With the strong stench of dripping sweat, blinding fluorescent lights, and a mass sea of complicated machinery, the gym can be more of a chore than anything else. And why spend a chunk of money each month on a facility full of exercise junkies who hog the weights or wait impatiently for others to finish?
Rather, as the weather warms up and the summer months approach, the outdoors can provide a gym alternative. Outside, where you can do nearly any activity you’d be able to do indoors, exercise can become a treat rather than a chore.
April Herring, an administrator at Carroll Community College in North Maryland, would argue there’s no reason to go to the gym. The academic much prefers to engage in fitness activities outside in the open air, running, biking, playing tennis football, and pickleball whenever she can.
“Fresh air, sunshine, the variety of the trees as the seasons change,” Herring said. “There’s something about the energetic healing quality of nature.”
The health benefits of spending time in nature have long been established, and exercise in general, of course, improves physical and mental well-being.
Combine the two and you double down on what adults need to stay healthy, said Debbie Rhea, professor in kinesiology at Texas Christian University.
“We’ve got to get outside. We’ve got to be active,” Rhea said. “If we’re going to live long lives, this is what it’s about.”
Getting started on an outdoor routine, however, might not be as easy as signing up for another gym membership. Here’s how to get going.