By Susannah McCauley

Soon we will all see the return of warm weather, blue skies, and budding tulips. What better way to enjoy the energizing return to spring than taking your workout outside? Even if you are a member of the best gym, working out outside once a week or more can vary your routine, keep you interested in exercising, and work different muscles throughout your body.

One outdoor exercise that nearly everyone can do is walking. Walking (and jogging) is an excellent choice because it requires nothing more than a good pair of athletic shoes (and a sports bra for women!). You don’t need to purchase any extra equipment or find storage space, and you most likely don’t even need to drive anywhere special.

Another wonderful benefit to walking is that it is an extremely customizable form of exercise. Beginners can start slowly with short distances and gradually add on mileage. Alternatively, you can vary the course to create a more difficult routine, such as adding elevation or intervals of increased intensity. Adding intense spurts into your cardio routine, or “interval training,” has been proven to increase weight loss.

The first step is to find a designated area for walkers, runners, and bicyclers, such as a sidewalk, walkway or route without too much traffic. You can locate state parks in your area on the internet quite easily. The National Park Service’s webpage, http://www.nps.gov/, allows you to search by state, park name, or location to find national parks in their registry. Your government state webpage will most likely have a section dedicated to local parks. Hikers, runners, and walkers adore the peacefulness and serenity they find amongst the greenery of trees and the primitiveness of dirt paths; many enjoy their time as an escape from the rush and stress of modern living. Although you may not be lucky enough to live close enough to a park for everyday use, they are great options for weekend workouts.

You can even bring your weight lifting routine outdoors. If you are running or walking, consider incorporating short stops to do exercises. Sit-ups, push-ups, and other exercises that don’t require equipment can allow you to get a complete workout without setting foot indoors. There are many exercises to choose from that use the resistance of your own body weight in place of dumbbells or machines. Squats, for example, tone almost every inch of your legs, focusing on your hips, buttocks, and thighs. To do the perfect squat, it is important to go slowly, so that your body weight acts as the form of resistance, and follow these steps:

1. Start with your legs hip-width apart with your knees, hips, and feet in a straight line.
2. Contract your abdominal muscles, as if you are pulling them in towards your back.
3. Slowly lower your hips as if there is a chair behind you, going as low as you can. Your knees should be behind your toes and your heels, rather than your toes, should be bearing the weight.
4. Hold this squat position for a few seconds before slowly lifting yourself to the starting position. When your legs are back in a straight line, standing, do not lock your knees; keep them slightly bent. Repeat.

Resistance bands, which look like giant, thin rubber bands, can also be packed into a water bottle holder or even tucked into your shorts for strength training exercises on your walk or jog. Resistance bands weigh virtually nothing, but open the door to a plethora of resistance exercises for your arms, legs, and core muscles. For more great outdoor fitness exercise routines, visit BalanceD, an interactive diet and fitness website where you can customize your own workouts and even view how-to videos.

If walking and running don’t appeal to you, consider borrowing or renting a pair of inline skates or a bicycle for a test run to see if you like it before plunking down the money for your own set of wheels. Inline skating is fabulous for toning interior and exterior leg muscles, calves, buttocks, and even the muscles around your waist. Both inline skating and bicycling can get your heart rate up very quickly, like running, without punishing your hips, knees, and ankles. If you’re new to inline skating, take the first few times to slowly practice stopping, starting and maintaining your speed. You will be amazed at how fast you can go while skating, so it is smart to purchase elbow and knee pads, as well as a helmet. A helmet is also very important for bicycling, as you will most likely be close to cars even if you are in a bike lane or on a sidewalk.

The return of spring is energizing and will encourage you to get in shape for those skimpy summer outfits. Thankfully, the outdoors presents a myriad of opportunities to vary your routine and complement the workouts you do at the gym. Enjoying nature while exercising not only adds to your body’s healthiness, but also encourages a balanced, upbeat attitude!

Discover how Nature can also revitalize your diet with our article Are Organic Foods Healthier?