This is a question I was asked a couple of years ago by a fellow boot camper. Midway through a session I was taking part in as a client, in a local park, the question came to me as follows “Why is it better to exercise outside then in the gym?”
Now, when I’m talking about boot camps I refer to and really mean outdoor exercise groups, because some places will promote a boot camp that actually takes place indoors. For the purposes of this discussion, I would personally look at boot camps as being an outdoor activity, rather than one taking place in a large Sports Hall or Gym, Village Hall or Community Centre for example. So, in answering the question my friend posed to me I simply looked around at the environment. We were in a beautiful park, surrounded by trees swaying in the breeze. There was a lake at the bottom of a winding path that we were making our way down to. And there were birds flying and singing in the trees.
All this made me understand, in that moment, that the real benefit to exercising outdoors was my gaining a real connection with nature. Being surrounded by curves, and trees and green grass and a breeze and the rustling of leaves and the sound of birds and the smell of fresh Earth and fresh cut grass, this all made for such a peaceful experience. Yes, we were working hard exercising whilst outside. But we didn’t have, for instance, pounding music being piped into a room. We weren’t under harsh electric lights. We were not in an environment surrounded by straight lines and mirrors and steel and black rubber floor matting.
We were where nature intended us to be – outside in our natural environment. And in answer to my friends question I truly believe that the real benefit to exercising outdoors comes from the idea that, as human beings, we are actually animals. We are part of the animal kingdom. And as part of the animal kingdom we have evolved over many thousands of years to live outside. All other animals apart from human beings spend their entire lives outside. (I would caveat that with the fact that, for instance, dogs and cats are the sharing our homes and indoor spaces with us). However, if we wish to have our pets healthy and happy, we will put them out, take them for walks, go outside with them and let them run around. That is them in their natural environment. As human beings we have the exact same natural environment. Today’s modern world of offices factories, cars, supermarkets, leisure centres, cinemas, whatever are all very, very recent and unnatural inventions.
Being outside is where we were, and are, designed to be. And like any other creature within the animal kingdom, we thrive in our natural environment. Being outside is our natural environment.
And in that we thrive.
That is the true benefit of attending an outdoor boot camp (well, as well as getting fitter, heathier and stronger of course!!)