Much more before there were the classic gymnasiums, the
Hellenic predecessors of the actual facilities, the way how the people kept fit
was outdoor. If it’s true the Greek Classic Culture was the one that printed a lot those activities through its art, there is
evidence that every ancient world’s culture had training sessions mainly
addressed to war exercises, all them made in the open.
As the time
has been going on, the conception of the physical training has been getting
close into the gymnasiums as we know them more than 3000 years ago, and only
some specific activities have been left to work out outdoor, especially the
ones referred to adapt to the natural landscape, as adventure sports. However,
the effort to look for a major contact with Nature is motivating the people to
depend less on indoor and to rediscover
the advantages of doing it not depending on the limitations of four
walls and a roof.
As the
environmental quality is guaranteed, one of these main benefits is to oxygenate
with pure or mostly pure air. Another of those advantages is improving the mood
much more evident compared to indoor only provided the landscape is cared or if
it still conserves itsinitial natural setup. That’s why many outdoor training
activists, our partner Ronald Benites among them, have demanded the authorities
to have more green spaces inside the cities and to conserve the areas as the
forests, beaches, wetlands, or any space where the human action has created few
or none impact.
Over this
basis, the outdoor training activity chances are wide, from calisthenics to
major physical exigency sports. You choose the one you like a lot
because whatever will come OK, the issue is you put in activity, so we have you
some very useful tips for it.
1. Check Out
The Weather Conditions
There’s no
more disappointment than to schedule a day for beginning your training sessions
and a heavy rain just starts to fall. It’s not about the heaven sending you any
kind of message, it’s about you forgot to check out the weather conditions for
the zone where you’re going to work out. Then, the solution is such simple as
paying attention to the forecast on your favorite TV or radio station, or
newspaper. Also remember today there are services offering you a high level of
accuracy those allow to know the weather forecast and check it out real-time,
that you can have it as an app on your smartphone, even.
2. Protect From Solar Radiation
Even in
cloudy days, remember that having long time outdoor means to be exposed to
B-type ultraviolet rays (UVB), unlike their A-type brothers (UVA), those can
cause skin burning or cancer, or cataracts in the eyes (we will see which
protection on the next point). Then, use a sunscreen that allow you to isolate
them while you are out there. Remember the medical consensus is to use that
with a 40-to-up sun protection factor (SPF). However, ask your reliable doctor
or dermatologist about wwhich one is the
most adequate for your skin type. Also remember the sweat removes the
sunscreen, so it’s necessary you to retouch it as suggested, one to two hours
in general.
3. Choose The Right Outfit
One thing
is working out indoor, where you can work out even naked, but another very
different is doing it outdoor where you have to face different elements as
solar rays, the wind, the temperature, the humidity, and inclusive the insects.
Lookfor and wear the clothes that
guarantee you two things at the same time: protection before those elements, and
flexibility for doing your movement in a free and natural way. Also choose the
sportshoes those allow you to anchor very well
to the soil (or whatever you have to get your feet on), and that results
easy to handle. If you work out during the daylight, wear a hat or a cap
according to the circumstance and protect your eyes with special sunglasses those filter UVB
rays, those don’t go flying at the first abrupt movement. Get advice with your trainer, in a serious sport store,
and with other people those also work out outdoor.
[READ ALSO: Mask For The Muscle]
4. Never
Forget The Medical Kit
If we
didn’t advice it before is because we suppose your gym has an accessible one,
but when you’re not in a facility of that type, or you’re totally alone at
worst, and you have an eventuality as a contusion or any kind of accident, who
and how helps you? That’s why it’s worthy to invest in a kit containing band
aids, alcohol in gel, iodium, cotton, gauze, sticking plaster, some cream
against bites, and even your sunscreen. It’s a good idea your kit box to have a
card wit your name and your phone
numbers in emergency case - nobody never knows. Oh, and never it’s useless to
know about first aid.
5. Have A Specialized
Monitor
As much as
the difficulty and the risk of the physical activity you do is major, the ideal
would be it has the supervision and the guidance of a person who is paying you
attention constantly, who knows how to act if any type of eventuality happens.
If you work out in group, it would be fine that one of you to be someone having
most experience for becoming that monitor. Remember that one thing is the gym,
where you are just a couple of feet away, but another very different is out
there where you could be inclusive a couple of hours away. So listen carefully to your monitor, follow
up the recommendations literally. The idea is you to come back to work out, not
you to go just once and being forced not to come back for a long time or not
coming back never again.
6. Hydrate
Yes, it’s
obvious, but it’s necessary to remind it for the same reason than the previous
tips. If you are at the gym, you only got to go to the water dispenser or buy a
bottle with water, but out there, especially if you are far from the city, the
better is you go well-supplied with enough water for hydrating before, during,
and especially after your training
session. The same thing if you are accostumed to drink re-hydratant beverages,
those only you have to consume after your training session for replacing salt
and carbohydrates, not before. Find out more related information here.
7. Leave Clean
The Space
It doesn’t
matter if you’re the only person who
works out there, and much more reason if it’s about a collective space, avoid
to leave trash although that’s not yours, especially if that could harm someone
else. Working out outdoor implies a big commitment with the environment, so the
hygiene would be a logical and consistent attitude. In consequence, not
polluting (anyway) and educating the others through your example not for doing
it will be another of your
responsibilities.
8. Create A
Community
Although
someone will prefer to isolate physically from the rest for a better training,
our suggestion is you to try connecting other people like you doing certain
outdoor sport or discipline around your region, your country or the world for
interchanging experiences, warning for any cause, or even seeing the chance to
visit each other for sharing the experience by promoting a kind of sport
tourism. The social media are currently the means for commiting that task
effectively and efficiently. Use them responsibly.
9. Share Your
Experience
If you are
who think your relatives, friends or contacts deserve to share the same
satisfaction you get when you work out outdoor, try to write something and post
it on your social media where you tell how you had, describe the place, and
motivate the people to go with you or by themselves. If you want, share your
experience with our crew on our Twitter account, by writing us at chulucanasgym@gmail.com, or leaving some message right below. We’ll enjoy to read you!
The photos on this post were provided (from the top to below) by César Campos, Ronald Benites, Pedro Changanaquí, and Félix Oviedo.
