5 Reasons to Exercise Outdoors

We all know that exercise is great for us right? But did you know theres an added bonus to getting outdoors for your training sessions? Your exercise time each day might be an ideal time for you to get out in the sunshine, get some vitamin D and reconnect with the natural world.

Here are five reasons to make you think about taking your exercise outdoors.

Fresh air is extremely invigorating.

Nowadays, most of us get to choose to stay inside. We don't have to work in the hot sun or walk through snowy, windy storms to get to town. And that means we can go an awfully long time without ever going outdoors. While it's always the same temperature in the gym, there's just something about breathing in deep breaths of fresh air that invigorates the mind, body and soul. Stay connected with nature.

So many of us are in contact with concrete and other unnatural surfaces all day long. Use your daily workout time as a great excuse to venture out onto a dirt trail, road or path. You never know what you're going to discover in the natural world. It's good for you.

Outdoor time has been linked to a wide variety of health benefits. Studies suggest that it increases your energy levels and helps you to stay more alert. We are learning more and more about the importance of a daily bit of natural sunlight, too, which can help fight depression. Vitamin D, which is created naturally when sunlight acts on the skin, is important for a whole host of bodily functions. It helps to regulate calcium and phosphorus levels in the blood and is vital to the immune system. Outdoor workouts might help you stick with it.

Exercise outdoors tends to be more exciting and adventurous than the treadmill, so these kinds of workouts may help you stay engaged in your exercise routine. If your daily exercise time is also your time to escape the four walls of your home or office, for example, you might be more likely to see it as a treat that you give yourself. And when you can see your daily exercise in such a positive way, you'll be far more likely to make sure you do your workout each day. And that's one of the best things you can do for your overall health. Exercise itself helps increase mental focus, tones muscles, helps improve your metabolism, and helps increase your lung capacity, and no doubt your lifespan. Exercising outside gives your body fresh new challenges.

When you exercise outside, you will be asking your body and your brain to complete more complex motions than those that are performed on exercise equipment. You are also dealing with various terrain surfaces, which can provide a further mental and physical challenge and help to improve your reflexes. The most important thing is that you truly love the exercise you choose so that you will stick with it. Always pace yourself, it won't take long before you'll be feeling the all of the mental and physical benefits. There's five great reasons to exercise outside, now add the benefit of group exercise to that with a qualified personal trainer who guarantees results to the equation and you’ve got the winning formula!