5 Ways to Move Exercise Outdoors This Summer
By Angela Tague in Healthy Feeling
Fuel your next morning sweat session with invigorating, crisp morning air. You might find the natural sounds of birds chirping and wind ruffling the maple leaves make you linger a little longer on your yoga mat and feel more relaxed overall. You can’t beat that!
There are plenty of other reasons to exercise outdoors, too. Wind resistance helps burn additional calories, and movement over a variety of surfaces like grass, cement, and dirt helps to strengthen connective tissues. Plus, you get a chance to meet new people in your community while embracing the soothing, natural setting.
So, step away from the TV. Get out of the basement home gym. Move your usual workout outside with one of these ideas.
Use a Tablet or Smartphone
If you’re in love with a streaming exercise program that anchors you to your computer monitor or living room television, it’s time to break those ties. Use portable technology! Download an app to your smartphone or open a web browser on your tablet, prop the device up against a tree, and go for it. You can do the same workout with a small screen guiding you.
Find a Natural Walking Trail
Do you usually walk or jog on a treadmill at the gym? During warm weather, take to the nature trails at a local park instead. You can still monitor your distance and speed using a wearable health tracker or a fitness app on your smartphone. If you need the smooth, even surface of a track, ask the local high school athletics director about public walking hours at the school’s facility.
Go for a Bike Ride
Are you obsessed with spin class? Why not get a group of gals from your class together and go for a real bike ride? Find a public paved trail, and go on an adventure! Many cities have community bike paths that meander along streets, through parks, and across rivers. They provide ample opportunities to get exercise outdoors and enjoy surprise wildlife sightings.
Sign Up for an Event
Skip the next gym-sponsored fitness challenge. Instead, push yourself to train for an upcoming outdoor event, like a 5K, color run, triathlon, or fundraiser walk. Talk to your doctor about a training plan, make a weekly schedule, and then practice! As the event draws nearer, you’ll feel extra motivation to get outside and make progress that will help you on the big day.
Try Something New
Break out of your comfort zone this summer, and make a pledge to sign up something new that can only take place outside. Try something totally different from anything else you’ve done, like a stand-up paddle boarding class at a local lake. Maybe this is the season you finally take up disc golf, put together a neighborhood basketball team, or buy a season pass to the community swimming pool.
We’d love to hear about your outdoor fitness routine for the summer. Tweet us at @TomsOfMaine!
Image sources: Pexels | Pexels | Flickr
This article was brought to you by Tom’s of Maine. The views and opinions expressed by the author do not reflect the position of Tom’s of Maine.
Why It’s Good
Exercise puts you on the path to better health. Take your workout outside to amp up satisfaction, burn more calories, fill your lungs with fresh air, and help motivate you to stay diligent with your routine. Besides, when Mother Nature becomes your workout body, you grow even more fond of her.