Getting yourself outside during the pandemic is one of the best ways to relieve stress, improve your mood, and build up your immune system. While exercise done outdoors can seem like it lacks the muscle building potential of working out at the gym, it is perfectly possible to get a great workout outdoors with relatively little planning. While some outdoor exercises are free, others require a little shopping. Fortunately, both regular and electric bicycles for sale online can easily be found for the holiday season and beyond.
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1. Hiking Hills
If you live in a hilly area, you are lucky enough to have a built-in gym in your town or city. Hiking up and down hills is an easy and effective exercise for building leg strength and cardiovascular endurance. If you find that hiking is not sufficiently stimulating for you, or if you cannot find steep enough hills, try jogging for a significant boost in exertion.
2. Long-Distance Road Biking
Biking on the road can take you to interesting places that you would otherwise ignore or drive by. It is also one of the best outdoor workouts for your heart. When you maintain a good pace over long distances, you build your endurance for future rides. Try riding a little further every time you go out on the road. In some places, you will need to share the road with drivers, so you should make sure that you are equipped with a good helmet and a quality set of mirrors.
3. Trail Biking
Mountain biking and trail riding are both great exercise, and they can give you a completely different workout than simply riding on the road. Riding over hills and obstacles give your legs a power workout, while natural straightaways can provide you with cool down periods similar to those simulated by machines at the gym. Trail bikers often report experiencing a feeling of extreme closeness with nature when they ride, since the twists and turns of nature paths often require high levels of concentration.
4. Outdoor Yoga
Few activities combine relaxation and exercise as effectively as yoga. Doing yoga outside can boost your sense of peace and calm as you change poses and hold positions of balance. While you can do yoga on your own if you have experience, many yoga studios feature outdoor classes during warm seasons. You can also locate one of the many instructional video-classes on the internet and follow along in the park or in your own backyard.
5. Burpees, Sit-Ups, and Pull-Ups
If you are looking for a power workout that you can easily do outdoors, look no further than burpees, sit-ups, and pull-ups. Just choose a sustainable number of reps for each exercise, and rotate to the next exercise after completing your chosen number of reps. Choose a number of sets to complete, and stick to your decision. By the end of your last set, you will likely feel a full-body burn indicative of a great workout.
Is riding a bike good exercise for those who want to get out more? Yes. Is it the only way to get out? Of course not. The more you get out, the better, and the more you diversify your workout schedule, the healthier you will be.