Every time I set out to go to a park, a mountain top, hiking trail, etc. to take a leisurely stroll for some down time and relaxation, I always seem to fail miserably!! It happens a lot on my lunch break. I just want to break away and hear something besides office chatter, look at something in the distance instead of my PC screen, maybe read a book and just unwind.

However, my mind is like a set of constantly firing pistons with each sight of every stair case, bench, or hill I see. Everything in my mind processes into turning something into a workout!! I have to fight and resist the urge! Eventually the book gets put down and the next thing you know I’m doing hill sprints, bench dips, jump squats, and high knees across the Arkington lawn downtown!

Bottled up anxiousness from a stressful day or anxiety can fuel a pretty brutal lunch training session. Throw the energy from sun into this mix and you are on fire!!

I love excercising outdoors! It’s a great little mid day escape to help push you through the last couple of work day blahs!

I encourage you to find one day this week to do something outside and see the benefits of sunshine and fresh air. If you are one of the lucky ones that can go to a park and sit on a bench while reading a book DO IT!! Soak up some of God’s nature songs and feel the warmth of the sunshine.  If you wanna run sprints, do burpees, do that too!

Break up your gym routine or coffee hour and take it outdoors!

According to a study published in Environmental Science & Technology, outdoor exercise is linked to “greater feelings of revitalization and positive engagement, decreases in tension, confusion, anger and depression, and increased energy.”

For those with desk jobs and 40-hour weeks, getting outside provides a mental reset. You may set out to tone your body, but you’re getting much more.

“The mental benefits of hiking will enhance the experience and can definitely have a tremendous benefit on your psyche when you come back — back home, or back to the office,”- Anthony Wall