In today’s lifestyle, we tend to do almost everything indoors if possible, even exercising.
From indoor tracks to treadmills we seem to be trying to limit our outdoors activities more and more.
With that being said, there will always be some great things that running outdoors will be able to offer us that we just can’t do indoors.
So for this article, I’ll be covering some of my favorite outdoor running perks for you.
There’s nothing like go for a run when it feels great outdoors.
Yes, even better than watching your show on a treadmill.
There is something freeing about just being able to start running and venture into new territory or just taking in nature itself.
Indoor tracks can be great for those rainy days or during winter but let’s face it, seeing the same walls round after round gets old pretty quick.
I challenge you to go out for a run, especially now that the weather is starting to get nice and see if you don’t enjoy it much more than being stuck indoors.
When running outdoors you’re most likely not staying on an exact flat surface the entire time. There are usually dips, hills and just a variety of landscapes you’ll be growing throughout there.
This helps keep the body guessing and also increases the overall difficulty of the run which causes your body to burn more calories.
I’m not saying go out and do a tough mudder type of difficulty run but just running up a hill going up a few feet can cause this.
This technically can be done on a treadmill nowadays with all of their different settings but for those who don’t prefer treadmills then you’d be out of luck because indoor tracks are usually just flat services.
As we mentioned in our first point about enjoying outdoor running more, well there have been studies to show that this actually results in a better overall mindset boost.
Here is a good quote from an article that goes over some of these benefits I mentioned.
Of course, this may not be for everyone, especially for those who don’t live in the safest of places but this is something to keep a thought on for if you’re trying to decide between indoor or outdoor running.
If you’re mainly one who just prefers to do cardio then you can save money from not having to pay for a gym membership for around 75% of the year.
I’m not a huge fan of running or actually doing anything in cold weather so if you don’t mind going out for a jog in January then more power to you.
What a lot of people will do is either buy themselves a treadmill for in their house to use during those cold and rainy days or just join a gym for a few months.
Either way is a great way to find yourself saving some money that you would be spending on a gym membership.
Another great thing about getting out for a run is the chance to meet new people.
I have found that when I meet people out running they are more eager to strike up a conversation with you compared to those doing cardio inside the gym.
Most of the time I’ve got my headphones in and don’t look to chat but every once in a while I’ll run into someone who is catching their breath around the same time as me, which we strike up a quick conversation.
I’ve met some pretty cool people during my runs and even gotten a few dates.
If you prefer to be left alone during your run, then I completely get it, so just throw on your music and keep trucking away.
For a lot of folks to take pride in being in shape, they also enjoy having a good overall tan.
This tends to lean more for the ladies but I myself try to take off my shirt and get a little tan as well when I’m running.
Other than just getting a tan, you’re also getting Vitamin D from the sunlight which can go with what we’re talking about above on the mental benefits of running outside.
This can also lead to saving, even more, money if you’re one to go to the tanning beds to get your tan on.
As you can see there is a good amount of benefits to trading in the indoors for the outdoors for your run.
I only covered a few of the benefits and there are plenty more on top of the ones I mentioned.
Even though there are lots of positive things about outdoor running there is still plenty of reasons why one would choose doing their cardio indoors.
In the end, it all comes down to figuring out which is better for you, so just try to outweigh the pros and cons of each to see which you like better.
You also don’t have to choose 100% between the two. It can be nice to mix things up which is what I find myself doing depending on my mood or how the weather is acting.
I hope this article has helped give you some insight into outdoor running in general. If you have any thoughts on which is better or why you prefer indoor over outdoor, vice versa then let me know in the comments.
I always like to see others opinions on why they prefer certain types of fitness over others.
Sterling is a writer, fitness junkie and loves all things technology. Sterling is the owner of ChainsToGains.com or over on his Tumblr, which is where you can get in touch with him if you have any questions/comments.
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