How to Get Healthy and Lose Weight (Without Breaking the Bank) the Outdoor Fitness Way.
Getting fit outdoors in a healthy, friendly environment.
August 2024
In this article, we’re going to look at how getting fit and staying that way is changing. The outdoors is the place to be… breath the fresh air, stretch your legs and enjoy life. Health and fitness are no longer to be found exclusively inside a sometimes stuffy, sweaty gym.
Science is showing the way. Research is proving that exercising outdoors, together with a sensible eating regime is the answer. As you’ll see below, outdoor fitness and health is in the ascendency.
Just by getting outside, we can reduce the stress hormone cortisol by as much as 15%, and the positive effects of being around nature increase when we combine that with the endorphine-boosting act of movement. Negative feelings, such as tension, anxiety, depression, anger and fatigue are significantly reduced. And being out in the sunshine provides the vitamin D that we all need, and enhances energy generation in the muscles and oxidation of the tissues
And the COVID-19 pandemic is partly responsible for this shift towards getting fit outdoors. Thankfully, the worst of the pandemic is behind us and the severe restrictions to our freedom to move and to travel has morphed into an amazing desire to “breathe the air.”
Tourism is booming. So much so that some international tourist hotspots have reached saturation, and locals have taken to the streets to protest. Who would have ever believed that this was possible?
It seems that Travellers fear being locked down again at some point in the future and are visiting their must-see spots while they’re able to.
It’s called “Revenge Travel” and this phenomenon emerged as a key trend in post-pandemic travel, in reference to trips that travellers took in 2022 and 2023 because they were unable to take them at the height of the pandemic.
What does all this have to do with getting fit and healthy? PLENTY.
The key message is that we shouldn’t take the outdoors for granted. We’ve all won the great lottery of life by being able to call Australia home. We have the best outdoors anywhere in the world. There’s so much to see and do, and there’s no better place to get fit and healthy whilst doing so.
The big positive is that across the globe, more and more people are heading outdoors to exercise and, here at home, this has resulted in Australian Councils, schools, planners and policymakers needing to find solutions to meet the increased demand for open-air gyms.
Modern facilities have been installed in many public spaces to meet the demand, and they’ve proven to be well utilised, and well received in the community.
There now exists competition amongst suppliers to win contracts for the supply and installation of the outdoor gyms. This has had the effect of improving the quality of the product and their attractiveness to users.
One such company is a space, and here’s an example of their excellent product.
Socialising and working out at an A_space outdoor facility.
Commercial gyms are increasingly incorporating and encouraging their members to exercise outdoors with equipment that truly offers challenging and meaningful workouts. They have recognised the trend and are adapting to keep their members happy, and their memberships fully paid.
But you don’t need to join a pricey gym or spend lots of money one new shoes and other stuff… what you have right now will do. Just get out there!
Outdoor Groups
Humans are tribal. We feel more comfortable in a community… there’s safety in numbers. There are all kinds of reasons to explain why people enjoy and prefer working out in groups.
Outdoor Fitness Groups are in the ascendency. They’re everywhere, and cater for almost every requirement of the fitness-seeker. Here’s some of the common types:
- SMALL GROUPS. Why waste money on a Personal Trainer when you can share one? Most Groups are operated by people who have the necessary qualifications and passion. It’s inspiring and highly motivating to be in a
Group that’s run by someone you like and respect, and who knows what they’re doing.Group sizes are usually kept to a manageable size for the operator to be able to give sufficient attention to each person, and more attention to those that may need it.Exercise equipment is usually available and provided by the operator, which saves you from spending money on equipment that you may only
use once or twice and then gets lost and forgotten under the bed.If you MUST buy your own equipment and accessories, you can get it here at a very competitive price.
It’s great to exercise and get fit with friends. Don’t worry if you don’t know anyone… you soon will, and you’ll make some good friends who share common interests with you. There’s possibly no better way to meet new people than in the setting of an outdoor fitness group. There’s no pressure, no judgement and you’ll feel like you belong.
- BOOTCAMPS. For those that after something more challenging and harder core, get yourself into a Bootcamp Group. It’s a higher intensity, highly demanding workout designed to get you to the next level of fitness.
- WOMEN ONLY GROUPS. Whilst most Groups are mixed sex, there’s an increasingly popular trend for women to be able to train and exercise with other women. These Groups are popular because focus and emphasis can be directed towards the things women want from their training – toning, firming, getting fit, strong and lean, in a supportive and fun environment.
In most instances, mums are encouraged to bring along their babies and toddlers… it’s a family friendly and enjoyable environment for all.
