13 Aug The Benefits of Fresh Air and Spending More Time Outdoors
Our gym program is both indoors and outdoors why?
Did you know that research suggests that most of us spend up to 90% of our lives indoors! In the western world we sleep inside, we eat inside, we step into our cars and drive to work, we drive home from work, we then sit down at home, go to bed and do it all over again.How many of you, especially with city or office jobs, spend less than an hour a day outside…. do you think we have evolved to live like this and remain healthy? A whole week may come and go without ever being outside for any significant length of time.
Science shows us that doing physical activity outdoors has massive benefits. Here are some of the major health benefits associated with breaking free from the indoors and embracing the outside world:
• Vitamin D increase: Although we must be wary of harmful UV rays, Vitimin D is hugely beneficial to our overall health and wellness. Benefits include an increase in absorption of calcium, strength to bones, reduction of systemic inflammation and improvements to the immune system. Everything must be enjoyed in moderation though!
• Increase in endorphins and decrease stress: Training outdoors has been associated with higher levels of these ‘feel good’ chemicals being produced in the pituitary gland and hypothalamus during exercise. Another natural and beneficial chemical that the body produces is Serotonin. Exposure to sunlight
helps boost serotonin levels. Serotonin helps you feel calm, alert and capable.
• More negative ion’s: Fresh air is refreshing and invigorating. This is due in large to the rich negative ion content of fresh air. Negative ions have been linked to an improved sense of well being, increased alertness, decreased anxiety and a lower resting heart rate. Generally speaking, negative ions increase the flow of oxygen to the brain, resulting in higher alertness, decreased drowsiness, and more mental energy,” says Pierce J. Howard, PhD, author of The Owners Manual for the Brain: Everyday Applications from Mind Brain Research.d moving air and water.
• Fresh Air. Studies show that indoor air is approximately twice as polluted as outdoor air. So why not take a break and get some fresh air while you increase your fitness…?
• Improved mental performance: When you exercise outdoors there is so much more for your brain to take in and process, like the changing surface of sand on the beach or changes in terrain of a hill or path. Your brain is forced to stay focused and continue to adapt with your surroundings. Additionally, the increase fresh oxygen, negative ion’s and vitamin D all work together to keep your brain firing on all cylinders.
We encourage all our members do all parts of our program so they get the benefits of a truly well rounded program.
You don’t have to be part of our indoor program to enjoy the benefits of our Sweat and Tears Program. We run great outdoor bootcamps that are a really great and cost effective way of joining our programs. More details of our outdoor group training programs are here. (Full Members can join any Bootcamp classes for FREE)
So get outdoors and get amongst it!!!
Joe and the JGG team
No Comments