You know that feeling when you step outside, take a deep breath of air, and instantly feel a little more alive? That’s the magic of outdoor workouts, which we often overlook during regular gym routines. But what if I told you that there are countless benefits of outdoor workouts, and that it could do wonders for your body and mind? Here, we’ll explore four great reasons to take your workout outdoors. Trust me, once you experience this change of pace, you may do it more often.
4 Healthy Benefits of Outdoor Workouts
You’re here because you love to work out and improve yourself. You usually do this in an indoor gym, but occasionally, taking your workouts outdoors has four excellent benefits that you should enjoy sometime soon.
1. Improved Mental Health
There’s something cool about working out without being surrounded by walls.
It’s not just about the workout but the mental refresh that comes with it. Imagine swapping the fluorescent lights and the hum of treadmills for the natural sunlight and the sound of wind blowing through the trees. Working out outdoors challenges and stimulates the brain and improves focus.
When you’re outdoors, your brain gets a break from the constant barrage of digital stimuli. This downtime allows your mind to reset and recharge. Studies have shown that even just a few minutes in a natural environment can instantly boost your mood and overall well-being.
Health Tip: After you’ve finished your workout, spend an additional 5-10 minutes walking through a park, trail, or other outdoor space. Focus on your surroundings and take deep breaths. This also serves as a cool-down, improving your recovery.
2. Better Performance
The outdoors offers an ever-changing environment that can up your workout game. When training outdoors, you deal with natural elements like uneven terrain, wind resistance, and varying temperatures. These factors add variety to your routine and challenge your body in ways that a controlled gym environment cannot.
Think about it—running on a trail differs from pounding on a treadmill. The varying surfaces can help improve your balance and engage different muscle groups that might not get much attention indoors. A study published in the Journal of Sports Sciences found that running on uneven terrain can increase muscle activation in the legs and improve strength. Plus, the wind resistance when cycling or running outside can boost cardiovascular endurance more effectively than a stationary bike.
Outdoor Tip: Adapt your workouts to take advantage of your surroundings. Use park benches for step-ups and triceps dips, trees for pull-ups, and hills for sprints. These variations will help keep your workouts fresh and your body guessing.
3. Increased Vitamin D Intake
We all know that vitamin D is crucial for our health, particularly for maintaining strong bones and immune systems. The best source of vitamin D is good old-fashioned sunlight. Unfortunately, many spend most of their days indoors, missing this vital nutrient. By taking your workouts outdoors, you can soak up some sun and boost your vitamin D levels naturally.
Vitamin D, often called the “sunshine vitamin,” helps regulate the absorption of calcium and phosphorus in our bones, promoting healthy growth and remodeling. According to the Journal of Investigative Dermatology, spending just 10-30 minutes basking in the sun several times a week can help maintain adequate vitamin D levels.
Sunshine Tip: To safely reap the benefits of sunlight, aim for outdoor workouts in the early morning or late afternoon when the sun isn’t at its peak. This reduces the risk of skin damage while still allowing you to absorb vitamin D.
4. Greater Enjoyment and Motivation
One of the best benefits of outdoors workouts is the enjoyment and motivation it brings—that’s, of course, if you like working out in the first place. There’s something very cool about swapping the four walls of a gym for the open sky and natural scenery. The variety of outdoor settings can make your workouts feel less like a chore because of the change of scenery it provides. Research from the University of Essex suggests that outdoor or “green exercise” boosts mood and self-esteem. Their analysis of over 1,200 participants engaging in various outdoor activities found positive mental health benefits with as little as five minutes of green exercise.
Enjoyment Tip: Explore different outdoor locations and activities to keep your workouts fresh. Whether hiking a new trail, trying a beach workout, or joining an outdoor fitness class, mixing things up will keep your routine fresh, reduce workout boredom, and improve motivation.
Exercising outdoors brings new challenges and variety to your workouts. The fresh air, the natural light, and the scenery do wonders for your body and mind. Embrace the outdoors, let nature fuel your motivation, and improve your results. So, get out there, make the world your gym, and experience the four benefits of taking your workouts outdoors.
