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Did you
know
Breathing fresh air can
raise levels of oxygen in
your brain, boosting
levels of serotonin.Walk on the
wild side
So how can we incorporate the great
outdoors more into our daily routine?
Why not skip the gym and take your
daily workout outside...
Research by Lindahls found that 40%
of us only do one hour or less of exercise
a week and 18% don’t do any at all. Part
of this reluctance to work out is down
to the environment on offer. More than
four-fifths of Brits don’t like going to the
gym, with almost a quarter saying it
makes them feel self-conscious, while
60% say their ideal place to exercise
would be the great outdoors.
Ditching four walls for fresh air has
endless benefits, including burning more
calories (thanks to the varied
terrain and conditions),
keeping you going for
longer (boredom is
far less likely to
set in), making
you happier (it’s
like an organic
therapy session!)
and even avoiding
germs – yes, treadmills,
dumbbells and changing
room floors can be a haven for MRSA,
athlete’s foot and ringworm. Plus, it’s
free and if you’re using your back
garden, right on your doorstep.
So what’s stopping us from getting
outside? The Lindahls study found that
20% of us would be more likely to get
active al fresco if we had access to
outdoor exercise equipment. Say hello,
or hej, to the Swedish brand’s Flat Pack
Backpack, made in collaboration with
Designers on Holiday, which they hope
to roll out soon. Inspired by minimalist
Swedish flat-pack design, it provides all
we’d need for a full-body workout in the
great outdoors, neatly packed into a
multipurpose backpack. It contains
wooden pull-up hoops, which can be
attached to trees, rocks or logs via
cotton straps to double up as
kettle bells, a portable shower, a
natural fibre skipping rope, a cork
yoga mat, water bottle and a towel.FIT KIT
The biggest struggles for the
outdoors exercisers as we move
into autumn come from the
cooling climate, darker days
and slippery surfaces. Making
sure you have the right gear is
essential to keep you moving.Layering is key to lock the heat in
and prevent your sweat
becoming cold.
TRY: Lorna Jane
Harmonise Active
Top, £60,
lornajane.co.uk.
It’s moisture-
wicking and
breathable.Opt for waterproof trainers with a
good grip to tackle wet paths. TRY:
Brooks The Cascadia 14, £110- go for the Gore-Tex version.
Worried about shorter days and
darker conditions? Be seen with
reflective clothing, such as:Flipbelt Reflective, £31.99,
wiggle.co.uk, has three metres of
reflective fibres woven into the
material all around the band for
360-degree reflectivity. Plus, you
can also stash your
keys, cards,
and phone
while you’re
on the go.Nitelze SlapLit, £13.27, amazon.
co.uk. Like your average slap
bracelet that coils around your arm,
except that this one boasts a LED
that can be set to glow or flash.
You get 100 hours of runtime
from a replaceable battery.Get down and dirty
If you want to work out without feeling
like you’re working out, then get
gardening. It turns out that the average
green-fingered adult can burn a
whopping 51,428 calories every year
just by getting their hands dirty.
That’s right, people who weed are
boosting their wellbeing by getting
active on average 35 minutes a week,
totting up 632 burnt calories every
month, according to a study by Argos.
Ramp that up to three 35-minute
sessions a week and you could be
blasting through 1,896 cals – that’s
almost 23 chocolate digestive biscuits!
As if you need another reason to
get up close and personal, the study
also revealed that 78% of gardeners
claim it reduces stress levels, and
the microbiome in the soil can be
beneficial for your mental health, too.Become mindful
We’ve all heard how practising
mindfulness has powerful wellbeing
benefits. Most commonly, we think of
it as a skill developed while sitting
indoors in complete silence. But being
outside in the natural environment
gives us many more opportunities to
become mindful, explains Vanessa.
‘Exploring nature through different
senses is the perfect way to practice
mindfulness,’ she says.
%SOUND ‘Find a comfortable place
to sit, somewhere near greenery or
water and close your eyes. Tune into
the sound of nature around you, what
can you hear? Pick one and listen to
it as long as you can’.
%TOUCH ‘Pick a small area around
where you’re sitting and gently
touch any leaves, trees or flowers
nearby. Focus on the sensations you
experience – how do different things feel?’
%SMELL ‘When you next wander
outside, stop and smell the roses
(literally!). How many different smells
do you notice?’
%SIGHT ‘The next time that you get
outside, pick a colour and notice
everywhere you see it.’VITAMIN N WELLBEING