The Benefits of Outdoor Sports in Nature

Perhaps the multitude of pieces about how we need air led me to write about the benefits of outdoor training and outdoor sports in general. Or maybe the reason is that I also want to encourage the sun to rise and allow us to enjoy the benefits that physical activities in the park, in nature, bring to our health.

For one reason or another, many of us don't get enough of our weekly sports needs. I'm not saying that I necessarily condemn people who don't do gym because I don't feel like it every day either. Sometimes I prefer a longer walk, a bike ride or a swimming session.

Now that summer has come, though, I feel like the parks are tempting me to move my workouts there. Certainly many are tempted by the idea of ​​going outdoors because first of all it is a much more accessible option and we do not even encounter the classic problems in the gyms.

Besides being a free training method, maybe even more fun and convenient in terms of space, outdoor sports bring us many more benefits. Let's see what are the positive aspects of sweating outside the gym.

This time, when I think of outdoor sports, I don't necessarily think about reproducing a classic workout at the gym or even modeling a new one adapted to the training space. Outdoor sports can even be playing volleyball, badminton, and just about anything that requires a lot of good physical effort.

The benefits of outdoor physical activity

A study by Scottish researchers has shown that outdoor training relieves us of stress. The connection between well-being and the connection with nature is already well known and intensely promoted and for this reason, it is extremely indicated that when the weather allows us to go out to carry out physical activities in nature. So if you want to take care of your mental health, stop running on the treadmill and change it with a relaxing run in the park.

A 2011 study found that outdoor sports manage to reduce stress, confusion, irritability, and depression more successfully compared to activities between four walls. It seems that another study from 2010 found that only 5 minutes of exercise in the green space can improve our well-being and self-confidence, according to the BBC.

A study by the Sporting Goods Manufacturer Association (SGMA) found that women between the ages of 18 and 24 train more indoors or outdoors than any other age group. But after this age, says the Center for Disease Control, women become significantly less active than men. Maybe that's why 51% of women over the age of 25 are obese. In addition, says SGMA, men are twice as open to sports as women.

1. Improving attention and concentration

A study from the University of Illinois states that our exercise environment has a significant impact on our ability to concentrate, so a walk of only 20 minutes in the park has beneficial effects compared to a walk in the city. through the mall let's say.

2. We lose weight more easily, we get energized and we stick more easily to the "program" of sports

The University of Rochester claims that the same 20-minute walk in nature can have similar effects to a cup of coffee. Also, a beautiful and pleasant day seems to entice us to do more sports and for this reason, it is believed that those who choose outdoor activities will be more reluctant to practice them with more perseverance.

3. Faster physical recovery

A 2005 study found that patients who underwent spinal surgery and were placed closer to the sun's rays felt less pain, less stress, and a lower need for painkillers compared to patients in different areas. shadier.

Of course, the recovery period also means a break from training, but if sunlight is the main ingredient, an outdoor workout in the sun could bring you some benefits in case of minor injuries and injuries.

4. More intense outdoor workouts

Outdoor sports, especially team sports, involve moving more muscle groups than we train at the gym, whether we are talking about cardio workouts or weight training.

Moreover, those who engage in a team sports activity will not even feel how time passes and how fatigue speaks for itself. I only think about how much time some people lose by socializing or sitting on the phone at the gym, these lost times I don't think will come into question when we get into a game of basketball, volleyball, or football.

Outdoor sports, such as volleyball, basketball, football, tennis, cycling, sightseeing, golf, rugby, keep you moving because they force you to run, jump and bend, almost non-stop.

However, I would like to point out that walking the dog in the park instead of a workout at the gym is not considered a good substitute, no matter how much you stir while playing you will still not get the same results as in the case of a well-structured workout at the gym.

5. Balance and coordination

I think these are the reasons why I don't really like outdoor sports especially team sports. As a child, I was not the most skilled at coordinating. In time, I realized that just because I'm not good at something should lead me to overcome my fears or complexes and start doing an activity that will help me evolve.

Thus, team sports have become much more attractive. Team sports focus on balance, strength, endurance, and coordination.

Plus the pace at which you play a sport and the weather conditions will even challenge your body and you will develop your fitness much easier. You will be constantly struggling to get out of your comfort zone, and this can only be a good thing.

5. Nature - natural remedy for depression

In addition, it is already well known that "exercise, in whatever form, is an excellent antidote for moderate depression," according to Dr. John Greist, a respected "senior scientist" at the Madison Institute of Medicine. . And this should be a strong argument for us women if we consider that all studies have shown that we are twice as likely to have depression as men.

The more dynamic way of playing team sports and the need to observe and monitor the actions that take place around you is a challenge for the central nervous system and brain, which certainly leads to a reduction in anxiety.

You can read about the causes of depression and the deficiencies of vitamins and minerals that can cause it in an older article.

6. Sports with anti-aging effect

But despite the impressive number of benefits that outdoor sports have on our health, it ensures good control of body weight, strengthens the skeletal and muscular system, strengthens the health of the cardiovascular system, maintains mental balance, and, according to the latest studies, it seems to have a strong anti-aging effect), many people seem to be shy to carry it out. We should give up inhibitions if that is the reason because the people whose opinions might matter will certainly support and respect us.

7. You will have a lower risk of illness

Of course, this argument applies to the situation where a virus does not hit you when you run with the greatest pleasure through the park. In principle, gyms are not exactly exemplary in terms of cleanliness. Germs and bacteria spread through most rooms, even those that are clean on the moon. You can also contact all kinds of viruses, herpes or I know what other diseases and infections that are not very serious but that will give you some headaches, one more reason not to be tied only to gym workouts, I say.

And as a BONUS argument, think about the fact that sun exposure also means ensuring the level of vitamin D, so necessary for women to fix calcium in the body. However, it does not expose you even when the sun is very harmful because you will wake up with skin problems, maybe even serious conditions.