Outdoor exercise
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Time to read 4 min
It is not that doing sports is good for health, it is that it is something basic to maintain our quality of life. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends 150 to 300 minutes of moderate to vigorous intensity aerobic physical activity per week to maintain healthy living standards. Regular physical activity is essential to “prevent and help manage heart disease, type 2 diabetes and cancer, as well as reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety, slow cognitive decline, improve memory and enhance health cerebral." Everything will be advantages that multiply if we talk about exercising outdoors .
Exercising outdoors has multiple benefits that go beyond those that a muscle conditioning room or classes directed at Fitness centers can provide. And it is that research has shown greater benefits on well-being, self-esteem and motivation. Training for approximately 30 minutes a day in the fresh air, with the help of the sun and contact with nature, will increase your energy levels, revitalize you, and reduce your levels of anxiety and bad mood. Let's see below a series of benefits that are key in outdoor training.
What are the benefits of training outdoors?
Exercising outdoors has numerous health benefits. Physical exercise provides several advantages for our physical and mental state, but when we transfer the training to an outdoor environment, there is the possibility of exponentially increasing these benefits. There are many factors that lead to increased benefits during an outdoor workout, from fresh air to sunlight.
Train in the sunlight
It is estimated that in Spain a high percentage of the population is deficient in vitamin D and this situation has been associated with an increased risk of many diseases, including type 1 and 2 diabetes and different forms of cancer. The vitamin D that we synthesize from sun exposure in our outdoor workouts has great benefits on the health of bones, muscles and the function of metabolism, as well as on the prevention of cardiovascular diseases. In spring and summer, it would only be necessary to be exposed to the sun for about 10 minutes a day to meet the minimum vitamin D requirements, however, we must take certain precautions when exercising in certain hot seasons such as summer, since it can have an opposite and detrimental effect on our health.
Fresh air
Refreshes and increases vitality and strength. When you train outdoors, you take in pure oxygen to fuel your cells and help fight disease.
Less feeling of anxiety
Going into a crowded enclosed space with people moving irons and exercising may not be the best way to start an exercise program if you're looking for motivation and sticking with it over time. Training outdoors can instantly eliminate most of this type of anxiety by exercising in large spaces, with fewer people, with exercises that are easy to perform and possibly in an environment that you already know, pleasant and that can transmit more tranquility and security.
Just like physical exercise improves mental health, it also reduces stress. Exercise naturally releases norepinephrine, which helps reverse stress-induced damage to the brain. This hormone also helps boost mood and improve cognition. Norepinephrine forces the central nervous system and the sympathetic nervous system to work together, helping to manage and respond to stress more efficiently.
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train the brain
Outdoor training offers a mental boost that other types of exercise can't. It doesn't matter if you are training at home or in the gym, the point is that you will always be surrounded by the same walls and mental/visual stimuli, while training outdoors you will be constantly changing scenery, which will help stimulate your brain.
psychological benefits
When you are in the gym, you may sometimes feel many eyes on you, but when you exercise outdoors, that attention dissipates and everyone is more focused on your training than on other issues. Exercising is beneficial for your self-confidence, but exercising outside can be even better. Training outdoors can increase your vitality, improve well-being and self-esteem, as well as reduce anxiety (Mackay & Neill, 2010). In addition, it is not necessary to perform the training at very high or maximum intensities, since the greatest positive effects are found with exercise at moderate intensity.
When you exercise, the body releases chemicals called endorphins, this chemical causes feelings of euphoria and happiness and elevates your mood. Endorphins naturally reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression. Even the lightest form of exercise causes the body to release these chemicals.
Additionally, several studies have shown that people's brains have higher levels of serotonin on bright, sunny days. Serotonin is the body's natural mood stabilizer.
Greater adherence
The enjoyment that can be felt with outdoor training can increase the participant's adherence to physical exercise. Several studies show that people tend to exercise outdoors for longer or in greater quantities than within four walls.
Benefits at the cellular level
It has been shown that people have lower levels of cortisol (a stress-related hormone) after training outdoors than training within four walls (Logan & Selhub, 2012;), higher levels of dopamine, serotonin and endorphins (the “happiness hormone”) (Nathaniel, 2008; Tobin & Kauser, 2005) through the combined action of exercise and sun exposure, as well as possibly improved immune function.
Studies show that exposing yourself to microbes in nature and exercising outdoors increases your immunity to infections and other health problems.
More calories spent
Research has shown that exercising outdoors in cold weather would increase energy expenditure more than doing it indoors at more comfortable temperatures. In addition, doing various cardiovascular exercises outdoors, such as running, could cost more calories than doing them in the gym. In this sense, uneven terrain, air resistance and wind increase the energy expended during exercise. Also, the energy expended in moving forward during running is often greater than when running on a treadmill.
New, varied and fun training
The workouts are often full of creativity and variety, unlike many in the gym. Novelty is a fundamental pillar in motivation and the daily variety in exercises and training undoubtedly helps to increase the motivation of the participants. Also, when workouts are fun and exciting, you're more likely to be consistent with your workouts and your healthy lifestyle.
