5 Reasons to Get Active Outside

After a long winter, spring is finally in the air. Springtime brings everyone out to play, and exercising outside has physical and psychological benefits.

Here are five reasons why you should add outdoor workouts to your current routine:

Improve your well-being

Exercising outdoors has been shown to create “greater feelings of revitalization, increased energy and positive engagement, decreases in tension, confusion, anger and depression and increased energy.” Another study showed that “green exercise”, especially around water, improves self-esteem and mood, providing short-term and long-term health benefits.

Connect with nature

Sometimes the best cure for the doldrums is a dose of mother nature. Richard Ryan, a professor of psychology at the University of Rochester says spending time in nature is a great way to reenergize. "Often when we feel depleted we reach for a cup of coffee, but research suggests a better way to get energized is to connect with nature.”

Boost your mood

Vitamin D, or the “sunshine vitamin,” helps strengthen your immune system, fights disease, boosts weight loss, improves bone health, and reduces depression. It can also lower blood pressure and relieve stress.^1,2 Your body produces vitamin D when it’s directly exposed to sunlight, so exercising outdoors (with sunscreen of course) is a great way to reap the rewards.

Make your workouts seem less like work

Exercise routines are more likely to stick when they’re fun. Studies show people enjoy the same activity (e.g. walking, jogging) more when doing it outside, and were, therefore, more likely to do it longer, and to do it again.

Burn calories

Walking, hiking or cycling up and/or downhill, with or against the wind, can help keep things interesting and help you burn more calories. The natural scenery may inspire you to go further, and the changing terrain and environment can work more and different muscles to intensify your workout.

If you’re enrolled in a Medicare plan with The Health Plan, we also suggest using your SilverSneakers benefit to stay active this spring. You have access to 50+ types of classes through SilverSneakers FLEX^®, offered indoors and out, including yoga, boot camp and walking groups.

You can also use the amenities at participating SilverSneakers locations to build the strength and endurance you need to stay active all year round.

Find a participating location near you by visiting the SilverSneakers website. For questions about SilverSneakers and your eligibility as a member of The Health Plan, call 1.877.847.7907, TTY: 711. Our hours of operation are October 1 through February 14: 8:00 am to 8:00 pm, seven days a week and February 15 through September 30: 8:00 am to 8:00 pm, Monday through Friday.

This information is not a complete description of benefits. Contact the plan for more information. Benefits may change on January 1 of each year.

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Y0038_18_138 File & Use 4/6/2018