Various research studies have found that spending time in nature, in green saturated or blue saturated areas, is extremely beneficial for health and wellness. One study focused on the benefits of exercising outdoors and found that people who regularly exercise outside are more encouraged to get outside as well as exercise more often. If you’re getting bored at the gym, get outdoors again and take your fitness with you rain or shine.
Explore your local area (and beyond):
Working out in the outdoors gives you an opportunity to explore the local nature your neighborhood, town, city, and county has to offer. In an area like Portland, where Tree House Recovery is located, there are endless possibilities for outdoor exercise. Our city is full of sidewalks, parks, nature reserves, and short drives, or bike rides, to even more beautiful places. Once you learn that you can take your workout routine to the great outdoors, you can be inspired to workout anywhere. When you take that next roadtrip or long distance adventure, you don’t have to let the lack of an affiliated gym or a hotel gym slow you down. Head outside and get to work. Your mind and your body will thank you for the adventure.
Only spend gas money:
Gym memberships can be pricey and a monthly expenditure you could do without. When you choose to workout in the outdoors, there is no membership fee required. Some parks and areas might require a day pass or a parking fee. To fully get the benefits of exercising outdoors, all you need is some open air, greenery, or some blue space. Portland has tree lined streets, small local parks that are freely accessible and beautiful rivers to workout near. Your only cost is some outdoor workout gear and gas to get there, if you don’t do it like a Portlander on your bike.
Challenge yourself without a mirror:
Crossfit gyms remove mirrors. There is no need to compare against your image or the image of others. Working out in the outdoors takes care of that problem. Without a mirror nearby, you are only competing against yourself and the elements of the outdoors. You may see people working out nearby, or running on the same trail. Surrounded by natural beauty and wonder, you’ll be too focused on the present moment to bother focusing on comparing yourself to anyone else.
Take in the beauty of nature, not people:
Going to the gym is a prime people watching experience. Gyms are closed in, full of TV’s, and many people are regularly staring at their phone. Research has found that the beauty of nature is so powerful all it takes is looking at pictures of nature or watching a short film about nature to radically change the chemistry of both mind and body in reducing stress. Working out in the outdoors doesn’t require simulation or visualization. The best of the world is right in front of your eyes.
Group fitness is even more fun:
Some are slow to give up a gym membership because they don’t want to miss out on group fitness opportunities. Plenty of trainers have wised up to this issue and regularly coordinate outdoor group fitness classes. From running groups to outdoor yoga, Crossfit style training and HIIT groups, you can find just about anything happening in a local park or outdoor area. If you can’t find something professionally organized, enlist some friends to workout with you outside.
Located in the beautiful Pacific Northwest, our treatment program for men draws inspiration from the great outdoors, a thirst for adventure, and a quest for living. Tree House Recovery helps men find freedom from addiction by implementing sustainable changes in order to create a sustainable recovery. Call us today for information: (503) 850-2474
