We caught up with PT Dylan to chat about his 5 reasons to training outside. Here’s the DL:
We are lucky enough to live in one of the most beautiful countries in the world, with some of the most spectacular landscapes to be found both inland and along the coast. With summer in full swing in Sydney, there’s never been a better time to go get outside and get training!
Here are 5 reasons to train outside along with some of my favourite workout spots…
1) Get your Vitamin D fix! Did you know that vitamin D works with a hormone in your body called Leptin that helps to control your hunger? Leptin helps to control the signal to your brain that tells you when you are full and to stop eating. A lack of vitamin D in your body can disrupt that signal causing you to eat more than you would otherwise. Apart from all of this, sunlight can actually raise your endorphin levels, which is guaranteed to put a smile on your dial.
2) Try training on a beach somewhere. This is one of my favourite forms of exercise not only because doing drills on soft sand is pretty tough, but you can jump straight in the water after to cool off. I mean, how good is that?! You can even use the water as resistance, try walking in up to waist height then running up or down the beach (at waist height) for as long as you can. It’s a lot tougher than it sounds!
3) Training outside can improve mental clarity, and provide a better quality of sleep which in turn can have a positive effect on your waistline. There’s a growing amount of research that suggests that training outside can help with lowering stress and anxiety levels as well.
4) You’ll move your body differently. Running on a treadmill, using machines or even free weights are only designed to mimic real life movements. They often do a great job however you can’t compete with the real thing. Outside you’ll encounter different surfaces such as pavement, grass, hills, and uneven ground which helps to stimulate your body in a different way – don’t be surprised if you find yourself using muscles you didn’t even know you had!
5) We have some of the most spectacular natural training environments anywhere in the world right here in Sydney. Why not use this as an excuse to get outdoors and smash out a session somewhere you may have never been before?
My tips are:
- Bondi Beach. Not only do you have the soft sand to train on, you have the ocean PLUS an amazing coastal walk that goes all the way south to Coogee and is dotted with outdoor workout stations along the way to keep you busy 😉
- Botanic Gardens. Littered with stairs, park benches you can use for dips etc, and some of the most amazing harbor view scenery as your backdrop, whats not to love?
- Milsons Point. Right underneath the Harbor Bridge also plays host to a great park for you to train with alongside equally incredible harbor views.
- Camperdown Park has a great little setup for those in the inner city
- Prince Alfred Park also has a great outdoor training area right next to Central Station in the CBD.
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