Those cold, dark days are almost gone. No more running from the car to the store entrance in an effort to avoid the whipping wind and snow flurries. Instead, the sun is shining, the sky is blue and you’ve shed the winter coat, mittens and hat. There is no need to drive around in circles looking for the closest parking space. Parking further away means more time to soak up the sun’s warm rays while enjoying the smell of flowers blooming and fresh-cut grass and sound of birds singing in delight.

It’s more social

There are so many options when you go outside that you can exercise with anyone! If you have young children you can take them to the park and let them run around, or throw a ball with them. Taking the kids for a walk in their stroller is another great option. With children that are at least grade-school age, there are even more options – running or rollerblading, biking or hiking, playing tennis with them or even a game of pickup basketball. The options are almost limitless. In addition, you can do these things with friends as well therefore benefiting from the social interaction and the activity!

You might burn more calories

When the great outdoors are the limit, you are more likely to exercise for longer periods of time. Think about how fun it is to run or walk outside in nature vs. on a treadmill! In addition, exercising outdoors presents greater challenges and different demands on our bodies than using the same old weight machine will. By engaging more muscle groups you are using more energy in the form of calories.