Take Your Workout Outside: Tips for Outdoor Fitness Success

Are you ready to step up your exercise game? Don’t you want to wait until the new year, and do you want to try something different? Sometimes, it is as simple as changing your environment. Going to a gym is great and all, but it isn’t always the most convenient option. For some, it can be intimidating, which is a huge deterrent to getting into a routine. What if I told you there is another way that can be as simple as just taking your workout outside? Getting out of a building and into the great outdoors can significantly benefit your health, not just physically but mentally, too.

Gear Up and Go: Essential Equipment for Outdoor Training

Having the proper equipment can make or break your goals and motivation. Starting from the bottom up with what you wear, specifically your shoes. Having the proper footwear for your activity is key; your feet are your foundation, so you want to ensure you have the right shoes. You wouldn’t use a knife to eat soup; the same goes for your footwear. 

If you are looking into walking with progression to jogging, you will want a shoe that can give you support and stability. It is helpful to go to a local running store and get fitted for the proper size and type of shoe to match your gait. Most stores can provide a gait analysis where a team member will watch you walk/run, assessing your footfall to determine the proper fitting shoe. If you are looking at doing more bodyweight activity with progression to HIIT workouts or strength training, you want a shoe with a flat sole. Running shoes have heel elevation to help propel you forward; this is not ideal for weight training. A flat shoe will help you maintain proper form without risking injury. 

The next thing to think about is dressing correctly for the weather. Since you are focusing on fitness, you want to choose fabrics that have sweat-wicking capability. Cotton absorbs sweat and can make clothes heavy and wet, making you cold and miserable. Choose loose-fitting blends that pull sweat off you and are breathable, so you remain comfortable. For women, make sure you have a good sports bra; medium to high impact is always a great choice, so things stay put, and you will want this as your intensity increases. 

The temperature will dictate this for clothing: long sleeve vs short sleeve, leggings vs shorts. If you start the workout comfortably, then you are wearing too much. Most people make this mistake, which can put you at risk of overheating, dehydrating, and being very uncomfortable. You will more than likely be shedding layers after a minute or two. If you want to start the workout a little cold and uncomfortable, you will warm up and stay warm throughout the activity. Click the link for a helpful chart to guide you on what to wear. 

Some of my personal clothing preferences are a sports bra with a pocket for my cell phone, or I use a great product called “the Koala clip,” a water-resistant pocket you can place wherever is most comfortable. I also prefer running shorts with a built-in liner, and when I lift weights, I prefer tighter bike shorts that don’t shift a lot. For colder weather, I wear leggings and a long sleeve. Most bike shorts and leggings have side pockets, which are great for holding your phone, key fob, gels, wipes, etc.

If you're looking for my favorite activewear picks, here’s the rundown: For sports bras, I recommend Run in Rabbit or Brooks. For shorts, Oiselle is my go-to, while bike shorts from Athleta are a staple. For leggings, TJ Maxx offers great options for budget-friendly finds. For shoes, I shop at Running Warehouse or NOBULL. Keep in mind that these are just suggestions, and I often shop sales and clearance to snag the best deals!

Beginner-Friendly Outdoor Workouts: Starting Your Fitness Journey

Like anything else, you must build a solid base when beginning a fitness routine. A smart place to start is a level you can handle that may even seem a little easy initially. The worst thing you can do is push yourself too hard right out the gate and then end up so sore that you can’t walk right for a week. That is negative reinforcement and creates a roadblock on your road to wellness. It will be the only thing you remember the next time you try to start an activity. 

Choose an activity that meets you where you are. Start by walking for a set amount of time instead of going a specific distance. That way, you can build up stamina and stay more easily engaged; the time passes faster than the miles. If you aren’t interested in walking, there are other options for you. You can ride a bike or roller skate, do a yoga class, take up golfing or tennis, and even frisbee golf can add movement to your life. If none of that sounds good, then perhaps you can consider a bodyweight type of workout with modifications to meet your fitness level. This is very easy and can be accomplished pretty much anywhere.

You can find numerous workouts online, which is the beautiful thing about the internet. If you don’t know how to do a particular movement, you can just watch it on YouTube. Peloton has a great site for beginners; you can find many guided workouts online. At this stage, you want to focus on body weight workouts and ensure you get proper form down. Doing this will help you prevent injury when you start adding weights. Once you have built your endurance and feel like you are getting used to the workouts (whether walking or bodyweight), it is time to increase the intensity. 

