Fun (and Fitness) In the Sun

The Great Outdoors

When in spring, summer, and early fall, it becomes quite easy to eschew the gym in favor of the outdoors. Who does not want to spend a day at the beach swimming, or a weekend camping in the woods?

 Beautiful weather is the lure that often draws people away from gyms and fitness centers, with good reason. You can get just as good a workout performing these feats as in most gyms; in fact, most gym exercises were created by mimicking outdoor activity.

 Unfortunately for a lot of people, once they're out of the fitness center and into the bright sun, they either fall out of routine or fail to return to the gym when the weather again turns sour.

This does not have to be the case, however, as outdoor fitness equipment becomes more and more common, and an increasing number of people discover the benefits of working out outside in more ways than the occasional game of pickup basketball.

Doing it at Home

Not everyone is able to take a boating or camping trip, or go hiking for miles at a time.

In this circumstance, outdoor fitness equipment is a fine choice. Most outdoor equipment resembles playground equipment and the stuff of obstacle courses, mostly because it is not possible for outdoor equipment to retain the intricate mechanisms of indoor equipment.

This certainly is not prohibitive though; it is not unusual to find complex outdoor equipment like leg press machines and trampolines alongside simpler machines like monkey bars and jungle gyms.

Picking your Target

Because outdoor equipment does not support the heavy weights of most indoor equipment, it focuses on developing different aspects of fitness.

 You likely won't be able to bench press or curl large weights while outdoors. On the other hand, the exercises you can perform will often outstrip what you can perform in a gym.

Outdoor equipment will often focus on strength-to-weight ratio, body weight exercises, agility, speed, and resilience.

Exercising outdoors works these aspects of fitness so well, in fact, that there really are not any gym machines that can mimic them.

The Classics and the New Arrivals

One option you'll always have is sports. Sports frequently don't require a large amount of equipment, can be played essentially anywhere, and you'll quickly find that working out with other people is more enjoyable than grinding through another set at the gym.

In addition the competition that sports fuel can lead to improved workouts and a sense of camaraderie.

Basic examples include football, basketball, softball, running, swimming, and golf, while obscure, but no less fun, examples exist like paintball, disc golf, mountain biking, skateboarding, and rock climbing. Don't forget that when the weather turns bad you don't have to stay inside, either. Hit the slopes and snowboard, or maybe a ice skating or hockey?

It is not difficult to discover an outdoor activity or outdoor equipment that will interest you. Keep your mind and options open, and before long you may discover that you've left the gym in your dust.

Liz Thomas is an accomplished niche website developer and author.

To learn more about fun and fitness in the sun [http://www.fitnessforyourhealth.info/fun-and-fitness-in-the-sun] visit Fitness For Your Health [http://www.fitnessforyourhealth.info] for current articles and discussions.

No comments:

Post a Comment