3273: Fitness in the Great Outdoors by Elly McGuinness on Mental Wellbeing

[00:00:00] Time for strong power with the new Galaxy Watch Ultra. No matter if you are a sportsman, a training junkie, a free-time athlete or a real sportsman. And no matter if you are a jogger, a trail marathon runner,

[00:00:15] who wants to dance at night or go on tour in France. Get the best out of it! With the new Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra with Galaxy AI. Let's go! Fitness in the Great Outdoors by Elly McGuinness of ellymaguinness.com and I'm Justin Malik.

[00:00:37] This is a show where I usually read to you like an audiobook, but on Sundays I think it's nice to share an episode from another podcast where we read to you. And today's comes from my brother's show Optimal Health Daily.

[00:00:50] If you'd like more about fitness, nutrition, diet, pretty much anything health related, you can find Optimal Health Daily wherever you get your podcasts. Please do follow or subscribe to Optimal Health Daily to show your support. Really helps keep this show going.

[00:01:06] But with that, let's get right to it as we optimize your life. Fitness in the Great Outdoors by Elly McGuinness of ellymaguinness.com Not to walk to the parking lot to get into your car or go into the cafe next door to your office,

[00:01:26] but to really reap the benefits of the great outdoors. How often do you take part in outdoor fitness? Being cooped up at a desk, driving to and from work, the shops or the gym,

[00:01:38] and generally spending time indoors can take up most of the waking hours for many people. Although these habits can be hard to break, it's worth considering how you can prioritize some outdoor time each day, as well as this, consider getting some outdoor fitness into your week.

[00:01:56] The Importance of Outdoor Activities 1. Vitamin D Sunshine is the most effective way for your body to get it. You need it for calcium absorption and, in turn, strong healthy bones. Not living in a very sunshiny sort of place? Then go outdoors for, two, the fresh air.

[00:02:18] Take a break from artificial air conditioning and get the real stuff into your lungs. No fresh air where you're from? Then just go outside for, three, the feel good factor. It's a change of scenery and a break away from what you're doing. Take a walk while you're out.

[00:02:35] This will aid in stretching your legs, getting your blood pumping, and releasing some endorphins. Then you can head back feeling mentally and physically refreshed. If you're feeling run down, you may, of course, choose to stay indoors.

[00:02:48] Instead, you can read some wellness tips to get you back on the road to good health. 2. Ideas for Outdoor Fitness Here are some simple options to make outdoor fitness an enjoyable part of your lifestyle. Go hiking or walking in nature.

[00:03:03] Take a buddy, head out with the kids, or find a walking meetup group in your area. We used to belong to a meetup group called the Trail Babies. In this group, families of young kids would get together and go on walks and hikes in our area.

[00:03:18] Consider biking to work. You might be surprised that with modern-day traffic, your journey could be faster on a bike. Or rent a bike on the weekend or on a day off and explore the area you live in from a different angle. Play outside and more.

[00:03:34] Head down to your local playground and have some fun. Playing is surprisingly great workout and a good way to get some added outdoor fitness into your week. If you have kids, they will of course be delighted.

[00:03:45] And even more so if you want to play on the equipment with them. Have you jumped on a trampoline lately? Trampolines provide an amazing way to play. Have fun and get a brilliant workout at the same time. Get involved in a new outdoor sport.

[00:04:01] Check out team sports available in your area or try something closer to nature. This could be a water sport or a snow sport depending on where you live. And type in Outdoor Fitness in My Area in the search engine of your choice and see what comes up.

[00:04:17] In our home city in New Zealand, we had free outdoor fitness classes in the park available to us every Saturday morning. Here in Penang, we have the same thing. It's also likely that there will be a number of outdoor boot camp style sessions available for you to try.

[00:04:33] Why people should connect more with nature? At some point in your day or at the very least your week, aim to extend the outdoors notion by ensuring you're also in nature. Go barefoot if possible and give your feet a proper stretch

[00:04:48] and wake up the muscles that are less active while wearing shoes. Enjoy being connected with the natural world and take the opportunity to be fully present. Smell a flower, feel the dirt between your toes and marvel at the intricacies of a leaf. And finally, never mind the weather.

[00:05:06] There is no such thing as bad weather, just inappropriate clothing. So splash in those puddles, let the rain refresh you and enjoy the wind through your hair. You just listened to the post titled, Fitness in the Great Outdoors by Ellie McGuinness of ellymaguinness.com.

[00:05:27] Dr. Neal here for my commentary. As a self-proclaimed gym rat, I am one of those oddballs that would actually prefer to be working out in the gym in my garage instead of outside in the fresh air and sunshine. I know, I know.

[00:05:41] I already admitted that I'm probably not the norm. But the side effect of that is that may mean I'm less likely to produce enough vitamin D. As today's author, Ellie said, one of the best ways to make sure your body is producing enough vitamin D

[00:05:56] is to expose the skin to sunlight. But we do need to be careful when making these general recommendations. This is because there are those whose skin may burn if they're exposed to the sun and this can happen in as little as five minutes.

[00:06:11] Wearing sunscreen would seem to be the obvious solution. But unfortunately when we wear sunscreen, it blocks the absorption of those ultraviolet rays that trigger the body to create more vitamin D. So if we want to rely on the sun as our main source of vitamin D,

[00:06:27] we can't wear sunscreen and at the same time, we need to make sure we don't get sunburned. So if this all seems really complicated, you could talk to your healthcare provider about taking a vitamin D supplement.

[00:06:41] They'll probably want to run some blood tests first and that's all normal. And then from there, they'll know whether your body is producing enough vitamin D. Alright, that'll do it for today. I hope you have a great start to your week

[00:06:53] and I'll see you back here tomorrow where your optimal life awaits.