A young woman sits with her legs folded while enjoying the scenic landscape
Source: The Benefits Of Outdoor Exercise And How To Get Started | Explore New Trails
Experts at Explore New Trails get us reving to go outside by teaching us about the health benefits of green exercise.
For much of human history, getting outside wasn’t a luxury – it was unavoidable. Nowadays, we have to make time to walk around the block. Like so many other things, we see the value of nature by its absence. In this post, I list and explain the many benefits of outdoor exercise, sometimes called green exercise.
As you might have guessed, we here at Explore New Trails believe that the more nature you have in your day, the better. Whether you’re spending all summer backpacking, or you’re just taking a stroll through your neighborhood or local park in the evening, getting outside is good for you.
Physical Health
Dynamic Strength and Agility
A man hikes up a rocky incline near a waterfall
Source: The Benefits Of Outdoor Exercise And How To Get Started | Explore New Trails
Exercising outdoors contributes to the development of dynamic strength. It’s one of the consequences of dealing with variable terrain and other factors, such as wind, that you usually find outdoors.
When hiking through the woods, for example, you’ll have to navigate rocks and logs, step around holes, and climb up slippery slopes.
The challenges of a forest trail engage the muscles and ligaments of the ankle and calf and help to strengthen them. And, one of the best ways to develop ankle stability is to hike easy and moderate trails until you are ready for the difficult ones.
Although it might seem counterintuitive, exercising outdoors can lead to less chance of injury because your body is able to develop in response to a dynamic environment.
Running outside offers similar benefits, even if you’re not on a forest trail. Treadmills offer only so much when simulating an incline, and running on a treadmill has even been shown to shorten your stride. Not only will this reduce the amount of calories you burn, it may also lead to unbalanced strength in your ankles, legs, and core, and contribute to knee and hip problems later in life.
But, taking your workout outside will increase your balance and agility, since your body has the space and freedom to use correct posture and follow its natural movements.
Longer Workouts
In general, outdoor workouts tend to last longer due to several factors.
For one, people report that the environment is more engaging than the unchanging view inside your home or gym, so it’s easier to lose track of time. What’s more, researchers have shown that running outdoors demands more energy than the same distance covered on a treadmill.
Also, if you go for a run, you can’t just turn off the treadmill and sit down – you have to walk back.
Faster Results
A woman meditating in a natural, hill-laced environment
Source: The Benefits Of Outdoor Exercise And How To Get Started | Explore New Trails
Cyclists often face greater resistance when riding against the wind, and this can affect runners as well. However, running with the wind also offers advantages. As Pete McCall explains for the American Council on Exercise, “A good tailwind can help you move a little faster, which activates the larger type II muscle fibers responsible for strength and definition.”
And of course, working out outdoors in the winter forces your body to burn more calories to stay warm – a great benefit during a time of year when it is generally harder to keep off the pounds.
Holistic Benefits
Exercising outdoors can offer incredible benefits to your body beyond losing fat weight and gaining muscle strength.
Immune Health
The practice of deliberately entering the woods to find relief from stress and to commune with nature became popular in Japan in the 1980s and is now known in the United States as “forest bathing.”
“The Art of Forest Bathing” by FogoFilms
Source: FogoFilms: The Art of Forest Bathing | Vimeo
People have known for a long time that exposure to the natural world can bring healing to the body, but until recently, scientific research hadn’t confirmed this cultural wisdom.
Several studies have now shown that naturally occurring phytoncides emitted by trees increase the number of natural killer cells and anti-cancer proteins in the human body.
What’s more, these studies also showed that the benefits of a prolonged walk in the woods can last for seven days.
Skin Health
Arelene Semeco from healthline.com points out that regular exercise augments blood flow and improves your cells’ ability to regenerate and fix themselves.
As a result, moderate exercise is key in delaying the signs of aging due to oxidative stress, both on the interior and exterior of the body.
Additionally, she writes that it has become clear that regular exercise can reduce your risk for type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and high blood pressure.
Combining the benefits of regular exercise and the advantages of exercising outside, you have the opportunity to impact your health in a profoundly positive way.
Lung Health
A man biking on a trail in the middle of autumn
Source: The Benefits Of Outdoor Exercise And How To Get Started | Explore New Trails
One aspect of health that people often ignore is the quality of air they’re breathing.
