Outdoor exercise can be a great way to improve your physical and mental health. Sunlight naturally increases serotonin, a hormone that affects mood, and exercise itself produces endorphins, another feel-good hormone that improves mood and reduces pain. Spending time outdoors in nature can also help reduce stress, as it has been found to reduce cortisol levels, the chemical found in the body that causes stress. Additionally, outdoor exercise can provide you with vitamin D, essential for brain and bone function.
Whether you're a fitness expert or just starting your fitness journey, there are workouts and activities for you. Doing an outdoor activity can dramatically improve the mental health benefits of exercise. When you exercise outdoors, you breathe much cleaner and fresher air than if you were doing physical activity indoors. Interestingly, a study that compared the rate of perceived exertion both when exercising indoors and outdoors found that physiological responses were higher outdoors. Moving an outdoor activity gives you and everyone else plenty of green space to do whatever they want, whether it's running or using any equipment that might be available nearby. Now that you know the benefits of exercising outdoors and some examples of outdoor exercise equipment, you may need some outdoor training ideas that fit your needs.
If you're more of an outdoor exercise enthusiast when the weather is nice, this new season may seem like a call to get back to practicing your favorite exercises. There are different types of physical activity that allow you to choose the activity that best suits your level of physical fitness. Outdoor exercise can help prevent seasonal affective disorder (SAD), depression and anxiety, as well as reduce stress, lower your blood pressure and prioritize your physical health. One of the most attractive aspects of outdoor gyms is that people can improve their fitness outdoors and, at the same time, obtain vitamin D from sunlight. This is why many people find that they quickly solve problems during a walk, jog in the park, or some other outdoor activity.
