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 During the warm, waning summer days, fresh air workouts offer a
wealth of new ways to boost the mood, channel the inner child and
even burn extra calories.
Chris Freytag, a personal trainer and health coach with the American
Council on Exercise, loves the gym but lives in Minneapolis,
Minnesota, a city notorious for brutal winters.
“I’m a big believer in change of venue, of getting away from the
same treadmill, the same spot. And there’s something about fresh air
and moving in space,” said Freytag, who leads boot camp and circuit
classes in parks and parking lots during the summer months.
The changing terrain can also inspire the solitary exerciser to mix
it up.
“I’m all about hills: every time you see a hill or steps or stairs,
lunge at it,” said Freytag. “Step up and down on curbs and park
benches.”
A child’s playground offers core-strengthening possibilities from
deep plank pushups, with feet placed on swings, to training with
resistance bands slung around poles, to monkey bar pull-ups, she
explained.
Research suggest the outdoor boost can be mental as well as
physical. In a 2014 study on indoor versus outdoor activity
published in the journal Applied Psychology: Health and Well-Being
researchers analyzed national survey data from Finland.
They found that nature provides an added value to the known benefits
of physical activity and repeated exercise in nature is, in
particular, connected to better emotional well-being.
In his book “Beat the Gym,” Connecticut-based running coach and
personal trainer Tom Holland said running on a treadmill is slightly
easier than running on the ground.
“You don’t have to deal with changing terrain, wind resistance,” he
said, adding that the zero incline on most treadmills is actually
slightly downhill.
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New York City-based personal trainer JR Allen, said the first
benefit of the outdoor workout is balance.
“You have to be aware of your surroundings because you could step in
a pothole,” Allen said. “It is a less safe, more uncontrolled
environment that is more of a strain on your body.”
Allen suggests the newcomer to outdoor exercise should start with a
simple walk around the neighborhood. The seasoned exerciser should
head to the park for sprints, power push ups, in which hands leave
the ground, and walking planks, moving side to side and back to back
on hands and feet.
Daniel Taylor, author of the book “Conditioning to the Core,” thinks
outdoor training is great as long as people take some precautions.
“People who utilize children’s playground equipment ought to double
check it. Make sure bars aren’t slippery,“ he said. “One of the
reasons we go to the gym is it’s safe and dry.”
(Editing by Patricia Reaney and Andrew Hay)
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