5 Outdoor Activities & Exercises To Keep You Fit In 2021

If you’re looking for ways to keep you fit as we go into 2021, keep reading as we list a number of great outdoor activities and exercises for you to do at this time. 

Cycling

Own a bike and haven’t used it in a while? Why not make use of it and enjoy the fresh air? If you find walking slow and boring, cycling is a fantastic alternative. Did you know that cycling is actually 3x faster than walking and you don't need to use any more energy? 
Not only does cycling keep you fit and help you form healthy habits, but it also helps relieve the stress from public transport links and assist in creating a greener environment. 

2020 saw a significant investment of £2 billion from the government to help make it easier for bikes to get around. With plans to create pop-up bike lanes with protected space, wider pavements and safer junctions, this is hoped to encourage people to use a greener form of transport whilst also keeping you fit. 

Go For A Walk Or Jog In The Local Area

Walking in the local area is probably one of the most popular outdoor exercises that people are currently doing in lockdown. Although we’d love to be back in the office by now, working from home comes with its advantages. We can often get tied up with work in the office and eat our lunch whilst working at our desks, but it’s important when working from home to change up your scenery throughout the day to avoid cabin fever. Going for a walk around the local area at lunchtime is a great outdoor activity to take your mind off work for half an hour. Not only can it help to decrease your risk of illnesses and diseases, but it can also help increase the productivity of your day and elevate your mood

If you’d like to set yourself a challenge or hold yourself accountable to doing regular exercise, check out the free Active 10 or Couch to 5K apps, designed to support you on your fitness journey and keep you fit. 

Go Hiking 

If you’re lucky enough to live close to the moors or near the coast, have you ever thought about going hiking for your daily outdoor exercise? It’s a great place to relax with a huge expanse of land to explore with barely anybody else around (if you get away from the tourist areas). Much like walking, hiking not only can keep you fit, but it can also increase cognitive ability and improve the health of your brain function, whilst reducing anxiety and depression.

For more information on the benefits of hiking on your health, check out our recent blog post. In it, we take a look at how it can help to improve physical health while also supporting mental health. Whilst you’re there be sure to take a look at the brilliant selection of LOWA boots we have that are perfect for your hiking activities.  

Take Your Home Workouts Outside 

Whilst it may seem obvious, try taking your normal indoor home workout outside, whether this is in the garden or even in the park. This outdoor activity is perfect for those who find themselves in self-isolation and are looking for a way to be able to enjoy the outdoors in this cold weather without being able to leave the vicinity of your house and garden. 

Gardening  

You might be thinking why is gardening on a list of activities to keep you fit. Well...What may seem like a chilled enjoyable outdoor activity can actually be classed as a workout. In just 1 hour of exercise, you can burn up to 300 calories and spruce up your garden. From digging soil to weeding and carrying the watering can, gardening is an all-over workout. What’s best is that if you are growing vegetables you’ll even benefit in the long run when you can reap the success of your gardening workouts. 

All of these outdoor exercises and activities to keep you fit can be done both alone and with friends or family. However, it’s important to remember when taking up any form of these outdoor activities and exercises away from your house that you follow the Covid-19 government guidelines in place around your area.