Exercise and the Great Outdoors

I’m a member of a business networking group and every week I have to stand up in front of the members to give a “commercial” for my business, i.e., promote what type of client I am looking for that week. 

A few weeks ago I asked everyone to look for someone that loved being outside and had some interest in getting away from the gym and tackling an outdoor workout.  Surely I had ulterior motives here because I hate being indoors and I try to get outside at every opportunity I can, but I figured rather than dragging my poor clients and classes to exercise in parking lots surrounded by the aroma of Chinese food and curly fries, I could find someone new and a bit more willing. But the fact of the matter is that I’m a huge fan of mixing up my and my client workouts as much as I possibly can, and now that the weather is turning (somewhat) warmer and (somewhat) consistent I want my people outside as much as possible, and here’s why:

• Change of Scenery, Change of Attitude:  Sometimes when I meet a prospective client for the first time I ask them why they are interested in personal training, and a lot of times the answer has to do with being bored with their routine.  My job is to make training fun and different, and nothing changes up a training session like some sun and fresh air.
• The Element Challenge:  Most gyms are set at a nice, stable, comfortable temperature, probably somewhere between 68 – 71 degrees of A/C.  There are usually fans blowing in all directions, clean floors and tons of light.  When you workout outdoors it might be windy, calm, sunny, cloudy, hot, cool, cold, breezy, etc., and you have to adjust accordingly to the elements of the weather and your terrain.
• The Physical Challenge:  When I was in high school I played Lacrosse, and one day before preseason conditioning was about to begin our coach told us that if we were using any sort of treadmill to throw it out and get out a#$es outside and start running.  I thought he was just being crazy but he was totally right.  There’s no comparison between jogging on a treadmill and jogging outside, especially if you are training for a sport or event.  The same goes to working out indoors verses in; you’ll know and feel the difference real quick.

And now the fun stuff.  Here are some exercises and routines I have been doing with my clients outdoors and some things you can do too.  All you need is some space under the sun (or shade, if you like that sort of thing):

• Sprints and Steps, High School Style:  If you live near a high school or middle school track, the sky is the limit.  One of my former clients and I used to frequent the high school track near us, and I made him run the bleacher steps, sprint 40-yard dashes and run wide receiver patterns in succession.  We also did some simple exercises with cones and even a ladder.  A little creativity here goes a long way.
• Jog!  Obviously, right?  It never ceases to amaze me how many people I see jogging on a treadmill every day but never venture outside.  And they are missing out, because not only is it a better workout, as my high school lacrosse coach told us, but it’s so much more fun and entertaining.  Throw on your iPod or MP3 and get lost a little bit in your own backyard.  Even if you don’t have access to a jogging route, make your own and start your own adventure.
• Hopscotch: Think it’s a game for kids?  Think again, because this can be a heck of a workout.  The kids in my neighborhood sometimes take chalk and make their own hop scotch course on the pavement, and while they can do this for hours, for adults it can be a challenge.  Try it with two feet, one foot, from the side, backwards, etc.  You’ll be sweating in no time.
• At the Playground, You know:  When was the last time you tried the monkey bars?  Again, not easy, and just like Hopscotch, not just for kids.  Try these guys forwards and backwards, and even add in some chin-ups and pull-ups between climbs.  And for good measure take a few swings on the swing set to warm up your core.  If any obscure exercise will get you to learn how to tighten your midsection at random, this is the one.
• The Classics:  Got a medicine ball or an 8-10 pound weigh lying around?  Grab it and take it outside with you to a park or open space.  Squats, lunges, core work, ab work, balance exercises are all fair game, and if you have a friend, partner up to make it more fun.
• Boot Camp!  Just did one at a park in 85-degree heat on Memorial Day and it was a heck of a workout.  If you are local, my friends at Only Results Fitness can take care of this one for you, but there are tons of Boot Camps and outdoor classes all over the country.

Remember, basically anything you can do in the gym you can do outdoors, and even though for us trainers it gets a little lonely inside during the summer, I’m more than happy to see people getting fit any way they can.