Don’t get me wrong here, I love the gym and work out in commercial gyms as well as my home gym regularly. However, when I can, I always get outside and encourage my clients to do the same. There are some huge benefits to training outside. Some of those are obvious, others not so.
The cleanliness. Lets face it, if you are ok with a bit of drizzle and some mud, gyms are arguably more germ ridden than the outside!
The solitude. Many are intimidated by the gym and many of us struggle to get any down time in our lives. Training outside can avoid the intimidating gym environment and apart from the training, it can offer you that precious hour of not seeing people and spending time away from it all by yourself.
Focus. If you are focused and self-motivated, then training outside can avoid the interruptions of other gym goers often making you more focused and more intense during your sessions.
Convenience. It saves time to just nip into your garden or hop over to the park compared to packing, travelling to and parking for the gym.
There are other benefits however that are less obvious, but they are highly appealing and are often connected to:
Vitamin D. Our bodies cannot function without Vitamin D! Vitamin D is created by our bodies when UVB rays hit our skin (of course be careful not to burn) so we really are creatures of the sun. When UVB rays hit our skin, Vitamin D is then distributed around our cells and that serves to strengthen our immune systems, support cardiac rhythm, and facilitate neurological function (to name a few immediate benefits).
Furthermore, it helps you feel good! Its presence encourages the release of beta/endorphins which many of you will have heard of before. That is the feel-good hormone and I am utterly convinced that I have seen this hormone take effect in clients after a good outdoor session.
We are creatures of the sun, embrace it, get outside and enjoy the benefits. You’ll feel great for doing so!