I took martial arts classes for a number of years when I was living in Korea. When I moved back to the States, I decided to continue my martial arts training. I studied Oom Yung Doe at a small place in the town I moved too.

There weren’t many students and the training was pretty intense. I trained five to six days a week and rarely missed a day. I really enjoyed the training. Every once in a while on a nice evening we would train on the beach. Those were my favorite times. There’s something about exercising outside that’s particularly nice. The sound of the wind, the waves, the sun setting on the horizon, all made the workout seem a bit easier.

I don’t practice martial arts anymore. I haven’t in years. Still, when I exercise I notice a difference between indoor and outdoor exercise. While I can say that they both have their merits, I definitely prefer exercising outside.

The Pros of Outdoor Exercise

People who exercise outdoors are usually happier to workout. Being outside provides you with visual stimulation that helps time pass more quickly. Actually it stimulates all the senses. You can feel the wind blow on your skin, smell the trees and grass, hear birds singing and see all the things around you. With all that distraction the time seems to pass by much more quickly.

Being in nature helps the brain relax and relieves stress. Researchers at the University of Michigan showed that walking outdoors helped a group of college students restore their cognitive function. Walking in nature helps children with ADD improve their ability to focus.

Running outside helps you to push your body harder. You encounter variations in terrain that challenge muscle groups increasing strength and balance.

Being out in the sunlight will help you get the vitamin D your body needs to remain healthy. The best way to get vitamin D is through skin exposure. Your skin can convert the sun’s rays into the correct amount of vitamin D your body needs. It’s the best way to get this important vitamin that promotes bone health, boosts the immune system and even prevents some forms of cancer.

Things to be Aware of When Exercising Outside

Weather can be a deterrent to working-out outdoors. When the weather is bad you may want to move your workout inside. There are some hardcore outdoor exercisers who are out their everyday rain, sleet or snow, but you don’t have to be one of them. I went running in the rain last week and was pretty proud of myself, but if it were heavier than a drizzle I probably would have gone back to my apartment running.

Pollution can cause breathing problems and aggravate any lung problems you may already have. If you have asthma, allergies or any other breathing problems you need to be careful when you start a new outdoor exercise routine. You should check local pollution and pollen levels before going outside to workout. If they are high exercise inside for the day.

It’s hot in the summer. To avoid heat exhaustion don’t exercise during peak sunny hours. Get out in the morning or early evening. That way you won’t get too hot.

Be mindful of cars, trucks bikes or anything else that might run you over. You’re sharing the area with vehicles and other people. Always be on the lookout for danger when exercising outside.

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Mix It Up

Don’t do the exact same routine all the time. Mix it up a bit. Your muscles need to be challenged in different ways. If you do the same workout everyday you’ll build up strength in your muscles in only one direction. You’ll start to lose your abilities in other directions because your muscles aren’t being challenged in that way.

Eventually, this could cause dysfunction and pain in your muscle groups. If you’re always working the quads, you’ll get really strong quads, but the opposing muscles will get weaker. If you continue on this course, you’ll end up with low back pain. That’s just one of many examples. Add a few different things to your fitness routine.

Strength

Don’t forget strength training. Some of us get so caught up in cardio that we forget to incorporate some strength into our routine. Strength training helps you build stability. It also helps build strong bones.

You can do strength training in the gym or buy some weights to keep in your home. You don’t have to have weights to do strength training though. Use your own body as resistance. Doing push-ups, squats and lunges are just a few other ways to strength train. You can even use things around the house as weights, like books or tin cans.

Have Fun!

Do something you love. Exercise shouldn’t be the thing you’re dreading for the day. You don’t have to run if you hate it. Some of us just aren’t runners. Find something you like.

Sports are fun and challenge your body in a variety of ways at the same time. I took martial arts because I wanted to get in shape, but at the time I didn’t want to run and I didn’t want to participate in any team sports. It was a great way to workout and learn the skill of self-defense.

Anything you can do inside, you can do outside. So take advantage of the beautiful outdoors while the weather is nice. Maybe you’ll want to keep taking advantage of it once the weather gets cold. If not, you can also move your workout indoors for the winter months.

Whether you’re more comfortable working-out inside or out, the most important thing is making sure you exercise. It’ll keep you feeling good far in the future.

Photo by mikebaird

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