Get Outdoors for Excellent Exercise this Summer
New research is showing benefits of long, vigorous outdoor walks as a mood booster and anxiety reducer.
It’s common knowledge that for good health, we have to move. Science is showing that people are not exercising enough if they don’t find joy doing so. To keep an active lifestyle, it’s key that we enjoy how we are moving.
Experts know that the intensity and how long we exercise have the best influence on our feelings about it.
Recently, researchers have been focusing on HIIT workouts (high intensity interval training). While this style of exercise is great for busy people, it’s not always the most fun activity. The movements are designed to get one’s heart rate to a maximal level in a very short period of time. Think burpees, squat jumps and planks.
A new study in PLOS One tested out a longer outdoor workout to see if people may enjoy it more and be more likely to continue.
Results showed that people who exercised outdoors for a long hike with short bursts of high intensity found it more pleasurable than doing a treadmill workout.
I don’t know about you, but this makes a lot of sense to me. Being outdoors in our natural habitat is an excellent way to feel better. So, next time you’re having a bad day, head outdoors and get moving!
