Now summer’s upon us, it’s the perfect opportunity to seek alternative training environments!
But if you’ve never given much thought to the benefits of beach training – you should! Training outdoors, or “green training” as it’s sometimes called, boasts both short-term and long-term health benefits. It’s especially good for our mental health, boosting our self-esteem and mood.
Let’s take a look at the beach and benefits as a whole:
Vitamin D.
We all know the importance of vitamin D, but being indoors and slip-slop-slapping challenges our vitamin D absorption. So to boost vitamin D levels, exposing our skin to the sun for 10–15 minutes a day is essential. A Harvard study even suggests that vitamin D is so vital that it may be protective against everything from osteoporosis to cancer, depression, heart attacks and stroke.
Surface.
When we exercise on the beach, we’re forcing our bodies to work on an uneven surface and studies show that walking on sand requires as much as 2.7 times more energy expenditure than walking on a hard surface at the same speed. And running on sand requires 1.6 times the energy expenditure as running on a hard surface. So, what does that mean? Well, by working harder and utilising more energy, our total output is greater. If weight loss is your goal, this is great as we literally get more bang for our buck.
Environment.
What a view, right? Just being at the beach offers a sense of calm, and now, there is science to back this up. Our mental health improves simply by being outdoors near the seaside with studies evidencing a significant reduction in participants’ anxiety levels following bursts of green exercise.
Ocean swimming.
Taking a dip in the ocean exposes you an abundance of healthy minerals including sodium, chloride, sulphate, magnesium and calcium. This is why it’s especially useful for skin conditions such as psoriasis. Ocean swimming and exposure to this salty environment has also been linked to reduced symptoms of hayfever and sinusitis, as well as other respiratory symptoms.
So, next time you’re looking to mix up your workout, look no further than your local beach. It’s the perfect training environment… especially as the weather heats up!
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