Which is Better? Indoor vs. Outdoor Exercise
As a former Division 1 volleyball player, I have been through the ringer when it comes to hard workouts. From running bleachers in Darrell K. Royal Memorial Stadium, to pushing sleds inside, I’ve done indoor workouts and outdoor workouts alike. Although exercise is beneficial in both settings, is there one that is superior to the other when it comes to overall workout quality, psychological benefits, and happiness?
Everyone’s experiences and preferences are different, but for me at least, I prefer exercising indoors. I like weightlifting and building muscle, so for me indoor workouts are the way to go. There is only so much a person can do to exercise outside without equipment before getting bored. Most of the exercises one can perform outdoors are strictly cardio based. Another huge factor contributing to my likeness for indoor workouts is geographic location. Living in Texas makes it very hard to exercise outside for long periods of time. The only way to get in a good workout before having a heat stroke is to wake up very early in the morning, which for me is not practical.
Other advocates for indoor exercise say that one of the biggest characteristics of working out indoors is that it removes all of the distractions that the outdoor carries with it (Hughes 1). Outside, there can be noise pollution, bugs, and unfavorable weather conditions that prevent a person from reaching their full workout potential. Sometimes sudden distractions that occur outdoors can cause someone to cut their workout short in which case they are not working out as much as they would like or even as much as they should. Furthermore, some workout enthusiasts see the push for working out outdoors as an over-idealized fantasy. In her online blog, Kate Hughes says, “For every athlete who waxes poetic about exercising outside, there’s a dedicated indoor athlete who knows the truth: indoors trumps outdoors. ‘Impossible,’ say the explorers sprinting up the trails” (Hughes 1). Hughes is poking fun at the notion that outdoor advocates see exercise as freeing the body and mind. Working out indoors also seems to be the general consensus when it comes to under motivated individuals. Having a gym membership and knowing that you are paying for something, makes people much more likely to get up and workout (“Indoor vs. Outdoor”). Finally, dealing with a more health related topic, big city dwellers are often encouraged to exercise inside due to pollution. Inhalation of polluted air has the ability to “trigger respiratory problems like allergies and asthma” (“Indoor vs. Outdoor”).
Although many people enjoy exercising indoors, the general consensus in the scientific community seems to be that exercising outdoors is actually better for a person’s overall health. Proponents of exercising outdoors see it is a full-body experience that is supposed to not only better the body, but also the mind. However, it is true that exercise is exercise and how hard the person works determines their overall exercise quality, not which setting a person is in. Researchers believe that exercising outdoors is meant to have restorative benefits, which is the “process of renewing, recovering, or reestablishing physical, psychological, and social resources or capabilities diminished in ongoing efforts to meet adaptive needs” (Mackay 2). Spending time outdoors is supposed to clear the mind and head by experiencing the world around us. Instead of being indoors with no access to things like fresh air or the sun, the outdoors is meant to refresh the body. Furthermore, scientists suggest that working out outdoors has the ability to change someone’s behavior and mental health. It is known that “mental health disorders rank among the five conditions with the highest direct medical expenditures in the United States,” but there are many ways to improve a person’s mental health without prescription medications and money. Outdoor activity can “improve self-esteem and negative mood subscales, such as tension, anger and depression” (Gladwell 3). These benefits are due to the increased amounts of sunlight, and also from increased interactions with other people that are being active outside. When someone goes to a park or a trail, they are more likely to create weak ties with people because people are all around. There are also more features outdoors like lakes, rivers, and sculptures that make it easier to meet new people because there are more things to talk about. Scientists have conducted an important study dealing with college students and types of exercise. College students are under immense amounts of stress a lot of the time and professionals think that exercise is a way to overcome that stress. In a series of studies, it was shown that college students experienced “psychological benefits” and found exercising “most enjoyable” when working out with their peers and exercising outdoors (Plante 1).