According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, “…a growing body of scientific evidence has indicated that the air within homes and other buildings can be more seriously polluted than the outdoor air in even the largest and most industrialized cities.”
Given that people spend greater amounts of time indoors rather than outside, this is a serious concern, but you have the ability to do something about it.
While you may work in an office building and sleep and eat in your home, consider the time you set aside for exercise as an opportunity to care for your lungs and improve your overall well-being.
Bone Health
It should be obvious by spending more time outside, you’ll be exposed to greater amounts of sunlight, even if you live in a cloudy part of the world.
While you can supplement your diet with Vitamin D, the best (and cheapest) way to get this nutrient is by spending time in the sun.
Your body produces this vitamin on its own, and by maintaining proper levels of Vitamin D, you help your body form and maintain its bones. Deficiencies in Vitamin D, on the other hand, can lead to severe health problems later in life.
You should also know that sunlight raises the amount of serotonin your brain produces, which, to put it simply, will make you feel happier. This becomes all the more beneficial in the wintertime, when the days are shorter and people typically spend more time indoors.
Heart Health
A group of friends swim together in a lake
Source: The Benefits Of Outdoor Exercise And How To Get Started | Explore New Trails
And finally, we couldn’t leave the holistic benefits of outdoor exercise without mentioning the heart.
In a study of 280 individuals in 24 different forests across Japan, researchers found that those individuals who were exposed to the forest instead of city had lower blood pressure and levels of cortisol, along with slower heart rates and less sympathetic nervous system activity. This study even accounted for variations between “walking and viewing” periods among individuals.
Mental Health
Focus, Cognition, and Creativity
If the physical benefits are not enough for you, working out in nature provides fantastic advantages for the health of your brain.
Taking a walk, hiking through the woods, climbing a mountain, skiing, kayaking, cycling, swimming, and all the other activities available to you outside expose your senses to a greater range of experiences.
Your brain and nervous system find greater stimulation in the elements, and this makes your time outside more interesting and engaging than the hour you might spend inside staring at the wall or tv.
Furthermore, physical activity in the open air has been shown to improve and preserve cognitive plasticity in older adults, as well as in “modifying metabolic, structural, and functional dimensions of the brain.”
With increased stimulation, better focus, and improved memory, people who take their workouts beyond the walls of their house will find it is easier to be creative, and when adding improved rest during sleep, they’ll generally be more productive and feel better the rest of the day.
Can exercise improve your sleep?
Source: Can Exercise Improve Your Sleep? | PictureFit
Emotional Health
Wellbeing
One of the greatest benefits people report when practicing “green exercise” is the boost in wellbeing.
You don’t have to hike the Appalachian Trail to feel the benefits, either – a simple walk through a public park will do, and some studies have shown an even greater effect when water, such as a lake, is present.
Furthermore, a person who exercises outside will typically be exposed to more sunlight, which increases the body’s production of Vitamin D. Greater amounts of this vitamin have been linked to improvements in mood and reduced depression.
Social Connection
A couple hike merrily together, hand-in-hand as they stroll through the forest
Source: The Benefits Of Outdoor Exercise And How To Get Started | Explore New Trails
Whether you’re going for a walk or a run, taking a ride on your bike through the community, swimming in a lake, gardening, or climbing up a mountain, you’ll find that training outside creates opportunities to meet new people, especially people who live nearby.
Staying connected to your community and building positive connections with others will greatly benefit your emotional health.
What’s more, if you have a family, making time to get outside will give you a chance to spend quality time with your loved ones.
The benefits of outdoor activities for children are nearly endless, and there’s no better way for children to burn off some energy than by exploring the great outdoors.
And for self-esteem and mood, a multi-study analysis showed that the young often benefit the most.
Additional Benefits
Aside from the physical, mental, and emotional advantages of green exercise, you’ll save money by avoiding the costs of gym membership fees. State forests and community parks are usually free to access.
Additionally, the hassle of driving to the gym and finding available equipment turns many people off, but with nature at your doorstep, you can avoid these headaches.
And the time you would spend traveling to and from the gym can be added to your workout or spent preparing a healthy, post-workout meal.