A great example of a Group which caters specifically to women is Goddess Outdoor Fitness, operated by Amy Mitchell in Sydney’s inner west. Amy epitomises the qualified and passionate persona referred to earlier. She’s a qualified and insured trainer (Cert 111 and 1V in personal training) and accredited bootcamp and boxing instructor with extensive experience and training in pre and post-natal exercise.
If you’re in the area, take her up on her offer of a free trial here.
The Amazing Benefits of Outdoor Exercise.
Apart from the obvious benefits of enjoying the views, and getting a good healthy does of Vitamin D, there are several other great benefits to be had by exercising outdoors. These include:
- SAVE MONEY. Gym memberships can be quite expensive. They’re fantastic if you’re a serious body builder but for ordinary Joe, you can get the same benefits at one of the many new council-installed apparatuses that can be found at many beaches and parks throughout the cities and regional towns of Australia.
- ENVIROMENTALLY FRIENDLY. No electricity needed.
- SOCIAL INTERACTION. Meet your new Best Friend at one of the many group fitness centres that operate in many locations.
- EASY ACCESS. Walk or ride your bike to your favourite outdoor exercise area. No need to worry about parking the car and getting a ding in your door from the shopping trolley maniacs. There are plenty of them and they don’t just hang around in shopping centre carparks.
- STRESS RELIEF. The mental benefits of aerobic exercise have a neurochemical basis. Exercise reduces the levels of stress hormones and stimulates the production or endorphins… chemicals in the brain that are the body's natural painkillers and mood elevators.
- IMPROVE HEALTH. This one seems obvious, but it’s worth driving home the fact that outdoor exercise can do so much for your overall health and wellbeing. Vitamin D has already been mentioned above but let me mention it again… Vitamin D deficiencies are common in the western societies. We’ve been told by Big Pharma that it’s bad to be out in the sun and you it’s best to get your Vitamin D in a bottle. Don’t believe it.
What’s your Goal?
What’s your “Why”? What are you aiming to achieve by exercising, or joining a fitness group?
If you’re just wanting to get fitter and stronger, then you don’t really need too much of a “Why” at all. Fitness work is a reward in and of itself. It’s a great way to spend your time for all the reasons that are covered above.
However, if your main objective is to lose weight, then working out in a gym or outdoors isn’t going to do it for you. Numerous studies have proven that subjects who used exercise alone for weight reduction experienced minimal weight loss.
There’s been plenty of research conducted into this subject and all these studies recommend exercise as an integral part of any weight loss program.
But the main contributing factor towards weight loss is what you put in your mouth on a daily basis. If what you’re eating is wrong, then you can exercise until the cows come home and it won’t make much of a difference.
If you’re overweight when you start your exercise program, then over time you’ll be
fitter, but you’ll still be overweight.
Get Healthy to Lose Weight.
As you probably already know, we face an obesity epidemic in Australia. According to the latest data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, of adults aged 18 and over, 66% were living with overweight or obesity (approximately 13 million adults),
The weight loss industry is massive and even though it’s been proven over and over that diet’s don’t work, millions of people continue to waste money on diet shakes and other fads.
Data from the US reveals that more than 160 million Americans are on a diet at any given time and spend more than $70 billion each year on commercial weight-loss plans, supplements and other pound-shedding measures.
The common misconception is that to achieve a good state of health, you must first lose weight.
“Losing weight is the key to amazing health, wealth and happiness”.
You’ve heard that many times, right?
This is a case of Cart Before the Horse
The truth is that you will lose weight when you get healthy. Focus on what you eat and be aware of how your food choices affect your health.
Instead of embracing “fad diets,” people who have lost weight and kept it off usually have made a permanent shift toward healthier eating habits. Simply replacing unhealthy foods with healthy ones… not for a few weeks, but forever, will help you achieve weight loss while also offering numerous other benefits.
Possibly the best example of what constitutes a permanent shift toward healthier eating habits is Keto. When combined with other strategies such as the 16/8 method and an amazing coffee hack (that I’ll share when you subscribe to my newsletter), the effects and results can be dramatic. If you 100% commit to it, you’ll see life- changing results in just a few months.
You might see and hear references to Keto being a “Diet” and become confused with the earlier statement that “Diets don’t work”. Yes, you can treat Keto as a diet, but it won’t work unless you make it the basis of a permanent way of living. If you try Keto for a week or two and then go back to your normal eating habits, then my advice is “Don’t Bother”. Save yourself the trouble…. you’re just setting yourself up for heartache and disappointment.
Check out this Video for the three main reasons for choosing Keto as a way of life (or at the very least as the foundation for a way to become healthier, which will result in weight loss as a happy side-effect).
Video 1: The Three benefits of Going Keto
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