Which Is Better Cardio Inside or Outside?
Posted on June 6, 2009
Filed Under fitness | Comments Off
One question I get asked all the time is whether running outdoors is better than running indoors. It’s true that a treadmill is great for running inside on chilly days, but is it more beneficial to your body than running out in the sunshine? The answer to this is actually pretty interesting.
The difference between running outside and staying inside to jog on your treadmill isn’t that extreme and comes down mostly to personal preference. Keeping that in mind, it is important to note that there are a few benefits to running outdoors as opposed to the treadmill, especially is you are running to lose weight.
- Running in Nature Can Help Your Balance – with all of the uneven landscape you may encounter while running outside, your body is going to learn to make small, micro-muscle adjustments to keep you moving. You may be running through the woods or through the snow. Running through rough terrain helps to train the tiny muscles in your body that are in charge of keeping you upright.The other benefit of this uneven terrain is that you are generally going to burn more calories as you adjust your intensity to your environment.
- Fresh Air – it may seem cheesy to say, but a great thing about running outside is that you get a change of scenery and get some fresh air. Is it a life changing thing? No, but it is a nice added benefit. Running outdoors means that you can take a break and get away from the technology of the modern world for a while.
- You’ll Get More Vitamin D – when you run outside, you’re exposing yourself to the sun, which means you’re getting a nice healthy dose of vitamin D which can help prevent cancer and cardiovascular disease. A healthy dose of sunlight has also been shown to reduce depression and generally make you feel happier.
I’m sure some of you may be resisting the idea of leaving your treadmill behind to go out in the heat or the cold.I know I love being able to point my treadmill at the TV and run while watching Oprah, but there is something so much better about being in nature and not couped up in the house running on the same strip of rolling rubber. I know no one wants to get outside when the weather is extreme, which is why I usually recommend having a treadmill for the rainy or cold mornings, but running outdoors when you can will take your overall fitness to a level you’ve never been before.
If you’d like more info about running for fat loss, I recommend checking out the running to lose weight resource at Home Fitness Challenge.
