If you find yourself getting bored with the gym, early spring is the perfect time of year to switch things up by taking your workouts to the great outdoors. Aside from putting a splash of fresh air back into fitness, there are a few other perks to exercising outside.

You’ll Save Money

By taking your workouts outside, you’ll be ditching the membership fees that are required to workout inside. While you may not have all of the heavy equipment the gym provides, you might find that body weight training is comparably effective.

 

You’ll Get Your Daily Dose of Vitamin D

Outdoor exercise is a great way to get your vitamin D through sunlight, which is responsible for increasing intestinal absorption of calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphate, and zinc. Studies suggest that this vitamin helps fight certain conditions, from osteoporosis and cancer to depression and heart attacks.

 

You’ll Have a Better Variety of Surroundings

When you’re moving outside, the world is moving along with you. There are no four walls to contain you in any one area, which can be somewhat therapeutic to your mind. Studies show that spending time outdoors, including outdoor exercise, can boost creativity.

 

Convenience

You don’t need to drive anywhere necessarily. Sometimes the hardest part of beginning a workout is getting to the start of it. In the time you spend driving to the gym, you could have had half your workout completed outside.

 

You’ll Have More Solitude

And by this we mean, you won’t have to feel like all eyes are on you. Although the thought of anyone paying particular attention to you or judging you at the gym is in your head, you’ll have no reason to feel this way along a quiet park trail. Nature certainly doesn’t judge.

 

You’ll Enhance Your Efforts with Less-Predictable Terrain

You burn exponentially more calories when running uphill. Plus, balancing on the variety of terrain you’ll face helps to build stronger muscles.

 

Time Tends to Go by Faster

Let’s face it: It’s hard to get lost in your workout when a digital clock is flashing with each passing moment. When working out outside, it’s easier to get lost in the beauty around you, which in turn makes your workout breeze by.

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Ditch the Machine, Get in Shape Under the Sunshine: The Benefits of Exercising Outside

Health & Life | March/April 2017

Written by: Sarah Turner