Article by Claire Darlington MSc
Training outdoors has become more popular in the UK over the last few years. There have been many studies associated with the benefits of training outdoors. One study carried out by a team at the Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry concluded that there are benefits to mental and physical well-being from taking exercise in the natural environment. Their findings are published in the leading research journal Environmental Science and Technology, 2011. They compared the effects of outdoor exercise initiatives with those conducted indoors and which reported at least one physical or mental well-being outcome in adults or children. The study found that most trials showed an improvement in mental well-being: compared with exercising indoors, exercising in natural environments was associated with greater feelings of revitalisation, increased energy and positive engagement, together with decreases in tension, confusion, anger and depression. Participants also reported greater enjoyment and satisfaction with outdoor activity and stated that they were more likely to repeat the activity at a later date.
As our society becomes more technologically advanced, more and more of our activities are being taken indoors, while our time outdoors shrinks. It is entirely possible and actually very common to go a whole day and spend no more than a few minutes outside. Our exercise is being brought indoors too. Not only do we have aerobic workout movies, but even outdoor exercises and sports are simulated on video game systems. No matter how great this seems, exercising outdoors offers some benefits that the inside world just can’t beat.
5 reasons why you should be exercising outdoors:
1. Exposure to Vitamin D
The sun is a great mood booster, and the vitamin D it provides is wonderful. It makes your bones stronger, strengthens your immune system and helps protect your body against cancer. Although vitamin D can be obtained from other sources, the sun is still the best source for the human body.
2. More Fresh Air
No one likes the musty, sweaty smell of gym air, and we know that it’s dirty, too. Environmental agencies in the United States predict that indoor air is two times more polluted than air outside. Who doesn’t prefer the smell of nature to the smell of their treadmill partner’s sweat?
3. Mental Stimulation
Exercising outdoors provides mental stimulation that indoor workouts cannot. Whether you’re working out at home or in a gym, you’re surrounded by the same four walls for your workout – and they probably aren’t very exciting if you exercise there regularly. On the other hand, going outside gives you constantly changing scenery that stimulates and excites your brain. Your mind can get a workout at the same time your body does when you exercise outdoors.
4. New Exercises
Although video games may claim that their exercise simulations are just like the real thing, it simply isn’t true! Hiking outdoors is physically more demanding than a treadmill on an incline, and bicycling on a biking path gives you more opportunities to push yourself than setting a program on a stationary gym bike. There are more exercise types to try if you are willing to go outside, so give them a try.
5. Mood Improvement
Exposure to sunlight is a common treatment for depression and other mood disorders. Studies show that depressed exercisers who go for a walk outdoors feel happier and have better self esteem than those who walk on a treadmill indoors. Endorphins, which can raise your mood and keep it stable, are released when you spend time in the sun. A walk outdoors is the perfect fix for a bad mood!
Claire Darlington MSc Bio:
Claire has an MSc in weight management and has an undergraduate degree in Sport & Exercise Science. Claire is an international presenter, guest speaker and regularly contributes to fitness magazines. Amongst her many teaching fields Claire is a specialist Pilates trainer and the founder of the STRIDE project, a successful 12-week weight management programme aimed at de-motivated teenagers. Claire also specialises in, pre and post natal fitness, outdoor fitness and weight management style classes. Claire is an assessor and tutor for Drummond Education and a well-respected instructor within the industry. Claire’s approachable and enthusiastic manner with a thirst for knowledge makes her one of the most up and coming presenters in the UK.
Claire has recently undergone a life threatening illness and subsequently she has undergone 2 major heart operations, 2 smaller leg operations and cardiodiversion. However, this has only fuelled her passion to get back, and help others become fit and healthy. She is writing a number of books aimed at helping specialist populations return back to full health, through clean eating and functional exercise.