Over the past year, we have found new ways to connect to nature. No matter the weather, outdoor activities are the star of every season. There is a variety of games and activities to enjoy, either alone or with others. You are lucky if you live near a forest, mountains, a lake or surrounded by nature. You should take advantage of that! If you live in a big city, you can find somewhere close by you can reach by car or public transportation. Make sure you get familiar with your county and all the healthy outdoor activities options it has to offer.

We all need some sort of exercise to improve our health and well-being.  Wouldn’t it be so much better to exercise surrounded by nature instead of inside a packed gym? Outdoor activities are better at regulating blood pressure and mood than indoor exercises. Being in contact with nature relieves stress within minutes! We can check this by measuring muscle tension, blood pressure, and brain activity.

Let’s take a look at some fun healthy outdoor activities in case you don’t have a favorite one yet!

1. Hiking

Hiking is good for both your mind and body. It strengthens your lower body, including quads, glutes, and hamstrings. It also works the upper body. Hiking poles strengthen arms, shoulders, and back. Walking also improves cardiovascular health and promotes creativity and problem-solving. So it is good to have a walk if you are feeling stuck at work. Plus, the sounds of nature. Birds singing, water falling, wind passing through the trees. It is undeniable it all has a calming effect.

You can try a relaxed and easy walk through the park, or a hard workout in the hills or mountains. 

2. Cycling

Cycling is also excellent for your entire body. While riding, your lower body strengthens. This includes quads, calves, and hamstrings. This outdoor activity is also a low-impact exercise for joints and is good to improve coordination. It improves your cardiovascular health, helping with your daily cardio.

Bike riding helps to relieve stress and boosts your mood. Think about how nice it is to go biking with friends and family!

3. Yoga

The connection between mind and body that yoga enables is undeniable. This outdoor activity has a lot of health benefits. It lowers blood pressure and strengthens the immune and digestive systems. It also helps mitigate diseases and relieves stress. Practicing yoga outdoors is a blast!

4. Water sports

Are you a water person? Take advantage of it and enjoy time in the water. It can be a river, a stream, the sea, a lake, anything! 

Swimming is a great low-impact outdoor activity. Many people swim when recovering from injuries, staying fit without hurting their bodies. Muscle is also strengthened as water puts resistance, and you stretch your muscles. It also helps you relax and destress. Let’s go for some water dives!

If you are more active and like harder exercises in the water you can try other water sports. Paddling, SUP, windsurf, surf, you have lots of options!