As the weather starts to warm up and summer is just around the corner, many of us will be looking for ways to stay fit during this new season. Outdoor exercise might now become an appealing option, but how should you tailor your workouts to make sure they are as beneficial (and safe) as possible? Here are some options for outdoor workouts during summer and how you can stay safe as possible.
Top 10 tips for your outdoor workouts during summer
Exercising outdoors has many benefits, like fresh air, beautiful scenery, and invigorating energy. But it also comes with its own set of rules. To make sure you get the most out of your outdoor workouts during summer here are 10 tips to help you stay safe and healthy while exercising outside.
Know the weather
Tailor your outdoor workout according to the hour and the weather conditions. Aim to go outside when the temperature is at its coolest—early morning or late evening—and avoid extreme heat or humidity during midday. Check for potential heat waves by monitoring forecasts in advance. Be sure to have a backup plan if necessary.
Personalize your workouts
Before beginning any outdoor workout, know your physical limits. That way, you can push yourself in a safe manner without overstressing your body. Start off slow as you acclimate yourself to the heat and surroundings, increase the intensity gradually, and take regular breaks throughout each session.
Use sun protection
Wearing sunscreen not only prevents sunburns but also guards against premature aging caused by UV radiation exposure. Apply a broad-spectrum sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher 20 minutes before going outside and reapply every two hours (more often if you’re getting wet). Don’t forget protective clothing such as lightweight hats and UPF-rated fabrics for extra protection from harmful rays!
Wear appropriate clothing
Choose light-colored, loose-fitting clothes that can breathe easily so that sweat doesn’t build up on your skin while you’re working out in hot climates or exposed areas (which can lead to sunburns). For colder temperatures, layer up with breathable fabrics like wool or synthetic materials to keep warm but still be able to sweat freely when exercising intensively.
Bring water
Staying hydrated while exercising outdoors is key for maintaining peak performance levels no matter what type of activity you’re doing or where you’re doing it at. Pack plenty of water or electrolyte drinks — aim for around one liter per hour — so that your body stays hydrated even during longer sessions away from home base.
Eat hydrating foods for summer
Eating fruits like watermelon, oranges, cantaloupe, and honeydew can help replenish lost fluids more effectively than sports drinks. Due to their high natural sugar content and electrolytes, like potassium, they help replenish minerals lost through sweating when exercising. Other great hydrating foods include cucumbers, tomatoes, celery sticks, and spinach leaves since they contain around 95% water!
Don’t overeat before a workout
Eating too much food shortly before heading out into the great outdoors can cause digestive problems like nausea or cramping during physical activities. This is especially true when swimming or engaging in other forms of strenuous exercise where movement is involved. Try not to eat anything within an hour prior to your workout session unless it’s something small like a handful of nuts or berries (both are good pre-workout snacks!).
Bring candy and ointment if needed
If necessary bring along a few packs of hard candy which are perfect for keeping energy levels up on long exercises and hikes. These candies also contain menthol which acts as a decongestant helping reduce nasal congestion caused by intense breathing during physical activities in the summer months. Another must-have item is some form of topical ointment such as Tiger Balm which helps relieve sore muscles after intense workouts. Just make sure there are no open wounds before applying anything topically!
Pack first aid supplies
Whether hiking solo or with others, it’s always important to pack a first aid kit containing items like bandages, gauze pads, antiseptic wipes, tweezers, scissors, etc. Being prepared beforehand allows one quick access should any emergency arise while away.
Stay aware and keep alert
Remain aware of any potential dangers such as robbers and muggers, snakes, poisonous plants, etc. Be sure to tell someone where you’ll be going before leaving on any outdoor excursions alone. Stay alert at all times so that if anything does happen help can arrive quickly.
Common injuries when outdoors
From jogging, and cycling to swimming, the outdoors can provide a world of fun activities. However, if you’re not careful, some of these activities can also put you at risk for injury. Here are the top 10 most common outdoor injuries—and how to prevent them.
Wound and infections
Bacteria in soil and water can lead to cuts, scrapes, or burns that become infected. To avoid this type of injury, wear protective clothing such as gloves or long pants when doing your outdoor workouts during summer. Also, keep your wounds clean by washing them with soap and water and regularly changing dressings.
