Fun Tips To Exercising Outdoors During Spring
If the ice, snow, and cold temperatures of winter interrupted your exercise routine, the return of the warm weather season should give you some incentive to get outside for some recreation.
According to research from Johns Hopkins University, people are prone to gaining an average of five to seven pounds during the winter season. So a lack of exercise during the winter months, combined with the tendency to put on a few pounds during this same period, means that the sooner you get down to developing an exercise routine, the better. And it goes without saying that you’re more likely to stick with something that you find find enjoyable.
What you’ll see below are fun tips to exercising outdoors during the spring — so that you can get rid of any excess weight, kick-start a regular exercise routine, and enjoy optimal health.
Take a Scenic Walk
Consider that you can burn between 1,000 and 3,000 calories weekly if you walk at least 30 minutes the majority of the days of the week. That statistic alone should be enough to convince you of the validity in getting a good pair of walking shoes, doing some stretching, and hitting the pavement for a brisk walk around your neighborhood. But mix things up by taking a route that you perhaps don’t normally travel. A brisk walk for between half an hour and an hour and a half will help you to burn away excess fat as well as to improve your health and fitness. You can take a few breaks during longer walks by slowing down for five minutes or so before picking up the pace.
Plant a Garden
A fun way to exercise outdoors during the spring season is by gardening. A favorite pastime for many people, gardening will allow you to get a great workout — as you’ll exchange the gym equipment like elliptical machines, weights, and stationary bikes for gardening equipment like wheelbarrows, rakes, and watering cans. In fact, at least one source notes that you can burn around 300 calories per hour by gardening. As well, gardening can help you to reduce blood pressure and cholesterol as well as to prevent heart disease and diabetes. And gardening will help you to give all of your major muscle groups a good workout since it will target the following:
- Stomach
- Legs
- Back
- Buttocks
- Arms
- Neck
So whether you’re weeding, mowing, pushing the wheelbarrow, carrying around the watering can, or moving around bags of potting soil, you’ll get yourself a great workout. And if you plant flowers, your hard work will be rewarded when your garden produces flowers of all sorts of varieties.
Get on a Bike
Biking or cycling is a popular outdoor exercise that you can do this spring. Riding a bike happens to be an activity that is suitable for people of all age groups, and taking part in this form of exercise can help you to avoid diseases such as diabetes, depression, certain types of cancer, strokes, and heart attacks. So if you’re looking for a fun outdoor activity that will allow you to exercise all your primary muscle groups while building stamina and strength, then biking is just the thing.
As you can see, there are various fun outdoor exercises that you can participate in this spring. Perhaps you were one of the people who used the cold weather associated with the winter season as an excuse to do less outdoor activity. But spring has arrived, so now is a great time to get outside for some exercise. If you make it fun, you won’t have any difficulty sticking with it.
