Feel the need to switch up your routine? It can be worth taking your workout outdoors. Exercising outside can bring multiple health benefits to your mind and body.
The variety offered by outdoor exercise challenges your body to move and respond in a different way. And simply being out in the fresh air releases tons of feel-good endorphins. What’s more, al-fresco training helps combat boredom, meaning you’re likely to work harder, faster and push yourself a little further without feeling the extra effort.
If you need some further encouragement, it’s worth stating the obvious -the great outdoors is spacious and always ready for you. Here are more of the benefits you can expect when you take your workout outside.
Top up your vitamin D levels
Vitamin D is needed to keep and maintain healthy bones, teeth and muscles – healthy fundamentals when it comes to fitness. This vital nutrient regulates calcium and phosphate levels and is naturally produced within the body by ultraviolet B (UVB).
The NHS recommend healthy exposure of bare skin (legs, forearms, hands etc), without sunscreen during late March/early April to the end of September, citing this period as an optimal time of the year to get your vitamin D fix from direct sunlight exposure. Take care not to burn your skin, as exposure time varies from person-to-person. And when it’s really warm, remember to check out our guide to exercising safely in hot weather.
Heading outside in the colder months? Check out our advice on choosing your winter workout outfit.
Swipe the boredom factor
If you’re starting to tire of working out indoors and you’re losing the motivation to stay active, it could be time for you to challenge your body differently.
Research suggests that people who include outdoor exercise in their routine can reap rewards. Being outside can help you to work harder and move faster (and burn additional calories) and rack up extra time. This is because your mind is focused on fresh things: from the outdoor views, changing terrain and gradient, to wind resistance and route navigation, it can all make a difference.
At David Lloyd Clubs, our range of indoor and outdoor facilities allow you to enjoy the best of both worlds.
Feel lighter and smiley
Being outdoors may help fight off and/or lower depression and anxiety levels due to modulation of key stress hormones and the healthy increase in feel-good endorphins and serotonin secretion – which lifts and brightens your mood. Time spent outdoors is also an opportunity to boost to your immune system and improve immune functionality.
A 2015 study by Stanford University, California, found that students who walked through a campus park for just an hour improved their well-being, by being less anxious than those students who didn’t. Other studies have looked into the body benefits when people spend time in nature; there is significant positive impact on a person’s cortisol levels, (this hormone is often used as a marker in measuring stress), heart rate and blood pressure -resulting in a reduction, thanks to Mother Nature.
Add our feel-good summer workout playlist to your outdoor routine for an extra mood boost!
Find your inner competitive streak
Sign up and commit to a race event -you’ll find numerous national 5K events near you. These events are suitable for all ages and fitness abilities. Team up with your friends and family; you’ll find family fun runs, local park runs and even colour runs.
The race event will bring out your competitive edge and boost your testosterone levels, which pushes you further.
Create positive, happy relationships
Outdoor activities which involve the whole family create healthy and harmonious benefits for all.
Whether you choose an outdoor class like Battlebox, a family swim, a park run or a game of tennis – outdoor activities are a great way to bond as a family and improve relationships.
In turn, this helps foster happier relationships: from sharing laughter together, to family members sharing their thoughts and affections with each other.
And for the kids, the great outdoors enables them to explore fresh environments and master new skills, such as developing co-ordination, increasing their flexibility and boosting their self-confidence.
Find out more about exercising outdoors at your nearest David Lloyd Club.
