4 Reasons That Exercising Outside Is So Much Healthier Than The Gym

When you think of working out, you probably think of the gym. But the thing is, spending all of your time working out in the gym probably isn’t the best way to get healthy. First off, it’s probably going to cost you a lot of money every month for a membership and even though you might think that it’ll make you more likely to work out regularly, it won’t. You can just as easily end up giving up on it and then you’re just wasting money that you can’t really afford to spend.

Another big problem with the gym is that it isn’t always accessible for everybody. For people that have a disability, the gym isn’t very well equipped. There aren’t that many machines that cater for people with a disability and if you end up going to the gym, you’ll just be doing the same few exercises over and over, which is not a healthy way to exercise. You’re much better off doing your workouts away from the gym. Doing it at home is one option but there are a lot of benefits to doing it outside. Here’s why you’ll find far more success if you exercise outside.

Nicer Surroundings

Let’s face it, the gym isn’t the nicest place in the world. They’re usually big warehouses with grey walls and a load of exercise equipment. If you’re running on a treadmill, you’ll be staring at a blank wall or maybe watching TV. Without a nice view to look at, you’ll only be concentrating on how worn out you are and time will pass very slowly. But if you’re outside in a nice area, you’ll be distracted by your surroundings and exercising won’t feel like such a chore. Try to find a nice area like a forest or even on the beach to do your workouts. There are some great beach workout exercises that are just as effective as going to the gym but you’ll be far more motivated to work out because you’re on a picturesque beach, not stuck in a dull looking gym. Studies show that if you perceive something to be difficult, you’ll find it harder. Most people tend to think that using an exercise machine or running on a treadmill is harder than taking a light jog along the beach so you’ll get worn out quicker in the gym than you would outside. But the thing is, exercising outside is actually harder, even if you don’t perceive it that way…

You Get A Better Workout

While you might think that it’s harder to workout in the gym, that’s all mental. In reality, it’s harder to exercise outside and so your body is getting a better workout. When you’re running outside, for example, you’ve got wind resistance going against you and the harder terrain on the ground means you have to exert a bit more energy with every step. It’s also likely to be more humid (in the summer, of course) which means you’ll sweat more when you exercise. However, because the nice surroundings put you at ease and you perceive it to be easier, you’ll be able to go for longer.

The Benefits Of The Sun

Vitamin D deficiency is a big problem because we all spend so much time inside. We get up and drive to work so we can sit inside all day, then drive home to sit inside all night. If you added up the amount of time you actually spent outside in a normal day, you’d probably be shocked at just how little it is. That’s a huge issue because our main source of Vitamin D is sunlight. That’s why you should try to get outside as much as possible. If you’re doing your workouts in the gym, that’s just another hour of your day spent inside. But if you head outside to exercise, you can make sure that you’re getting outside on a regular basis and topping up your Vitamin D levels.

Fewer Germs

In a large gym, there are hundreds and hundreds of people using that equipment in a day. All of those people are sweating everywhere and even though they’re hopefully kind enough to give equipment a wipe down when they’re finished, the gym is still a hotbed for germs and bacteria. In fact, studies show that some equipment has more germs than a toilet seat. There’s no way to avoid it when you’ve got that many people using equipment. But if you’re outside having a run through the park, you’re just breathing in nice fresh air.

Don’t bother spending money on a gym membership, it’s far healthier for you to just get outside and do your workouts instead.