Exercising outdoors may be most beneficial to health!

By Colette Bouchez

If you want to get the most benefits from your exercise time, do it outdoors. That’s the suggestion of a new study just published in the leading research journal Environmental Science and Technology – and the latest piece of evidence in support of the new concept of “Green Workouts”.

According to a team of researchers from the Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry , the mental benefits of exercise – as well as the desire to keep up with your exercise program - are amplified when you exercise outdoors.

Dr. Jo Thompson-Coon, PenCLAHRC Research Fellow, commented: "The hypothesis that there are added beneficial effects to be gained from exercising in the natural environment is very appealing and has generated considerable interest. By using the data currently available to us we have added strength to the link between mental and physical well-being and outdoor exercise, but further research and longer, tailor-made and focused trials are needed to better understand this link."

To arrive at their conclusion the Peninsula researchers, in collaboration with the European Centre for the Environment and Human Health, analyzed data from 11 different studies comparing the results of over 800 adults who exercised outdoors to those who worked out in doors .

The result: Those who exercised outdoors saw considerable improvement in mental well being compared to those who worked out inside. Moreover, exercising in a natural outdoor environment was associated with greater feelings of revitalization, increased energy and positive engagement. The outdoor exercisers also reported a greater decrease in tension, as well as a greater decrease in feelings of anger and depression.

To read more on this fascinating study and the new concept of Green Gyms, click here.

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