Green exercise is convenient and provides a low-cost, flexible solution to those who want to avoid the trouble of going to a gym.
Get Out There!
You don’t need more studies and statistics to understand the benefits of green exercise – get outside and see for yourself!
You’ll feel better, think clearer, and before long, you’ll see changes in your fitness, too!
Sources
- Barton, Jo & Jules Pretty. “What is the Best Dose of Nature and Green Exercise for Improving Mental Health? A Multi-Study Analysis.” Environ. Sci. Technol. 2010, 44, 10, 3947-3955. Publication Date:March 25, 2010. https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/es903183r
- Bherer, Louis. “Cognitive plasticity in older adults: effects of cognitive training and physical exercise.” Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences. 13 March 2015. https://nyaspubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/nyas.12682
- Brockett, Claire L. & Graham J. Chapman. “Biomechanics of the ankle.” Orthopaedics and Trauma, Volume 30, Issue 3, Pages 232-238. June 2016. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877132716300483
- Fellen, Rebecca E., et al. “Comparison of Lower Extremity Kinematic Curves During Overground and Treadmill Running.” J Appl Biomech, 26(4): 407-414. Nov. 2010. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3266869/
- Fitzgerald, Sunny. “The Secret to Mindful Travel? A Walk in the Woods.” National Geographic. 18 Oct. 2019. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/lists/forest-bathing-nature-walk-health/
- Goyanes, Christina. “Take Your Workout Outside!” Women’sHealth. June 21, 2012. https://www.womenshealthmag.com/fitness/a19958597/outdoor-fitness/
- Kerr, David C. R., et al. “Associations between Vitamin D Levels and Depressive Symptoms in Healthy Young Adult Women.”Psychiatry Res. Author manuscript; available in PMC 2016 May 30. Published in final edited form as: Psychiatry Res. 2015 May 30; 227(1): 46–51. Published online 2015 Mar 5. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25791903
- Marks, Lynn. “What is Vitamin D?” Everyday Health. 11 May 2016. https://www.everydayhealth.com/drugs/vitamin-d
- Kirk-Sanchez, Neva J. & Ellen L McGough. “Physical exercise and cognitive performance in the elderly: current perspectives.” Clin Interv Aging. 2014; 9: 51–62. Published online 2013 Dec 18. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24379659
- Li, Q, et al. “Visiting a forest, but not a city, increases human natural killer activity and expression of anti-cancer proteins.” Int J Imunopathol Pharmacol, 21(1): 117-27. Jan. 2008. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18336737
- McCall, Pete. “6 Benefits of Exercising Outdoors.” American Council on Exercise. 22 April 2016. https://www.acefitness.org/education-and-resources/lifestyle/blog/5911/6-benefits-of-exercising-outdoors
- Nall, Rachel, RN, BSN, CCRN. “What are the Benefits of Sunlight?” Healthline. 2020. https://www.healthline.com/health/depression/benefits-sunlight#mental-health
- Park, BJ, et al. “The physiological effects of Shinrin-yoku (taking in the forest atmosphere or forest bathing): evidence from field experiments in 24 forests across Japan.” Environ Health Prev Med. 2010 Jan; 15(1): 18–26. Published online 2009 May 2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19568835
- Semeco, Arlene, MS, RD. “The Top 10 Benefits of Regular Exercise.” Healthline. 10 Feb. 2017. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/10-benefits-of-exercise#section5
- St. Lifer, Holly. “7 Reasons to Sweat Outdoors.” WebMD. 2020. https://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/features/7-reasons-to-sweat-outdoors#1
- “The Inside Story: A Guide to Indoor Air Quality.” United States Environmental Protection Agency. 3 Oct. 2019. https://www.epa.gov/indoor-air-quality-iaq/inside-story-guide-indoor-air-quality
- “The Most Common Treadmill Injuries (And How To Avoid Them).” 2020. https://www.exercisereviewsite.com/the-most-common-treadmill-injuries-and-how-to-avoid-them/
- Weingus, Leigh. “6 Science-Backed Reasons Outdoor Exercise Is So Much Better For You.” MindBodyGreen. https://www.mindbodygreen.com/articles/why-you-should-take-your-workout-outside
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