Sometimes the best workout involves simply stepping outside. Exercise outside can give you benefits you just can’t replicate in a gym.
From enhancing your fitness to strengthening your cardiovascular system, outdoor exercise offers unique benefits that indoor workouts can’t match.
Here are six reasons you may want to trade the treadmill for a trail.
What We’re All (Really) After…
We all have an ideal health goal in mind. A certain number on the scale, an old personal photo we’re trying to get back to, a bodyfat percentage we hope to reach. But what we really want, deep down, is to feel good in our own skin.
We want confidence and health. We want to like the way our clothes look on our bodies. We want to look forward to summer instead of dreading the smaller wardrobe. We want to feel comfortable getting up and down and moving around. We want to have that energetic, vibrant feeling of health.
That means that weight loss is only part of our goal. Other health goals might include:
- More energy
- Better sleep
- Stable moods
- Less stress
- A stronger body
- Flexability
- And motivation to keep going
A simple switch in the location of your workouts can get you to these goals faster. Here’s how…
A Better Calorie Burn
You’ve noticed it. Treadmill training is a lot different than a 3-mile jog in your neighborhood. The outdoors are full of variables – uphills, downhills, and uneven surfaces that challenge your body and balance, requiring more muscles at once than simply walking on a treadmill. These little challenges can increase the calorie burn of your workout.
Soft Fascination
For many years, at the end of a long day, humans didn’t rest their minds by kicking back on the couch and scrolling on their phones. They relaxed by gazing at nature.
Focusing on nature restores our brains as they engage in what’s called “soft fascination.” It requires little effort and gives us a mental break from the duties of the day. Staring at a natural scenery triggers physiological relaxation, lowers blood pressure, restores mental focus, and reduces stress (lowering cortisol levels).
The Brain Boost
Researchers found something interesting. When studying people who workout inside vs workout outside, there were clear benefits to one group. The outdoor exercisers gained significantly bigger cognitive benefits than the indoor exercisers.
That means their memory, attention, comprehension, and ability to plan, multitask, and solve problems all got a boost. Even short walks in nature significantly improves our concentration, working memory, and reaction times compared to indoor walks!
The researchers said that the special combo of physical activity + outdoor environment is just what our brains need to function at their best.
A Vitamin D Dose
Sunlight, and the resulting boost in Vitamin D, has two huge benefits.
First, you’ll get sick less often. Exercising outdoors will increase your body’s vitamin D stores and strengthen your immune system.
Second, you’ll sleep better. Exposure to natural light during the day powerfully regulates melatonin production, which is critical for your sleep rhythm. Regular outdoor activity will help you fall asleep faster and enjoy deeper, more restorative sleep tonight.
The cherry on top? Vitamin D is crucial for maintaining healthy bones and enhances muscle and brain health.
Medicine for Your Mood
The “Father of the National Parks,” John Muir, explained it this way:
“Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to find out that going to the mountains is going home; that wildness is a necessity.”
Or, in John Burroughs’ words,
“I go to nature to be soothed and healed, and to have my senses put in order.”
We’ve all felt it. When we spend time in the quiet, peaceful outdoors, it’s not just a pretty picture. That quiet and peace transfers to us. And research backs it up.
More daylight and time in nature have been linked with significantly better moods. Research shows that even brief workouts outdoors improve mood and reduce stress and anxiety. Fresh air, sunlight, and nature can powerfully shape how you feel, and the results are almost immediate.
More Motivation
Regular exercise reduces the risk of chronic health conditions like heart disease, supports your mental health, lifts your mood, and strengthens your bones and muscles. The word in that sentence you should notice is “regular.” One workout won’t give you lasting benefits and results. Consistency is key. That’s where outdoor exercise can bring some big benefits.
Once your body starts to notice the pattern (exercising outside = feeling amazing), you’ll start craving your workout instead of dreading it. Your body will learn that, when you feel sluggish and tired, what you need is a quick lower body workout outside. When you wake up in a bad mood, your body will tell you, I really need a walk around the block. Then, maintaining consistency with physical activity gets a lot easier.
How to Engage with Nature During Your Workout
- Go on a Color Walk: Pick a color and notice how often it appears around you.
- Take a Trail Run: Leave your music or podcast off. Focus on the details of the nature around you and the path underfoot. The terrain will naturally force interval training, especially if you pick a hilly trail.
- Strength Scavenger Hunt: Create a list before you leave (a bluebird, a yellow flower, a cat in a window, etc.). Each time you find something on your list, do 20 squats.
- Barefoot Sunrise Strength: Step outdoors to greet the sunrise. Take off your shoes in the grass or sand. Then, concentrate on slow, controlled movements (the slower, the better). Complete squats, calf raises, lunges, pushups, and crunches. Slow movements will feel gentle on your body first thing in the morning, and slowing down your reps can build stronger muscles.
What’s Your Perfect Split?
Indoor workouts have their place. They provide a consistent, safe, convenient place to exercise, especially during bad weather. If you don’t own strength training equipment at home, a gym is necessary.
But, with the right equipment at home, nothing can compete with the benefits of outdoor exercise.
So what’s your perfect split? You may find that using the equipment at the gym three days a week and completing all your walks outside is the best fit for you. Maybe you have some great weights at home and can complete all your exercises in the backyard or at your favorite park.
This week, step outdoors a bit more, and find the right schedule for you. Your body and brain will love you for it.
Want a full, personalized health plan that will guarantee you reach your goals? Try LEAN. We provide the education, coaching, resources, and accountability to make it all possible.
