Benefits of Exercising Outdoors
It’s a beautiful summer morning, the sun is shining, the birds are chirping, and a gentle breeze touches your skin. You take a deep breath, filling your lungs with fresh air as you gear up for movement.
Does that sound enticing?
Taking your workout outdoors can be exciting and provide many benefits you can’t get inside the gym. What can you expect?
Great source of vitamin D: When you exercise outdoors, you’re soaking up essential vitamin D from the sun. Vitamin D improves your immunity, strengthens your bones, and may inhibit the growth of some cancers.
Alleviates pain: If you have migraines, back pains, or other chronic pain, walking in the park might be a lot of help. According to Environment Research, spending time in green spaces and natural settings can help improve the pain experience and symptoms. The combination of vitamin D exposure, physical exercise, and social interaction may reduce pain symptoms, also.
Elevates mood: Outdoor exercises can uplift your mood and reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression.
Studies have shown that your brain tends to have higher serotonin levels on bright, sunny days. Serotonin is a feel-good hormone that stabilizes your mood, which improves your mental health.
Improves hormone levels: Just 15-20 minutes of outdoor time can increase testosterone levels by up to 120%. Testosterone is known to help bone density, muscle mass, body composition, mood, and cognition.
Provides challenges: Whether you are running or biking outdoors, the environment varies and can be unpredictable. As a result, you’ll encounter different inclines, curbs and other obstacles that will force your body to work harder, which is excellent to spice up your routine.
In addition, factors such as terrain, temperature change and wind resistance can increase your energy expenditure. This means you are more likely to torch more calories and cut off belly fat.
Better air quality: Indoor air can be significantly more polluted due to poor ventilation and off-gassing from furniture, gym equipment and building materials. By exercising outdoors, you’ll breathe fresh oxygen straight from plants and trees and expose your lungs to cleaner air.
Fresh, oxygen-rich air is crucial for proper lung and heart functions, especially during physical activities. The increased oxygen levels outdoors can improve exercise performance. This is why elite athletes train outdoors for their endurance exercises and routines.
If you’re sold on the benefits, move your workouts outside, perform exercises that you enjoy, and invite your friends to join in the fun.
Learn more about health and wellness benefits.
By Kim Goblirsch, LiveNOW Well-Being Specialist
