I frequently train clients on Hampstead Heath and Primrose Hill

Here are just 10 benefits of training outdoors

  1. Sunshine: Vitamin D we get from exposure to the sun has amazing benefits (when you do it in moderation). Its a common treatment for depression and other mood disorders – just think how fabulous you feel when you step into sun rays, this is because endorphins (which lift your mood) are released by the body when you get some sun.

  2. A More Effective Workout: Exercising outdoors provides an opportunity to be physically active in a constantly changing environment. The more challenging the terrain, the harder the body has to work to sustain an efficient work rate. Cardio machines in the gym can provide numerous benefits, but doing the same movement pattern over and over again can potentially cause an overuse injury. Functional Compound Complex movements using various tools including (TRX suspension training, Kettlebells, Dumbells, Resistance Cables and Resistance Hill Sprints on terrain that is constantly changing teaches the body how to adapt to a changing environment. In addition, a constantly changing surface can enhance the strength of your connective tissue, which may help you avoid certain injuries.

  3. Your workout will fly by quicker :You’ll be surprised how much faster time travels when you aren’t in the gym. “Changing your routine, seeing new faces, taking in the beautiful natural environment of Hampstead Heath or Primrose Hill, this all helps combat workout boredom,” To top it off, a tough workout may not seem so, er, grueling, When you’re distracted by the environment, you’re less aware of your effort, such as how many hill runs or thruster squats you have completed.

  4. Think More Clearly: Breaking a sweat outside may make you smarter. Humans were hunter-gatherers and farmers for some 300,000 generations and have only been industrialized for only six to eight generations so we are outdoor animals living largely inside. Closeness to nature increases our well-being—it has an immunizing effect by protecting us from future stresses and helping us concentrate and think more clearly.

  5. More Motivated :Exercising outdoors has been proven to have a direct correlation with an increase in exercise frequency. Because of the improved mental aspects that seem to go along with outdoor activity, people who exercised outdoors had a more restorative effect, and therefore an increased desire for more frequent exercise. If you’re struggling with motivation to work out, moving your workout to the great outdoors may help you want to keep at it.

  6. Burn More Calories: It’s easy to get in a fitness rut when your body knows exactly what to expect from your gym machines like the treadmill, elliptical, and stationary bike. The varied terrain of a Hampstead Heath or Primrose Hill might be just what your body needs to challenge itself to move in varied, more complex ways and with external variables, you can end up burning more than 30% more calories just by trading in the treadmill for trails.

  7. Fight More Germs: Gyms aren’t always the meccas of health we think they are. Studies show that gyms are breeding grounds for germs and bacteria. MRSA is the most dangerous super bug you can catch at your fitness facility—it’s resistant to most antibiotics and can cause fever, rash, wounds, and chest pain. Other less harmful infections include athlete’s foot, boils, herpes simplex, and ringworm his ‘hood). Indoor air is two to five time more polluted than outdoor air, according to a study from the Environmental Protection Agency.

  8. Happiness: Training outside is like organic Prozac. “Breathing fresh air opposed to the recycled kind can create a feeling of euphoria, which comes from the body’s release of feel-good endorphins, It’s not that your muscles respond better to it, but rather your mind does, which in turn makes you want to work harder.

  9. More Energy: Exercising outside also creates greater feelings of revitalization, energy, and positive thinking than does working out indoors.

  10. Improved Mental Health: Exercising outdoors showed a greater improvement in mental health than exercising in artificial environments [2]. These results showed an association between regular outdoor exercise with a lower risk of poor mental health and well-being, but not for activity in other types of environment. It also found a 50% greater positive effect on mental health than exercising indoors. In other words, if you’re already struggling with depression, anxiety, tension, and stress, getting outdoors will increase your likelihood of feeling better than just exercise alone.

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