To gym indoors or to run outdoors

1 February. 10 / by Chris / no comments

Modern gyms filled with surround sound speakers blasting dance music, 25 plasma TV’s displaying cellulite free women and Adonis like men, vast amounts of expensive machinery, air conditioning and water coolers. Or the smell of open air, the feel of wind, glistening light on a lake, the sound of your own panting breath, nature at its finest.

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One may say that there is no substitute for a gym and that the machinery is state of the art giving you a better and more scientific work out, with machines carefully designed to target every muscle in your body at ever different angle, and treadmills that are so clever they can vary the speed and incline, how can a simple world of land possibly compete with such sophistication?

Well much modern research has suggested the health benefits of outdoor running to be vastly superior to any gym, not to mention substantially cheaper. Firstly, by running in day light you’ll be getting your dose of Vitamin D. Go to the country and breathe clean, un-recycled air, run near water and feel the positive mood caused by OH- ions invigorating your body. Run bare foot on the beach and notice the muscles in your feet develop fully. The mitochondria (power stations) in your calve muscles are proven to be of much higher concentration in athletes that train on uneven ground along with strengthened ligaments and tendons (be careful not to twist an ankle). Practice sprints and acceleration for increased fast twitch muscle power, something you just can’t do on a treadmill.  Every time you turn a corner you are working important core muscles gaining balance and coordination. Running on different surfaces, grass, sand, wood land paths, work your body in slightly different ways giving you balance.

Admittedly, gyms have weights and if your purpose is to build big muscles, then they do have merit. And yes, at this time of year it may get icy and so the gym wins again given the dangers of slipping, however as we see January pass and the weather improve I argue getting outdoors and going for a run will relieve stress and give you health benefits far greater that a trip to the noisy gym.

Exercise at its best is a time to forget the worries of the world and work, to rid yourself of the dreaded stress hormone cortisol and to flood your body with feel good endorphins for a natural high. If you find it boring, encourage a friend to go with you and chat, join a running club or better yet run in beautiful surroundings so the scenery can occupy your mind. If it’s cold or wet, wrap up warm with a water proof. If you’re a beginner, run a few hundred meters then walk a few hundred and gradually reduce the walking and increase the running. Drink plenty fresh water and do some stretching. If Forest Gump can run for a few years, I’m sure everyone can manage 20 minutes.

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