Go Green
Could your workout use new life? Why not take it outside? There are many benefits to green exercise.
Numerous studies cite the positive mental and emotional health of exercise and time spent outdoors. New research suggests combining the two may be even better, providing a one-two punch of goodness. Here’s what you can achieve by taking your workout outside:
- Improved strength, endurance and flexibility, depending on your choice of activity
- Lowered risk of heart disease, Type 2 diabetes and even some types of cancer
- Reduced stress
- Fewer symptoms of anxiety and depression
How To Get Green Exercise in Your Life
Taking your yoga mat outside is one option. You can also reap the benefits of green exercise through the following activities.
1. Biking
Biking doubles as transportation — try running your errands by bike using saddlebags to carry your groceries. You’ll tone your quads and hamstrings while burning calories.
2. Walking
Walking is accessible and affordable — all you need are the right shoes. Walking may help with some forms of chronic pain. For example, 23% of adults have chronic low back pain, often from degenerating discs. However, walking is a low-impact activity that helps build and maintain bone density.
3. Hiking
Hiking adds an adventurous dimension to your average walk and increases the physical demands on your body. Mix it up by scrambling up boulders or try geocaching to locate hidden treasure while you work out.
4. Swimming
Many pools are outdoors, not to mention oceans, lakes and rivers.
Why Green Exercise Works
Green exercise works because it combines two activities with proven health benefits. According to Heather Eliassen, professor at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, spending time in green spaces promotes better sleep while lowering blood pressure and the risk of chronic illnesses.
Furthermore, exercise promotes healthy changes at the cellular level, affecting multiple bodily systems at once. Recent data shows working out regulates the immune system and controls pathways associated with liver and heart disease and tissue injury.
Beth Rush is the fitness editor at Body+Mind. She writes about how women with PCOS can hack their exercise routines to balance hormones naturally. She covers topics like plant-based recipes for athletes and preaching the benefits of green exercise. You can find Beth on Twitter @bodymindmag.