Exercising for health and wellbeing – making the most of the great outdoors

There is something about the summer weather that make us yearn to be outdoors. The great news is that this can be as good for your mind, as it can for your body.

The link between exercise and our physical wellbeing is well documented, however it is now becoming evident that exercise has benefits beyond our body. It can be good for our mental wellbeing too – and when we feel good on the inside, it shows on the outside. We’re not talking hours in the gym either, the NHS website outlines lots of ways that you can start to incorporate healthy activity into your busy daily schedule.

Now that Spring has sprung, we have no excuse not to be outside more. A study back in 2012 by the University of Glasgow found people who exercise outdoors experience half the mental health risks of those who exercise inside, and that a jog through the forest was much better for you than an hour of high impact activity in the gym! Just twenty minutes moderate exercise outside is enough to put a smile on your face and give you a feeling on inner wellbeing that will continue throughout the day.

So why does physical activity make us feel good?

When we exercise, our body releases endorphins which are the body’s natural sedative. These help us calm down, focus our thoughts and approach situations with greater clarity. Put simply, endorphins make us feel as though we can take on the world!

The hardest part is always getting started. So we’ve developed a round-up of some outdoors activities, that are good for you without you even realising it…

Gardening

Digging, planting, clearing leaves, moving pots, mowing the lawn are all more strenuous than we realise – and much more enjoyable than an hour on a treadmill. At this time of year, our gardens really could you with a bit of TLC, so why not?

Cleaning the windows

No-one wants to spend time and effort cleaning windows when the weather is lousy, so chances are your window’s really could do with a spruce up at this time of the year. All the bending and reaching really does give your body a workout.

Washing the car

Wax on, wax off… In the twenty-odd minutes it takes to give your car a really good clean, your heart will have started to pump more blood around your body than usual, producing the endorphins you need to raise your mood.

Buying groceries

Yes, buying groceries is a chore, but why not turn it into part of your exercise regime? Pick a shop 15 minutes' walk away and head there to buy the shopping you need. The return journey will provide even more of a workout, as you’ll be carrying the bags but remember to distribute your shopping load equally and don't overload yourself.

How long do I need to be outside for?

As little as 30 minutes is enough to release the serotonin and endorphins we need to feel better mentally – and this can be split into two shorter 15 minutes stints if it helps. For more information about how to get the most out of your outdoor walks, a professor at by the University of Exeter looks at the reasons why walking is such an effective form of exercise and the ways in which we can get the most out of walking in this article: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-122898/Why-walking-workout-good-body.html

For more about exercise for therapy visit our webpage on exercise therapy  >