The benefits of group exercise outside

At a time when we have more gyms and more books on exercise, plus access to a vast amount of information on exercise on the internet, why are we so desperately unfit as a nation?

Make it interesting, do it outdoors

Research has shown that we can burn up to 20% more calories outside. Why? …because our core temperature will always work to keep around 36.8°C! It takes energy to do this and the body’s currency for this is calories. So you will burn more calories by simply being outside, let alone the many other benefits associated with training outdoors. Likewise, if it’s warm you sweat more because your body is working to keep from overheating, which also takes energy!

Get the feel good vibes, do it outdoors

If you have woken up in the morning with a foggy head, the chances are that you are slightly dehydrated and haven’t managed to detoxify the ‘cause for celebration’ of the night before! You then go of to a stuffy gym, usually with air conditioning (also a fantastic breeding ground for bacteria) and you spend all your time on the running machine, bored to tears!

The outdoor has a much more immediate effect on your brain patterns and if you have ever gone for a run or exercised outside you will know that the effect is hugely more invigorating than running on a treadmill.

You will doing a mixture of aerobic and aneorobic work which will in no time be releasing those happy hormones called endorphins.

It is also essential to take in Vitamin D which is made in the skin, from sunlight. It helps protect our immune system as well as with bone growth and maintenance of bone to prevent such diseases as osteoporosis.

Another benefit of training outdoors is that it gives us a natural terrain that works constantly on our