Knee and ankle injuries
From climbing a rock wall to running on uneven terrain, active outdoor activities can put extra strain on your ankles and knees—leading to sprains or strains. To reduce your risk of these types of injuries, do regular stretching exercises that target those areas before any activity that requires jumping or running.
Muscle sprain
Playing sports like soccer involves twisting motions which can cause muscles to overextend—leading to a sprain or strain. To help prevent injury from occurring here, wear properly fitting shoes when playing sports outdoors (even if it’s just for fun) as well as use appropriate warm-up exercises beforehand like leg lifts or jogging in place for a few minutes.
Plantar fasciitis
Repetitive activity such as walking barefoot over hard surfaces can result in swollen tissue which causes the arch of your foot to become painful—a condition known as plantar fasciitis. To avoid this kind of injury while out enjoying nature, make sure you’re wearing supportive shoes with adequate cushioning; consider investing in an orthopedic insert if necessary.
Cuts and abrasions
There are many ways our arms and feet can become nicked or scraped while enjoying outdoor activities. This is why wearing durable footwear is essential whenever possible. Additionally, if you notice any signs of infection developing around the wound site like redness or swelling, seek medical care right away as this could be an indicator of something more serious than a simple cut or abrasion!
Dislocations
Joints can be easily separated from their normal positions due to trauma such as falls from heights. So it’s important that we protect ourselves by wearing gear whenever appropriate. Additionally, warming up properly before participating in rigorous physical activity will help increase flexibility. This lessens one’s chances of dislocating something down the line!
Swollen muscles
Overuse of muscles due to activities like running can cause them to become inflamed. This leads to swelling which may require rest and ice therapy depending on its severity. Before undertaking any strenuous physical activity, make sure your body is adequately warmed up first through stretching. This is especially true if returning back into exercise after some time away from it.
Splinters
Outdoor workouts often lead us into contact with splinters which can be very uncomfortable and sometimes even dangerous depending on their depth. Always wear protective gloves! Try using tweezers and baby oil for easier removal once embedded into the skin.
Shin splints
Repetitive impact activities like running long distances on concrete pavements often lead us towards developing shin splints due to inadequate shock absorption. It happens when our feet hit hard surfaces. To prevent this type of injury opt for softer ground surfaces when possible and be aware not to overwork yourself during training sessions – increasing mileage gradually instead.
Concussion
Head trauma resulting from direct blows during contact sports/playground games requires immediate medical attention and often ends up leading to concussion diagnosis, especially among children and teens. As a precautionary measure, everyone should always wear helmets while participating in any form of high-risk outdoor activity like biking. So take the necessary steps now by making sure all family members involved are adequately protected.
15 beginner workouts you can try at home or outside
Are you an exercise newbie who has little clue about how to start those sweaty, hard exercise sessions? We’ll make it easy for you. We’ve compiled 15 easy workouts for beginners at home that are designed to build proper delivery and confidence in maintaining healthy habits for well-being.
Let’s get started!
Shaping your body will depend on how you will do it. The effort you put into and your perseverance will help get you fitter and toner muscles. Simple exercises that start from head to toe that will help you achieve the transformation.
What’s good about these exercises is their versatility to be performed anywhere as much as you want it.
Basic exercises at home
Squats
Aiming for faster sprints and leaner legs? Squatting can help you achieve that. Squats give a variety of benefits to your body, especially to your legs and butt. Most trainers recommended squatting as part of daily exercise.
It helps you build strong glutes, hamstrings, and quads. Since squatting stimulates muscle-building hormones, it helps strengthen the entire body as well giving you tight and toned limbs that improve your posture.
Pushups
A pushup is a good exercise that strengthens not just one muscle group, but rather, all of them. Everybody calls it the “ultimate barometer of fitness,” because it strengthens your chest, abs, shoulders, and triceps. In short, it’s a full-body exercise.
A lot of people are intimidated by starting with this exercise. However, push-ups aren’t that hard at all. If you can’t do the regular pushup, you might try its variations such as knee pushups, wall pushups, or even a press-up.
Planking
Doing planking helps give balance, flexibility, a tighter tummy, and improved posture. It’s a simple workout that gives greater benefit to your body because it lessens back pain and it strengthens your core body.
