Ways to Take Your Workout Outside

There is a wide variety of workouts that can be done from the comfort of your own home. The great outdoors takes your options to the next level by providing scenery, fresh air, challenging coordination and an affordable way to work up a sweat while improving your mental health.

1. Walking
   Walking is one of the most basic forms of outdoor exercise. Walking is easy on your joints, by walking for an hour each week, can help ease joint pain, decrease your risk of heart disease, and improve your mental state. Walking on uneven surfaces challenges our balancing systems and activates the stabilizing muscles in our hips, knees, and ankle joints, which are all great ways to build strength and resilience in your body.
2. Biking
   If you’ve spent all winter pedaling away on your stationary bike, change it up by taking this exercise outdoors. Biking is a great form of cardiorespiratory exercise, that targets specific sets of muscle groups such as your glutes, quads, and hamstrings. If you choose to push yourself, those muscles will be challenged in ways other workouts cannot achieve. If you don’t feel like an all-out power ride, even just a short bike ride through the neighborhood during the workday or after dinner with your family or friends is still just as beneficial.
3. Jogging:
   Ready to pick up the pace and get some fresh air at the same time? Trade the treadmill for an outdoor jog. Jogging has a wide variety of health benefits such as lowering the risk of heart disease, lowering blood pressure, and decreasing bad cholesterol. When you take your jog outdoors you will feel an increase in positive engagements, boost of energy, a decrease in tension, and depression. One of the best things you can do when you first start jogging is to pace yourself. Running is about building your endurance and feeling confident throughout the entire run.
4. Jumping Rope:
   You may think of this as a childhood activity, but did you know it is a great form of exercise? Jumping rope challenges the entire body and improves cardiorespiratory endurance. Jumping rope improves your coordination along with helping you burn several hundred calories in just 15min depending on your body composition. Start by hopping two feet for 60 seconds then challenge yourself to hopping on one foot for 30 seconds.