How going outside can improve your nutrition, mental health and physical fitness

There are more benefits to outdoor exercise than just being in the sunshine. Here’s why moving in nature is just so good for you.

When British summer finally hits, you can barely sit in the park for fair weather walkers, runners and HIITers. That’s because, aside from giving you an excuse to hop off the treadmill in your sweaty gym, exercising outdoors has a load of physical and mental benefits.

An example? A new study published in the American Journal of Health Promotion found that simply feeling connected with the natural world benefits dietary diversity and fruit and vegetable intake. It seems that the more time you spend around plants, the more of them you want to eat, so moving through greenery can help you make nutritional choices that support your body. And the benefits don’t end there…

Mental health benefits of exercising outdoors

Research suggests that outdoor training can be just as – if not more – beneficial than training indoors, particularly when it comes to our mental health.

According to the Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute in Japan, simply being outside can reduce our stress hormone cortisol by as much as 15%, and the positive effects of being around nature increase when we combine that with the endorphin-boosting act of movement.

“We all know that simply walking is great for both physical and mental health, but a rapidly growing body of evidence tells us that walking ‘in nature’ can actually amplify the health benefits,” explains GP Dr Zoe Williams. “One study, conducted in young women, found that walking in a forest, rather than an urban environment, was associated with significantly higher parasympathetic nervous activity and dampened down sympathetic, or fight-or-flight, nervous activity.”

Not only that, but the forest walkers reported higher scores for feeling relaxed and comfortable, whereas scores for negative feelings, such as tension, anxiety, depression, anger and fatigue were significantly lower.

And it goes further than walking: research published in Environment, Science and Technology journal suggests that exercising in natural environments is associated with greater feelings of revitalisation, greater enjoyment and satisfaction with the activity and a greater intent to repeat the activity at a later date.

Movement that you’ll love and stick with? Sounds like a win to us.

Being outside can reduce our stress hormones by as much as 15%, making us feel more calm and collected during our workouts.

Physical health benefits of exercising outdoors

There is even some evidence to suggest that exercise may feel easier when performed outdoors, meaning that you can push yourself further and increase the physical benefits of your session.

According to one study from the University of Essex, being outside can act as a “distractive stimulus”: “It is likely that promoting attention to an external pleasant and green environment reduces awareness of physiologic sensations and negative emotions,” it reads. The study then suggests that ‘green exercise’ reduces our perceived effort and means we can train harder without feeling as fatigued, helping to increase the amount of physical activity undertaken.

Kerry Dixon, an ex-professional sprinter and co-founder of the Athlete Method, has trained outside her whole life. “I always found it easier to run in the fresh air and it does help me to recover faster,” she tells Stylist. In fact, research does show that post-exercise blood pressure returns to normal more quickly after exercising in front of rural scenes compared to urban settings, meaning more efficient recovery.

Are there any disadvantages to outdoor exercise?

Well, this is the UK. The sun might be shining right now, but we all know that the weather can’t always be relied on, even when it’s supposed to be summer. So can you really train outside all year round?

In Dixon’s days as a competitive runner, she trained rain, shine or snow.“I think it does just kind of build that grit and resilience and I think that it can also be quite a fun part of the session. It’s battling the unknown element which can be exciting. And no matter what happens, after the session you get to have a warm bath and a delicious dinner,” she encourages.

There’s more than just the weather to think about though. While gyms don’t have to be expensive, they do cost money. The park doesn’t. Yet training around people who are trying to relax or walk their dog isn’t a comfortable experience for everyone. To feel more confident when exercising in view of the wider world, Dixon says it’s simply about making decisions that empower you.

For example, joining an outdoor class or training with a friend rather than alone so that you have support and encouragement. “Wear what you feel good in – that doesn’t have to be a sports bra and shorts,” Dixon adds. “And try to remember that those watching on the sidelines actually wish that they were in your position. Their opinion is actually irrelevant. You’re the one taking positive actions for your health,” she says.

However, it’s important to remember that the luxury of having access to a garden or park to train safely in isn’t an experience shared by everyone. In the University of Essex’s research, they showed that “higher socioeconomic status enhances park safety, maintenance, attractiveness and opportunity for socialisation and is an important determinant of access to more remote nature.”

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