Make Nature Your New Health Club

Now that the sun is shining and the temperature is warming up, try ditching the four walls of the gym and use nature as a training ground.  It’s tough to hit the gym when the beautiful sunshine beckons us to step outside and enjoy the countryside.  So give in and reap the benefits!  Although working out inside has plenty of benefits, exercising outside can improve energy levels and decrease stress to a greater extent, as well as give us a better workout. 

Since walking is such a popular pastime, turn it into hiking.  In other words, walk on a nearby nature trail in a forest preserve, state park or mountainside.  Start with an hour walk (30 minutes one way, then come back) and work up from there.  You can cover close to 4 miles in a good hour walk.  Many nature trails have mileage markers, but if they don’t, use the health app on your Smartphone to keep track of mileage.  It records walking/running distance and resets daily.  (It’s the app with the little red heart that comes with your phone.)  Prefer biking?  Most forest preserves have biking trails as well as hiking trails.  Personally, I like mixing it up and doing both!    

Hands down, I prefer hiking or biking for 2-3 hours over an hour on the elliptical any day!  This week, I took advantage of the first decent day and did a morning hike with my workout buddy on a forest preserve trail and an afternoon hike with my daughter and grandson Dominic on nature trails at a beautiful national historic landmark.  If you're a parent or grandparent take baby with you.  The babies love taking in all of the new sights and sounds of nature.  Breathing in fresh air is as good for them as it is for us.  We put Dominic in his all-terrain B.O.B. jogging stroller and hiked the beautiful nature trails of The Grove.  The trails are unpaved and the B.O.B. performed perfectly.   A hike can also turn into an educational trip for the kiddies - we got an added bonus of visiting the nature center and Dominic got to see snakes, fish, birds and even wild turkeys walking around on the grounds.     

So what are the big advantages of outdoor workouts?  

• The body works harder.  Varied terrain makes the body move in varied, more complex ways, engaging the core.  Mother Nature’s form of resistance (wind, temperature, etc) also makes the body burn more calories.  Comparatively, biking will use more energy than hiking.  
• We exercise longer outside.  You’ll be surprised how time travels when you are not in the gym.  Changing our routine, seeing new faces, taking in wildlife and flora help combat boredom.  
• Breathing in fresh air makes the body release feel-good endorphins, increasing energy and positive thinking.  
• Hiking and biking are multi-generational.  Not only are they popular with all generations but they are also fun, safe and easy for seniors to accomplish.  
• No schedule.  As long as the trails are open, we can work out whenever we want.  
• Outdoor workouts are FREE!  We don’t have to pay a gym membership and the equipment is easy - get a good pair of shoes, appropriate clothing and a water bottle.  If you are biking, get a decent hybrid and a good helmet.