Stepping Up Your Game: Outdoor Workouts for Intermediate Fitness Levels

Once you get to a point where you feel like you’ve broken through the beginner phase, it is time to step it up, kind of literally. At this point, your endurance should be improved, and you can handle a bit more of a challenge. If you have been walking up until now, then now is the time to add some jogging to the mix. A great way to do this is to do a walk/jog interval workout. Try walking for 3 minutes and jogging for 2 min. Do that for 30 – 45 minutes, gradually increasing it to an hour. 

If running/jogging isn’t your thing, another activity you can try is hiking. Adding more technical trails to your routine can up the ante on the degree of difficulty. You can also try mountain biking if you are getting bored of flat roads or paved trails. The biggest thing is embracing the beauty of nature, being outside, and moving your body. 

If you are looking to meet people and build strength, then look for an outdoor boot camp class or consider a CrossFit gym, which offers meetups at outdoor locations such as parks or high school tracks. You can even take a mat out to your backyard with some dumbbells and do your own home workout. Invite a friend over, or get your kids involved and make it fun! Different parks have workout equipment set up along a course that follows the park's perimeter. You can find so many things to do once you start looking.

With any of these workouts, you want to keep the weight manageable; you should not be using any dumbbells, kettlebells, or other weights that cause you to compromise your form after a couple of reps. A good test to determine the proper weight is to make it challenging but not impossible to complete the set. (Example: 5 sets of 5 repetitions of the military press; the movement should be getting difficult by rep 4, but you can still maintain proper form). If you cannot maintain proper form, then you need to reduce the weight to something that is more manageable. 

Advanced Outdoor Training: Challenging Yourself in the Great Outdoors

Now that you are conditioned, you may have been in a conditioned status for a while and need a change-up. Some fun things to consider would be running a trail race or doing something team-based. Some great options are out there, like a Ragnar race, or perhaps you want to tackle an obstacle course race like a Tough Mudder or Spartan. If you enjoy road racing, consider signing up for a destination race or a distance you haven’t tried. 

If running doesn’t give you a thrill, then strength training outside is always an option. The next step would be taking some of the ideas from the previous section and adding intensity or upping the weight to increase the challenge. I have done many workouts in group settings or solo, where I took the weights outside and worked with my environment. Use logs to jump over the monkey bars at a park; you can also get an old tire and push, pull, slam, or drag it all around the yard. Ensure you are using the proper form; if the workout is intense, have a friend spot you. 

Safety First: Tips for Outdoor Exercise

Of course, when you work out outside, you have to consider the conditions. Dressing for the temperature and the weather is important. You may want a hat or visor to keep the rain out of your eyes if it is raining. Wearing a raincoat will cause a sauna effect, making you overheat or dehydrate from too much sweat loss. Be mindful of lightning, tornado, or other extreme weather warnings, etc. These can make for a bad day if you are caught out in these conditions. Just imagine being taken out by a tree limb or getting struck by lightning doing pull-ups on some monkey bars, which is hard to come back from. 

Wear layers and make sure you are still hydrating. Just because it may be cold does not mean you are immune to dehydration. You will still sweat and lose fluid; it is just not as noticeable. This goes for any and all activities. Have the proper fuel for your training goals and start trying different things from the beginning. Zooming in on what fuel methods work best for you is key to successful performance outcomes. 

I didn’t touch on winter sports, but cross-country skiing, downhill skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing, etc., all follow the same rules when applying to your skill or ability level. You can refer to my tips for walking/running for these sports. These sports will definitely include getting proper equipment for safety and functionality and wearing appropriate layers for the environment and temperatures. I highly suggest you take lessons from a certified instructor and not just strap some equipment on your feet and hope for the best as you plummet down a black diamond.

Sun protection is essential year-round. Make sure you are protecting your skin with sunscreen or clothing. Even in the winter, it is possible to get a sunburn from the UV rays reflecting off the snow. Sunglasses, visors, and/or hats can be beneficial in shading your face and eyes. When the temperatures rise, so does the UV index, making it much easier to get sunburn or sun sickness. Always check the weather before you go out to do any activities so you know how to protect yourself and have the best experience. 

This guide offers outdoor training tips for all fitness levels to help you discover the benefits of outdoor exercise. We spend so much of our lives in buildings for work and school that we must try to get outdoors. I hope you learned how to choose the right equipment and found a workout option that inspires you to get moving. Stay safe and motivated with this expert advice on weather preparedness, sun protection, and hydration to embrace the fresh air and achieve your fitness goals outdoors.