Systematic sports and dynamic exercise have a positive effect on the human body. The muscles and tissues of the joints are strengthened, the resistance to infectious diseases is increased, the figure becomes fit and athletic, the state of health improves and self-esteem increases. You can do fitness workouts at home or in the gym, but outdoor activities in a large park, on a beach or in your own backyard will be most effective.
The beneficial effect of outdoor exercise
What is the beneficial effect of fresh air on the body during exercise?
Training in outdoor will significantly increase the endurance of the muscles and the body as a whole. A large amount of oxygen consumed helps the body to withstand a high pace and heavy loads and to recover faster after fitness training.
If training takes place in a beautiful and picturesque place, the motivation for sports and the mood increases significantly. Exercise in the fresh air can help cope with nervous overwork and depression.
You are not limited in space during outdoor sports. You will not be disturbed by walls or furniture.
While you workout outdoor, you can easily find people who have decided to strengthen their health and improve their figure just like you. When surrounded by like-minded people, workouts will become more interesting, which will increase their effectiveness.
Choosing the right place and time for fitness training
When choosing a place to conduct your training, you should explore the surrounding area. It is possible that there is a large public stadium or sports ground near your home. Also, parks or beaches are suitable for sports. If there are no such objects within an accessible distance from your home, then you can exercise in the yard. One of the important conditions for outdoor workouts is cleanliness and safety. Broken glass or scattered debris will not add to your mood while exercising. And being able to stumble and get seriously injured while jogging is a bad motivator. You should look for a better place, especially if the exercise will be done while lying or sitting on the ground. For such training, you must take a gymnastic mat with you. Before starting a workout, carefully examine the area where you will be doing sports. Not only debris or sharp objects (nails, glass, etc.) can interfere with your fitness workout, but also insects. At best, their bites will cause discomfort, at worst, they will lead to an allergic reaction and the need to go to the hospital. Pay special attention to dog lovers. In this case, there is a high probability of stumbling upon dog excrement or being bitten while jogging.
For outdoor training, the right time of day is of great importance. The ideal time for sports is morning (7-8 o’clock) or evening (6-9 o’clock), that is, before or after work/school. Moreover, in the summer, in the middle of the day, the air temperature rises to maximum values ​​and you can get heatstroke. When choosing the best time for fitness training, consider your individual characteristics.
“Owls” are people who stay up late and wake up late and hard. For such people, it is better to postpone the exercise to the evening hours.
“Larks” – get up early and go to bed early. For this category of people, an exercise in the morning is ideal.
The advantage of morning workouts is that there are still few people and cars on the street, during the night the air was cleared of dust and exhaust gases. If you are going to practice in the evening, try to choose cool and shady places for exercise.
Outdoor sports options:
Meditative Yoga
Nowadays no one can be surprised by yoga classes in the fresh air. If we consider that yoga is primarily meditation, concentration and relaxation, then it is quite logical that such practices should be carried out not in stuffy rooms, but in nature.
The park has fresh air, smells of flowers and herbs, leaves rustle and birds sing. This setting is conducive to a meditative mood – this is what is lacking in fitness clubs. Since the goal of yoga is to merge with the world, you must admit that it is much more pleasant to feel like a part of a forest or ocean than to merge with concrete and tiles in a gym.
HIIT workouts
This is a high-intensity interval workout that can be done both indoors and outdoors. In both the first and second cases, we recommend working with a trainer – HIIT has many technical features and, if performed correctly, gives a quick, high-quality result: you burn fat and gain muscle mass.
During training, it is necessary to perform exercises, alternating high and moderate physical activity – up to 15 such cycles in total with breaks for 60 seconds of rest between cycles.
HIIT workouts are good for their versatility: they can be both strength and aerobic, take no more than 20 minutes a day, and help work out all muscle groups during this time.
Jogging up the stairs
And there are many variations here: if the half-marathon distances are terrifying to you, run up the stairs. Such workouts simultaneously strengthen the muscles of the legs, buttocks, and abs. But do not relax: running up the stairs will seem as exhausting as the classic outdoor sports. Energy consumption for running up the stairs is 819 kcal. The most energy-consuming sport is running at a speed of 12 km / h. In 60 minutes, you can burn 1074 kcal. In terms of energy consumption, jumping rope is equivalent to running. Swimming is a little less effective — 937 kcal is burned in an hour’s workout.
Cycling to the health
Cyclists in cities are now perceived as full-fledged road users. Many people get to work on bicycles and scooters, there are many rental points where you can take a bike for the evening and ride with the breeze. The direction of BMX has become very popular – the so-called freestyle bicycle with tricks and jumps, for which you will need to choose from special BMX bikes with a 360 ° rotating handlebar and a very strong frame. Stunt models have no shock absorbers and no saddle, and the brakes are applied in any position of the bike. BMX appeared in the 60s in the USA and immediately became wildly popular. Several directions of this sport have appeared – obstacle racing on a dirt track, flatland (dancing on a bicycle) and freestyle, which includes street (racing in urban conditions) and park – tricks with overcoming obstacles in parks.
Hiking – 15000 steps a day
The kind of training that came from California can be practised almost everywhere. If the area where you live does not have hills or other natural elevations, use city parks for long sports walks that replace full-fledged sports in nature. It would be ideal if you can walk 15 thousand steps a day.
Conclusion
There is research that proves that exercising outdoors is much easier than exercising in the gym. It’s about the environment that makes you feel calm and at ease – the pleasure from such a workout is many times greater. And remember – by choosing to exercise, you choose a long and healthy life, no matter what activity or sport you pick! Good luck!