Perhaps the biggest, and most obvious reason, that people enjoy exercising outdoors is because it is free. In the video “Benefits of Outdoor Exercise or Activity,” one of their major points is that often times, working out indoors requires a person to have an expensive gym membership. Also, gyms tempt people with new products all the time like water bottles, supplements, and personal trainers. Some times these things are beneficial, but a lot of the time it is just a distraction from the actual goal a person is trying to achieve. Exercising outdoors often eliminates all distractions that are not natural to the environment.
Aside from the mere psychological benefits of exercising outdoors, there is also a direct health benefit. It is common among individuals struggling with obesity to have low levels of hypovitaminosis D. A study conducted in 2006 showed that individuals that regularly exercised outdoors were over 25% more likely to have normal levels of hypovitaminosis D (Florez 1). Furthermore, exercising outdoors has shown to give humans “greater attention after exposure to a natural environment” (Bowler 9). This means that people are more likely to keep exercising outdoors once they have started, and not give up after 5 minutes.
To learn more about why many people endorse outdoor exercise, I conducted an interview with the University of Texas Volleyball Strength and Conditioning Coach, Donnie Maib, to get his professional opinion on which setting he preferred his athletes to workout in.
Do you prefer to conduct indoor or outdoor workouts for your athletes?
I like to have my athletes do outdoor workouts because not only does it give them a good workout, but it also makes them feel like they aren’t cooped up in a gym. Fresh air allows the body and mind to really open up.
Can you elaborate more on why you think exercising in fresh air is beneficial?
Sure. Being able to workout and enjoy the natural things around us is a very special thing. Sometimes gyms are stuffy and loud, but exercising outdoors allows people to have alone time and really focus on themselves. I love having my athletes to outdoor workouts during the sunrise because it is such a peaceful time and starts each of their day’s on a good note.
After researching this area of study and getting first-hand thoughts on this topic, it is no secret that outdoor exercise is the preferred method of exercise by normal people and scientists alike. Although my own opinions differ in some aspects of the debate of indoor vs. outdoor exercise, there is something to be said for practicing self-care out in the world and in nature. It doesn’t have to be a hard and strenuous workout. Just walking through a local park or along a river can improve physical health, as well as physiological health and overall happiness.
References
Bowler, D. E., Buyung-Ali, L. M., Knight, T. M., & Pullin, A. S. (2010). A systematic review of evidence for the added benefits to health of exposure to natural environments. Retrieved November 30, 2018, from https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/track/pdf/10.1186/1471-2458-10-456
Florez, H., Martinez, R., Chacra, W., Strickman-Stein, N. and Levis, S. (2018). Outdoor exercise reduces the risk of hypovitaminosis D in the obese. [online] Science Direct. Available at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0960076006004079 [Accessed 29 Oct. 2018].
Gladwell, V., Brown, D., Wood, C., Sandercock, G. and Barton, J. (2018). The great outdoors: how a green exercise environment can benefit all. [online] Available at: https://extremephysiolmed.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/2046-7648-2-3 [Accessed 29 Oct. 2018].
Hughes, K. (2016, June 13). 20 Reasons to Stay In: Why Working Out Indoors Is Better | MyFitnessPal. Retrieved October 29, 2018, from https://blog.myfitnesspal.com/20-reasons-stay-working-indoors-better/
“Indoor vs. Outdoor Fitness: What’s Better?” (2015, July 09). Retrieved October 29, 2018, from https://www.active.com/fitness/articles/indoor-vs-outdoor-fitness-what-s-better
Mackay, G. J. (2010, May). The effect of ‘green exercise? on state anxiety and the role of exercise duration, intensity, and greenness: A quasi-experimental study. Retrieved from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1469029210000038
Maib, Donnie. (2018, November 21). Email Interview.
No1HealthCare. (2018, February 13). Benefits Of Outdoor Exercise Or Activity. [Video File]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xp0LzzUOta4
Personal Experience
Plante, T. G., Gores, C., Brecht, C., Carrow, J., Imbs, A., & Willemsen, E. (2007). Does exercise environment enhance the psychological benefits of exercise for women? International Journal of Stress Management, 14(1), 88–98. http://psycnet.apa.org/record/2007-02741-00
