studies on abdominal fat have shown that higher levels of the stress hormone cortisol are linked to increased abdominal fat. At the same time, studies show that spending time in nature helps to drastically lower stress levels. In fact, in Japan, doctors often “prescribe” nature to patients instead of medication through the practice of shinrin yoku or forest bathing. Regular walks on forest trails will help to lower the levels of stress hormones in your body, which in turn will help you get rid of your stubborn belly fat. And with Coalatree’s sustainable, moisture-wicking apparel, you’ll stay comfortable even on longer treks.

Learn to Enjoy Exercise

As kids, we would spend hours playing, never once thinking of it as exercise. Unfortunately, as we grew up and had to shoulder more responsibilities, we began to lead a more sedentary lifestyle and forgot the joy of movement. As you get used to your regular forest trails, you can treat it like a giant playground where you can climb trees, swing from lower branches and even create your own natural obstacle course using rocks and fallen trees or branches. With the right outdoor essentials, like Coalatree’s trail blankets or compact backpacks, you can turn your forest outings into adventures that blend play, fitness, and connection with nature.