Each day, more and more people are discovering the ways that sunshine and fresh air can totally transform their daily workouts. Exercise outdoors is rapidly growing in popularity, and for good reason. Outdoor exercise promotes greater wellness, builds stronger communities, and fosters personal connections with nature. Facilities and organizations are responding by investing in permanent, outdoor fitness space.
Read on to learn all about exercising outside, including physical and mental benefits, and discover why building an outdoor exercise space at your facility is worth the investment.
Why Exercise Outdoors is Gaining Popularity
While exercise outdoors has always had its true believers, outdoor workouts have exploded in popularity since the COVID-19 pandemic. The need for social distance pushed people out of gyms and into the great outdoors, and many discovered they loved the change.
Outdoor exercise spaces provide a free, social, and inclusive place for people to focus on wellness. Plus, there are fewer constraints in terms of hours and greater flexibility for on- and off-machine exercises. In turn, parks, schools, senior communities and more are adding outdoor fitness equipment.
Physical Benefits of Exercising Outside
Exercising outdoors is more than just enjoyable; it’s beneficial to the physical health and wellness of your community members. Discover the many physical benefits of outdoor exercise.
Increases vitamin D
When your skin is exposed to the sun’s ultraviolet rays, it produces a nutrient known as vitamin D. Vitamin D is essential for all kinds of processes in the body. For one, it works in tandem with calcium to promote bone health. Without adequate vitamin D, your body is unable to absorb calcium. Vitamin D also supports your immune system, muscle health, and brain cells.
According to the Mayo Clinic, most adults lack sufficient exposure to sunlight, which leads to vitamin D deficits. Outdoor exercise is an excellent way to easily boost vitamin D production without significant changes to your daily routine.
Improves balance and coordination
Introducing uneven terrain into a workout engages stabilizing muscles like core muscles, abductors, back muscles, and more. As these muscles get stronger, so does balance and coordination. Outdoor exercise naturally presents much greater opportunities to workout on uneven terrain than a gym or an indoor track.
Of course, while uneven terrain is a great benefit of exercising outside for younger, physically able community members, it can present a real danger to seniors and people with physical limitations. Ensure your outdoor exercise space is safe and accessible for everyone by installing hand rails, grips, and seating options for stability and rest. Plus, always install your outdoor fitness equipment on a stable, even surface.
Enhances cardiovascular health
Outdoor exercise also allows for a more varied workout, which can lower blood pressure and heart rate and boost circulation throughout the body. It also promotes better endurance. Together, these changes vastly improve cardiovascular health and efficiency.
Mental Health Benefits of Exercising Outside
All exercise has a great impact on mental health, but those impacts are made even greater when combined with time spent outdoors. Read on to learn the mental health benefits of exercising outside.
Lowers depression and anxiety
In addition to all of its physical benefits, vitamin D offers mental health benefits, too. Vitamin D plays a significant role in serotonin production. This hormone is directly associated with your feelings of well-being. Higher levels of serotonin are linked to lower levels of depression and anxiety. Working out in the sunshine can be a great way to naturally elevate your mood.
Reduces stress
Exercise is generally a great way to combat high levels of stress. It boosts endorphins, one of the body’s “feel good” hormones, improves sleep, and provides an opportunity to step away from the stress of the world.
When combined with time spent outdoors, exercise has an even greater impact on stress. Spending just 30 minutes outside can dramatically lower cortisol, the body’s main stress hormone. Lower levels of cortisol means less stress.
Introduces opportunities for socialization
Outdoor fitness spaces also foster positive community interaction. As people move between fitness equipment and exercises, they have the opportunity to interface with others in their community. When combined with the mood-boosting effects of exercising in nature, many find themselves more open to positive social interactions.
These opportunities for socialization are always important, but make a particular impact in communities where isolation is common, like senior communities, hospitals, and correctional facilities.
Boosts enjoyment
Indoor gyms are great for working out, but they aren’t great to look at. Aside from a television, there’s not much to see inside a gym. This can make indoor exercise feel monotonous, unengaging, and unenjoyable.
Outdoor exercise, on the other hand, provides an opportunity to focus on wellness in a beautiful setting. There’s so much to look at, from plants and trees to animals and natural scenery. Many find that working out outside dramatically increases their enjoyment and helps them look forward to working out. Whether there are birds and squirrels running around or cars and pedestrians passing by, there’s always something to enjoy about an outdoor workout. This leads to greater consistency and more frequent use of community exercise spaces.
Lowers financial strain
Gym memberships can run anywhere from $20 to $200 a month or more. For many people, this monthly cost can increase financial strain, which impacts stress, depression, and has other negative effects. Outdoor exercise spaces present an opportunity to exercise for free and eliminate the monthly cost of a gym membership
Why Facilities Should Encourage Exercise Outdoors
We’ve reviewed the benefits of exercise outdoors for individuals, but what about the benefits to facilities and community spaces? Here’s why your facility should consider investing in an outdoor exercise space:
- Better public health: Overall improvements in public health mean less strain on your facility or community’s healthcare system.
- More positive community interactions: Less stress and better moods can lead to more positive interactions and lower levels of violence in communities.
- Foster appreciation to the outdoors: As your community begins to spend more time in parks and public spaces, they’ll build a greater appreciation of nature. This can lead to greater protection of nature and a more positive sentiment toward your community spaces.
- Increased funding: Encouraging use of your parks and community spaces can help secure greater funding for those spaces.
How to Create an Effective Outdoor Exercise Space
Ready to introduce an outdoor exercise space into your community? Consider these elements to create an outdoor gym that’s safe, effective, and fun to use:
- Focus on equipment variety: If you’d like your gym to support a full-body workout, it’s important to invest in a variety of options. Invest in outdoor cardio equipment, strength training, and more.
- Invest in durable design: For your outdoor exercise space to be effective, your equipment needs to last. Invest in equipment that’s durable, waterproof, and has proper UV protection.
- Pick a shaded area: Sun protection is key for an outdoor exercise space. If you don’t have a location with trees or buildings for shade, invest in a shade cloth or overhang.
- Keep it inclusive: For public facilities like parks and community centers, accessibility is key. In addition to providing equipment for all ages and ability levels, include accessible equipment designed for people with disabilities.
TriActive USA: Your Source for Safe, Durable, and Effective Outdoor Fitness Equipment
By creating opportunities to exercise outdoors, your facility can introduce a range of benefits to your community members. From improved heart health, bone health, and brain health to lower levels of stress, anxiety, and depression, the benefits of outdoor exercise are vast.
Ready to introduce an outdoor exercise space in your community? Meet TriActive USA. Our line of durable, weather-resistant outdoor fitness equipment is built for every environment, from parks to military bases and more. Contact us today to get started.
