4 Reasons to Get Outside for Exercise
By Genevieve Cunningham
If you exercise on a regular basis, you're doing great things for your body and health. Those who maintain an exercise routine throughout life are more likely to have a healthy body weight and less likely to suffer from major diseases such as diabetes and high blood pressure. But let’s be real: Sometimes sticking with exercise is just hard! It gets boring, tedious, and quitting feels like the best and easiest answer. But don’t! Maybe it’s not that you have to quit your routine, but just that you need a change of pace. If you’re ready for a little change in your workout routine, take a look at why you should take it outdoors today.
To Get Some Sun
The sun has been a bit of a boogeyman over the past few years. It’s bad for health! It damages the skin! It can cause cancer! While all of these can be true when sun exposure is excessive, a little bit of sun exposure is actually good for you. It can lift moods, give you some necessary Vitamin D, and keep you in overall better health. By taking your workout outside, you’ll be gaining all of these benefits with very little extra effort or time.
For the Fresh Air
The fresh air can do wonders for your mood and health. The fresh air helps us feel clean and alive. It has been shown that those who get outside and breathe in the fresh air regularly enjoy better lung function and improved overall health. It may also make your workout feel more difficult, as an outdoor setting doesn’t control for the natural elements like temperature and wind.
For a New Challenge
Working out outside is often a lot more difficult than working out indoors. When you’re inside, you have machines, a controlled atmosphere, air conditioning, endless water, and a hundred other conveniences to make it easier. Outside? You have whatever equipment you bring, the raw elements, and whatever water you bring to the session. It’s more of a challenge, which is sometimes just what you need to get refocused.
For More Motivation
Completing a workout outdoors feels like such an accomplishment. You’ll probably be sweatier and dirtier, which for some reason makes you feel like you’ve worked harder. Have you? Maybe. But it doesn’t really matter. As long as you feel strong and accomplished, working out outdoors can help you find a renewed motivation to keep going and get better.
Should you work out outside? Absolutely! It’s a great change of pace, a new challenge, and honestly, it just feels good. Find some space outside, set up your area, and get busy. With just a few sessions outdoors, you may find that getting outside is completely worth the effort for your workout and for your overall health.
To learn more about your health, wellness, and fitness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Mint Hill, N.C.