Turn the Great Outdoors into Your Personal Gym: 4 Effective Workout Ideas

Maybe you're already a gym enthusiast. Maybe the gym is the last place you'd want to go. Either way, nothing compares to the gym right outside your doorstep: the Great Outdoors. 

Nature is powerful - we intuitively know this but the science backs up our intuitive pull to the outdoors. Spending time in nature has been shown to help lower blood pressure and stress hormone levels while enhancing our immune function. A little fresh air can even inspire a better mood, increase our self-esteem and lower anxiety.

Our hunter-gatherer ancestors existed in the outdoor natural environment for thousands of years, and it is hypothesised that this provides us present-day humans with an innate affiliation for nature. In addition, nature provides an environment that does not require our direct attention, which gives nature restorative properties like helping with recovery from mental fatigue and attention restoration (yes please). 

Let's tap into this natural power (pun definitely intended) by taking more of our workouts outside. 

4 Ways to Take Your Workout Outside

1. Strength Training: Reimagine Your Equipment

Exercise in nature requires us to get a little creative and tap into our more primal side. Hundreds of years ago, humans didn't have dumbbells and benches. But they did have tree branches, heavy rocks and steep hills. It's no wonder that strength training has seen the return of gear like Atlas stones, farmer's carries, sled pulls and pushes and strongman log bars. It feels more functional and frankly, a bit more badass than a bicep curl. 

Use your imagination. Lift some heavy rocks (with good form of course), balance your leg on a boulder for lunges or find a strong but low-hanging tree branch for pull-ups. Heck, climb some trees and release that inner child. Just make sure you know how to get back down safely...

If you're short on natural resources, head to an outdoor park and play on the monkey bars. 

2. Plyometrics: Get Your Jump On

If you want to work up a sweat with minimal gear required, give plyos a go. Think burpees, broad jumps (for distance), tuck jumps, jump squats, jumping lunges and lateral hops. All you need is an open space. Find a grassy area and start moving. 

If you want to get fancy, find a park bench or boulder and try some box jumps. 

3. Trail Running or Walking: Cardio with a View

Cardio, or aerobic exercise, makes our hearts healthier and happier. It gets our cardiovascular system (hence the name) pumping, bringing fresh oxygen through our bloodstream to our muscles and organs. Even better when the air itself is actually fresh!

There is even some evidence to suggest that exercise may feel easier when performed in the natural environment. When allowed to self-select walking speed, participants tend actually to walk faster outdoors, compared to indoors. Paradoxically, they report a lower rating of perceived exertion.

So instead of machinery, opt for trail running to boost your cardio, strength-building, and balance.

4. Yoga: Connect your Inner Nature with Nature

Nothing like a little tree pose while among the trees. Add extra challenge to your balancing postures by looking up at the sky. Bonus points for extra vitamin D as the sunshine warms your skin in that upward facing dog pose. 

Being outside in the fresh air is a beautiful place to practice yogic breathwork (pranayama) for an earthy boost of energy. All you need is a flat patch of grass or dirt and you're good to go!

Enjoy the Outdoors

Maybe you're a hip-hop dancer. Maybe you love biking, barre, or HIIT. Practically every workout can be taken outside, and the reasons to do so are plenty. Not only can you spice up your regular routine with a sense of freshness and novelty, but research has found that people who spend two hours a week in green spaces (either all at once or spaced out) are substantially more likely to report good health and psychological well-being than those who don't.

The fact is, nature is there to support us - we depend on nature for our very survival as a species. So whether it's as our gym, way to unwind, or a quiet place to relax the Great Outdoors is accessible and can be enjoyed freely. No membership required.