Meet me outside: Switch up your fitness routine

The arrival of spring means the days are getting longer and the chill is wearing off. This milder environment gives you the chance to get out and shake off the winter doldrums.

In addition to simply getting fresh air, there are real health benefits to enjoying the outdoors. Being outside, especially in green space:

• Lowers stress levels and reduces feelings of depression and anxiety.
• Boosts your creativity and mental processing abilities.
• Can reduce cortisol levels (a stress marker). It can also regulate heart rate and blood pressure, possibly leading to a lower risk of heart disease.  

And if your indoor workouts feel stale, consider taking them outside. Besides improving your fitness, you get additional benefits from exercising outdoors.

The outdoors are great

The benefits of regular physical activity are numerous. When you move your exercises outside, you may:

• Work out longer—By enjoying your environment, you may spend extra time or effort exercising without even realizing it.
• Up vitamin D—We can soak up the “sunshine vitamin” naturally, boosting our vitamin D levels from being in the sun.
• Improve your attention—Walking just 20 minutes in nature refreshes your brain’s ability to focus.
• Sleep more soundly—Exposure to daylight and fresh air helps improve sleep quality. The physical activity helps too.

Boost your workouts

Re-energize your workouts by switching up the scenery.