Advertisements in just about every media stream do their best to tell you how you need to workout. You will see big warehouses, lots of equipment, the newest machines, and row upon row of treadmills. This is what we see as our only option for fitness.
However, there is a VERY large option that we tend to forget about. Ok, so go to your front door, and walk outside… There you have it. Yeah, in the dead of winter and heat of summer it may be a bit tough, but we so often forget about the benefits of exercising outside.
Save Your Brain!
One of the obvious reasons is that there is that sense of freedom when we are outside. There have been studies, one in particular at Glasgow University, which show numerous positive benefits from exercising outdoors including:
• Lower chance of dementia
• Reduced levels of stress
• Reduced signs of depression
Having information like this only makes sense. Most of corporate America is stuck in a little cell that has walls on every side. It can give some people a sense of claustrophobia. So what should they do, GO OUTSIDE!!!
I have a question that goes along with that. How many times have you, or someone you know, said “I hate running on the treadmill, I don’t feel like I’m going anywhere”? Well there is an easy answer…
Other studies published by the BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) have stated that running outside can actually stimulate the brain to allow the body to go just a bit further. So again, if you are getting mad at the treadmill, GO OUTSIDE!!!
Nutritional Benefits
From a nutritional stand point there is one other benefit to working out outside that I want to talk about, the Sun. If you ask some people where they would find Vitamin D that may say, “the dairy aisle at the grocery store”.
While that is an answer, the biggest provider of Vitamin D sits right outside of your front door. And the other part of using the Sun for Vitamin D, it’s absolutely free. Walk outside and within an hour you have already absorbed a portion of your daily dose of D. So get it while it’s hot (← See what I did there?)
Many of us forget that exercising outside is an option, that getting away from the confining walls of your work buildings can have great benefits on physical as well as our mental well being. You don’t even have to take a supplement pill or powder to get a little something from the Sun.
Throughout your workweek take a moment to stop and think about if you are getting bored with being inside?
Are you getting bored with being inside even while you are working out? If these questions cross your mind on a regular basis I have just one thing to say, GO OUTSIDE!!!
If you missed our free outdoor workout, get it here!
Nick Lape