By LORI-ANN MARCHESE
CTFashionMag.com
Summer is the time to embrace the outdoors and use it to your advantage.
Going for a hike in the woods is a very common form of exercise to do when you are outdoors, but that is not the only way to get your sweat on. There are other alternatives.
Doing the same activity for an hour can be mentally tiring. Why not switch up your workout to one you will actually enjoy? Add variety to your workouts by incorporating different exercises. You don’t have to stick to the same movement the entire time. Be creative with your workouts. Make one that you know you would enjoy.
Here is a quick, high-intensity outdoor workout that you can perform at a park or at your backyard. It will leave you shedding fat and feeling great.
Start with a half mile run then do four rounds of this workout.
1-minute jog
1-minute plank
1-minute push-ups
1-minute jumping high knees
Repeat round four times.
Rest in between rounds for no more than a minute each round.
After you have completed the four rounds, go for another half mile run.
At the end of the workout, remember to cool-down with a jog and stretch. Remember to always hydrate your body with water.
There are many benefits to exercising outdoors.
First, it has been proven that those who exercise outside last longer than those who perform indoor activity. With that said, people are more apt to stick to their workout programs longer when their workouts are completed outdoors.
Overall, exercising outside is simply good for your mental health. Studies show that it improves your mood and self-esteem. Outdoor exercise allows you to soak up that Vitamin D, which is very important for our bones and metabolic function.
The most obvious reason for outdoor exercise is that it is free. There are endless exercises that can be done outside and they can be completed at any time. There are no excuses that the gym was too expensive or closed. When exercising outdoors, you also tend to burn more calories. The varied terrain might be just what your body needs. The different surfaces will bring upon challenges and shock your body.
All in all, remember that the outdoors offers so many benefits. There is no reason to make excuses anymore. The outdoors is free and always available to use to work out.
Lori-Ann Marchese, a former cast member of Bravo TV’s “Game of Crowns” and a former Mrs. Connecticut, is owner/ operator of Body Construct LLC in New Britain.