Unlike crunches, planks keep your core trimmed while keeping you injury-free from putting pressure on your spine.
Lunges
A lunge is a popular leg exercise that is safe and easy to learn. Although balancing during a lunge is challenging at first, it serves to be an incredibly effective exercise that targets the core, calves, hamstrings, glutes, and quadriceps.
They are unilateral exercises that train you for better balance and coordination, core stability, spinal loading, and increased hip flexibility.
Sit-ups and crunches
Sit-ups and crunches take your ab workout one step higher. Not only do they train your abs, but your legs, chest, core muscles, and hip flexors as well. They also aid in training you for a better posture that rids back strain and injury.
In addition, they increase flexibility and range of motion while burning calories. You can also do variations like bicycle crunch, V-ups, scissors, or Russian twist.
Jumping Jacks
You’ve been doing jumping jacks since you were a kid, but this exercise packs up your cardio and punches your calorie away. It often serves as a jumpstart exercise to elevate mood and move muscles before a routine.
Jumping jacks is an aerobic exercise good for the heart. Its whole-body correspondence and movement make it an ideal weight loss routine too. Moreover, it improves coordination, flexibility, stamina, and strength.
Burpees
Burpees might be intimidating because it’s often seen as a grueling exercise favored by many high-intensity interval training (HIIT) practitioners. But there’s a reason why you shouldn’t be deterred by it.
Burpees are intense. They’re a full-body workout that helps you shed pounds faster than running on a treadmill. Burpees raise heart rate, and oxygen levels, all the while burning calories and testing body coordination.
Mountain Climbers
Mountain climbers are fairly easy to do and can strengthen your leg muscles at the same time. You’re set in a push-up position and about to bend one knee and draw it toward your chest. From there, you get to alternate your legs going up.
Mountain climbers are compound exercises that work on several muscle groups. They target your glutes, hamstrings, and even your core muscles. On top of that, they improve mobility, cardiovascular health, agility, and coordination.
Basic exercises outside
Walking
Walking not only clears your head and calms you down, but it also helps in circulating more blood and oxygen in your system. Brisk walking in all of its forms battles obesity, diabetes, blood pressure, and cancer.
Moreover, it boosts memory and immunity. It releases happy hormones that elevate your mood afterward. A brisk walk of 20 minutes is enough to get your daily dose of Vitamin D, too.
Jogging
Like walking, jogging provides physiological and mental benefits that also result in the number of calories you burn in the long run. That’s because there is also an afterburn for the next 48 hours after your last jog.
Couple it with a breath of fresh air and the greenery of nature you’ll surely combat stress, anxiety, and depression.
Cycling
Cycling is a low-impact exercise perfect for people of all ages and exercise levels. It’s also efficient, inexpensive, and not to mention, fun. In addition, it causes less stress, injury, and strain to you.
Health benefits of cycling include improved joint mobility, weight loss, enhance cardio fitness, and better mental clarity. A bike in the outdoors can spike your mood too.
Jump rope
Jump rope, if done, vigorously, can burn as much as 1,300 calories per hour. It can also raise your heart rate faster with less impact on body pain. Although it involves heavily all muscle groups in the body, jump rope has little impact on muscles, considering it a safe exercise for beginners.
Also, since it’s an aerobic exercise, it provides mental benefits like improving memory, enhances awareness, better comprehension, and slower mental decline.
Go sporty
The outdoors is the perfect excuse for you to play basketball, tennis, racket, or volleyball. You get a total-body workout at the end of the day, plus – you’ll have fun too.
You can even get creative by using the balls for something else like circuit training at the park. Use them as weights, cones, and more!
Swimming
Swimming is a fun, whole-body workout that pumps your muscles during the ordeal. Also, it keeps your heart rate up and builds cardiovascular, endurance, and muscular strength.
Swimming against the water’s resistance helps tone muscles and boosts weight loss. It’s also a peaceful form of exercise that alleviates stress and depression. Swimming serves as a low-impact activity for those who suffer injuries and conditions.
Volunteering
Who says helping people can’t be considered a workout? To help your local shelter or take out your neighbor’s dog. Besides, it’ll be fun meeting new people in the community.
