Whether you run around your neighborhood park, paddle along a lake, or hike your local trail, outdoor exercise offers plenty of physical and mental health benefits.
“When I train clients outdoors versus indoors, I notice that they are more present and focused on the activity at hand than themselves, which in turn makes them train harder,” says Brianna Bernard, a National Academy of Sports Medicine certified personal trainer and the owner of Brianna Bernard Fitness in Minneapolis.
Here’s more on why outdoor exercise is so good for you, some workouts that are great to do outside, and tips on how to get started.
Outdoor exercise offers many upsides for mental and physical health. Here are several.
Have you ever noticed you feel better after spending time in nature? It’s not just you. One study found that when young adults with obesity began walking in the park or gym, the park group felt less stress and more enjoyment than the gym group.
The reason is that walking in nature lowers levels of the stress hormone cortisol (as measured by salivary cortisol concentration) more than walking in an urban environment does, according to one study.
Those who walked in a green environment also reported improved stress levels and general mood, leading the researchers to conclude that being in nature has a therapeutic effect.
“Being in nature can leave individuals refreshed and rejuvenated because it gives them a sense of being away from the stress and demands of their ‘normal’ life,’” says Todd Buckingham, PhD, a visiting professor of exercise science at Grand Valley State University and an exercise physiologist at PTSportsPRO in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
An older study found that older adults spent significantly more time being physically active outdoors than indoors, as measured by self-reported survey data and an accelerometer (step counter) they wore for one week to track their physical activity.
“The enjoyment of a beautiful day or fresh air can cause us to lose track and spend more time working out than expected,” Bernard explains.
Any exercise can help you sleep soundly. But taking it outdoors may amplify that benefit. “Daily exposure to natural light helps regulate sleep-wake cycles and your circadian rhythm,” Dr. Buckingham says. “So exercising outdoors is better for your sleep than [either] exercising or spending time outdoors alone.” But he adds, it’s not yet known whether this improvement is significant.
Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin important for bone and immune health, muscle function, and brain activity. It’s found in fatty fish, fish oils, and fortified dairy products, but your body also produces vitamin D (the “sunshine vitamin”) when exposed to the sun. Exercising outdoors in the sunshine may help you get more vitamin D.
You still need to protect your skin from the sun when you go outside, which you can do by applying sunscreen. Sunscreen only slightly lowers vitamin D production.
Exercising in nature can improve self-esteem and lessen feelings of anger, tension, and depression. The researchers behind an older review found these mental health improvements come through after just five minutes of outdoor exercise.
A small study found outdoor exercise led to greater attention and memory benefits than indoor exercise. And it didn’t take long to see benefits — all it took was a 15-minute outdoor walk.
The researchers behind the study suggest that these effects come from increases in blood flow to the brain’s prefrontal cortex (the front portion of the frontal lobe that affects problem-solving and emotions).
Blood flow is boosted during exercise, which can help increase attention to the task at hand. In addition, outdoor natural environments prevent the brain from focusing on unimportant stimuli.
“The outdoors is known as a ‘restorative environment’ where people don’t have to focus on a particular piece of information or have distractions that may take their focus and attention away,” Buckingham says. “Therefore, it could allow us to recover from mental fatigue and help focus our attention.”
A study found that adults who spent more time outdoors during the week engaged in more moderate to vigorous physical activity. More active adults also had a lower risk of chronic disease than those who were less active and spent more time indoors. The researchers say these findings are partially explained by activity levels. Still, more research is needed to explain how being outdoors may lower chronic disease risk.
You can get a great workout if you skip the gym and go outside instead. Here are several outdoor activities you can do, per Bernard:
Outdoor exercise calls for a bit of planning. Heed these tips before you head out.
Outdoor workouts offer many benefits, from improved sleep and mood to greater heart health. Get the most out of outside exercise by wearing the proper gear for the weather conditions, staying hydrated, and picking a group activity.
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Reyna Franco, RDN, is a New York City–based dietitian-nutritionist, certified specialist in sports dietetics, and certified personal trainer. She is a diplomate of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine and has a master's degree in nutrition and exercise physiology from Columbia University.
In her private practice, she provides medical nutrition therapy for weight management, sports nutrition, diabetes, cardiac disease, renal disease, gastrointestinal disorders, cancer, food allergies, eating disorders, and childhood nutrition. To serve her diverse patients, she demonstrates cultural sensitivity and knowledge of customary food practices. She applies the tenets of lifestyle medicine to reduce the risk of chronic disease and improve health outcomes for her patients.
Franco is also a corporate wellness consultant who conducts wellness counseling and seminars for organizations of every size. She taught sports nutrition to medical students at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, taught life cycle nutrition and nutrition counseling to undergraduate students at LaGuardia Community College, and precepts nutrition students and interns. She created the sports nutrition rotation for the New York Distance Dietetic Internship program.
She is the chair of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine's Registered Dietitian-Nutritionist Member Interest Group. She is also the treasurer and secretary of the New York State Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, having previously served in many other leadership roles for the organization, including as past president, awards committee chair, and grant committee chair, among others. She is active in the local Greater New York Dietetic Association and Long Island Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, too.
workouts & activities
workouts & activities
workouts & activities
workouts & activities
workouts & activities
workouts & activities
workouts & activities
workouts & activities
workouts & activities
workouts & activities