The Benefits of Outdoor Workouts

Video Transcription

Jane Clauss: It’s time for today’s motivation to move. In the wake of Covid-19, many of us are taking our workouts outside, so we thought it would be helpful to learn how to make an outdoor workout even more effective, and what to do when the weather turns a bit colder, because you know it’s going to happen.

Joining me today is personal trainer and fitness expert, Kandace Regan. Kandy, let’s start by talking about all the great benefits of working out outdoors.

Kandace Regan: So some of the great benefits of working outdoors are fresh air, being with nature, Vitamin D. There’s also the ability to stay more consistent with the exercising because it’s so readily available to you. You can use a playground, you can use stairs, the grass, tennis courts. We can work every muscle in our body from head to toe.

Every time you work out outside, you get a different experience, and every time you change up the surface of where you’re working out, you create some instability in your muscles and your bones, that you typically won’t get in probably an indoor exercise routine.

Jane Clauss: As the season changes, so does our enthusiasm for getting outside for our workouts. What advice do you have for us to stick with our workouts, even into the Fall and Winter?

Kandace Regan: I think the motivation would be just to be consistent with your workout. The more you are outside, even in the colder months, the better you will feel and it’s the motivation to keep just doing what you were doing in the warmer months. I would suggest layering. Most people can continue to workout in 20 degree weather outside, as long as they do those things like layer their clothing.

Jane Clauss: All right Kandace, so today you’re going to show us a few exercises that we can do outside, what are we going to do?

Kandace Regan: Our first exercise is going to be a row with a swing. Grab the outside of the swing and you’re going to walk forward a little bit, so that you are in a reverse plank with your arms extended out straight, and you’re going to bring your toes up and keep your body in one straight line, and then you’re going to pull yourself towards the swing, and then you’re going to slowly straighten your arms back to your starting position.

Jane Clauss: The second exercise we’re going to stay on the swing.

Kandace Regan: Yes we’re going to take it to a straight on squat. So we’re going to grab the swing and place it in our hands above our head, with our arms straight, and then we’re going to lean back just slightly, keeping our feet planted into the ground, and we’re going to start to bend our knees, lowering our glutes to the ground like we were sitting in a chair. This exercise is going to use your quads, your hamstrings, your glutes.

Jane Clauss: Keeping with the routine on the swing, you’ve got our next exercise which is a lunge.

Kandace Regan: Place let’s say your right foot on top of the swing and you would scoot your left foot forward so that your knee would be stepped over your ankle, keeping your torso straight up, slowly lower down to 90 degrees with your left knee, and then you’re going to slowly come up, keeping your torso in tact.

Jane Clauss: I can’t wait to go to the playground. So I guess as we wrap this all up, no matter what the season, it’s always great to get outdoors for your workouts and stay active and live a healthy life.

Kandace Regan: You can pretty much do anything you do inside a gym, outside, and plus you get to be in sunshine, the fresh air, and you get to be creative and have so much fun.

Jane Clauss: Thank you so much Kandace. Do you like taking your workouts outside? Well we want to see, just tag us on Instagram at livinghealthytv.

So if you like this video and want more livinghealthy, just subscribe to our channel.