Benefits of Exercising Outdoors
In the thick of summer in Texas, exercising outdoors isn’t always possible. Or, at least not during daylight hours. But now, with cooler weather approaching, it’s time to take your workouts outdoors!
There are all kinds of creative ways to get a workout in while you’re outside. And on top of the traditional benefits of exercising in general, there are additional benefits to exercising outdoors you’ll want to experience for yourself. So, let’s talk about some of those benefits as well as provide you with a sample outdoor workout to get you started.
It feels more like play
Getting tired of the same gym environment where you’ve been exercising for years? It’s high time to get outside for a workout (or several)! There’s something magical about exercising outdoors that helps a tough workout feel more like play than like work.
A new challenge
Another interesting benefit of working out in the outdoors is the new challenge brought on by ever-changing terrains. It’s one thing to do interval training on an elliptical, but when you can do these intervals on a hiking trail, that can be the exciting challenge you’ve been looking for! Or, running on the beach in the sand can provide a whole new challenge for runners, even if they’re pros on a treadmill.
No equipment (or cost) required
Heading out to the great outdoors to exercise doesn’t cost a thing, nor does it require any equipment. A park bench can serve as the perfect place to do tricep dips, for example. Alternatively, an empty playground could provide the free outdoor gym space you’ve always wanted…as we’ll show in our outdoor workout sample!
Health benefits of exercising outdoors
Additionally, being outside is known to come with a number of specific health benefits that can truly help you make the most of your exercise routine.
These include:
- Lowering your blood pressure and stress levels
- Improving your focus
- Promoting healing
- Lowering anxiety
And of course, the vitamin D exposure! The benefits of vitamin D include, “regulating the absorption of calcium and phosphorus and facilitating normal immune system function. Getting a sufficient amount of vitamin D is important for normal growth and development of bones and teeth, as well as improved resistance against certain diseases.”
Outdoor Workout Sample
Are you convinced of the benefits of exercising outdoors and ready to get started?
Here are some outdoor exercises to help you switch up your routine and try something new.
Begin with 10-minutes of cardio: It’s important to get your heart rate up and warm up your muscles, and cardio exercise is perfect for this. Begin with a 10-minute walk or jog, or even do jumping jacks or jump rope in place.
Then, find a park bench to try these exercises:
Then, look for monkey bars or another sturdy hanging apparatus where you can perform pull-ups and hanging crunches.
Try performing each exercise for 40 seconds, with 20 seconds of rest in between, and repeat this circuit two to three times.