Outdoor Fitness to Get You Out of the Gym
No matter the weather or the time of year, when it comes to exercising, if you do the same workouts day in and day out, eventually you will grow bored and will crave something new. Rather than spending all of your time exercising in a gym under artificial fluorescent lighting, if you are bored, why not get some fresh air and work out outside instead? Outdoor fitness sessions are very popular at this moment in time and if you crave the great outdoors there are plenty of options for you to choose from. Here’s a look at a few outdoor cardio ideas and examples to get you out of the gym and into the fresh air.
Hiking – Hiking is one of the most vastly under appreciated forms of cardiovascular exercise in existence. Hiking is a great form of cardio for people who don’t want to run, or who can’t run outside, plus it is much better for the joints. Hiking is a low-intensity, low-impact form of cardiovascular exercise that will help you to burn calories, work on your stamina and endurance, and get fit and healthy. Furthermore, if you choose to hike in beautiful outdoor surroundings your mental health will improve too, as it will serve as a wonderful stress-buster.
Hill sprints – If you’re looking for something a lot more fast-paced and physically demanding, hill sprints are absolutely fantastic for a number of reasons. Hill sprints will burn calories, they’ll tone your lower body muscles, they’ll work on your fitness and endurance, and they’ll give you one of the most physically demanding workouts you could ever imagine. Hill sprints are basically performed by finding a hill, preferably somewhere rural, and sprinting to the top as quickly as possible. You then slowly walk back to the bottom, sprint to the top again, walk back down, and repeat for as many rounds as you can manage. Just remember, the steeper the hill, the harder the workout will be.
Running the stairs – Stair running is very similar to hill sprints, except you’re running up stairs instead of a hill. Running the stairs will tone your glutes and hamstrings, while burning fat and improving your balance and physical endurance. Assuming you can find a decent set of stairs outside, that aren’t very busy, you can get a serious workout in here. What’s more, it will also make a very pleasant change to using the stair master at the gym.
Cycling – If your joints aren’t up to the cardio sessions listed above, or if you simply don’t find them appealing, cycling could be a fantastic alternative. Cycling burns calories, it tones the lower body muscles, and it is a great way of seeing the great outdoors. There are countless cycle routes all over the country so our advice is to get out there and try some new and exciting routes which you’ve not previously experienced before. Obviously you won’t get any new fitness benefits from cycling outdoors versus using a stationary cycle in the gym, but the views and the outdoor experience in general makes cycling incredibly enjoyable and beneficial.