Your time for excuses is over! It’s not too dark to exercise outside, it’s not too wet and it’s not too cold. Summer is fast approaching, and you need to get outside and get exercising!

Exercising out-of-doors has a multitude of benefits, many of which may surprise you. Here are four reasons why exercising in the open air can be very beneficial towards your health.

Exercising outside helps to improve your mood

There’s plenty of research that has been done that shows that being outdoors makes people feel better in themselves. When you think about it, no one really likes being cooped up inside all day, do they?

External exercise makes you feel better, and persuades the brain to release more serotonin, which is the hormone that helps to control mood. Being in a good mood means you experience reduced levels of stress, and you’re more likely to complete your exercise session if you’re feeling good.

Exercising out-of-doors helps you burn more calories

Pounding the treadmill or pumping the pedals of a stationary bike is all well and good, but you’ll find that you will burn more calories if you exercise outdoors. There are a number of reasons for this – for example, if you run outdoors then the wind factor comes into play and you will need to work harder to maintain your usual speed.

Also, when outdoors you’ll find that the terrain is varied as opposed to the permanent gradient of your cardiovascular machine. This again means you will have to work harder, hence burning more calories.

Exercising outside is more interesting

Who likes running while facing a wall? If you’re lucky, your gym may have a TV you can watch, but nothing beats the changing scenery as you run or cycle in the open air. Even if you stick to the same route or a small number of routes, you’ll notice little changes, or unexpected events – anything to keep your mind off the relentless plod!

Also, it’s very easy to give up and get off the treadmill, cross trainer or stationery bike. If you run two miles out from your home, then you have to run the two miles back again!

Exercising outside is free!

The exterior world is your personal, no-costs-attached gym and fitness centre, and that extends far beyond simply walking, jogging, running or cycling. Hill sprints are a wonderful method of increasing muscle tone and sprinting is a great way of burning fat. In fact, any kind of exercise that involves sudden, sharp burst of movement will help you to build muscle.

You can also use park benches for step-ups, or tricep dips – in fact there’s a sizeable range of objects in your local park that you’ll find you can use as a piece of exercise equipment – you just have to use your imagination.

When it comes to fitness and feeling great, there’s a whole world out there – what are you waiting for?