Trip N Me Helps You Fight the Good Fight for Fitness 02 Nov 2020 – Posted in: Blogs
The pull of your favourite couch is more powerful than any magnet out there. Your hands reach for that bag of chips, working by their own will. The bluish glare of your screen illuminates your face, as you scroll past hundreds of Netflix shows to get to your favourite one. By your side, lying as carelessly as a crumpled up old bill, is your second distraction: your mobile phone. Can you relate to this scenario? Are you struggling to get your fitness to another level? Are you constantly losing the battle of your mind? Let this blog post be the push that you need.
Trip N Me recently launched its own range of products that promote the fitness lifestyle. Why? Because we believe in the power of outdoors. The average working person is straying dangerously far from the healthy, outdoor lifestyle. Only a fraction of people sincerely keeps their weekends and spare time open for travel and hikes and outings.
“I am a gym freak, my friend”
Good for you! You have won over that first obstacle of an unwilling mind. But you’re not quite hitting the nail on its head, you see. Sure, you will take excellent care of your physical health in the gym. Now take a step back and analyse your lifestyle. You jump back and forth from the four walls of your office or your classes, to the four walls of your gym. Where is the open-air quotient in your life? When was the last time you spent more than an hour blanketed by the lush green of trees?
You can very well take your gym-intensive lifestyle to the outdoors. Go run in a park instead of on the treadmill. Do your pull-ups on the calisthenics bars installed at the nearest fitness ground (if you really look, you’ll find one quite near). Maybe dial it down on your rest day and enjoy a soothing stroll down your favourite street.
Still not sure you want to switch up your lifestyle? Let’s look at cold hard science.
The scientific benefits of an active outdoors lifestyle
Positive Hormonal Changes
You probably already know this but your lifestyle and choices are very subtly controlled by tiny electrical impulses in your brain that then determine which of the handful of hormones to release more or less. Research says spending more time on the outdoors releases endorphins, popularly dubbed as the ‘feel-good’ hormone. Bonus points if you are in a more nature-dense parts of town.
Your oxygen intake increases. Your brain cells jumpstart into action, having been in dire need of some recharging for quite a while. The cortisol levels (the villain hormone) in your body drop down, causing all your stress to melt away. The parts of your body which hold tension relax, making you feel lighter and more energetic. Do it often enough, and you will actually add more years to your life. And who doesn’t want that?
A shift in perspective
Trekkers know this well enough. If you’ve never been mountain-climbing before, add it immediately to your bucket list. When you look at things from high up on a mountain, things seem tiny. The same is true of your problems and stresses. Climb enough mountains or hills and you will start looking at the negatives in your life from an eagle-eye perspective.
Maybe you are more of a water-body person. We know some people who are! They prefer lakes and beaches to hikes and dirt-ridden mountain trails. Fine by us! Just go walk along the edges of a nearby lake. Your life, full of turmoil and change, will have a shocking contrast to the majestic stillness of a lake. Inevitably, you will notice this contrast and be motivated to make some changes to your worrisome schedules.
The power of habit
Your brain is silly. It likes it when you make it easier for it to do things. If you wake up every morning at the same time and your first activity is to drink a glass of water, this means less work for your brain. It can pretty much do that activity on auto-pilot, freeing up its capacity for better, bigger things. The same goes for your exercise routine. If you train yourself to go for a run at the same time, wearing the same sporty outfits that you love, you ingrain a vital habit that your body and mind will align to. This means less resistance, less laziness, more activity, better fitness.
The good thing? The outdoor world is 24X7 free for you to use. Where your gym may have timings, or crowds waiting for that particular bench press machine, a street is open for all, any time.
Do it for a long enough period of time, and it’ll be a habit that will turn out to be more valuable than any material asset you may acquire.
Some great outdoor exercises you can inculcate in your fitness routine
- Walks – Long walks burn calories, can be enjoyable with a pair of earphones and a comfy Tee, and can be meditative too if you are so inclined. Barring the monsoon season, you can set off on a long walk anytime, anywhere.
- Sprints – You can do lots of mix and match with your runs to get the maximum cardiovascular benefits. You can decide to opt for HIIT, short bursts of fast speed running, or steady marathon training. It all depends on your goal. Go to a park with a track nearby rather than a cross-city run to boost your physical, mental, and emotional state all at once.
- Hiking – If you have easy access to a hill or a mountain, there’s nothing like it. The elevation will do your heart loads of good. The attention needed to navigate tricky crevices or slippery patches will increase your overall focus.
- Cycling – A great form of cardio. You can cover more ground on a cycle, and target specific parts of your legs that even a 100KG squat won’t target.
- Yoga – The fitness space is changing. Yoga stopped being an old person’s morning hobby. Science is clearly spelling out the benefits of Yoga. With yoga, you can stay in great shape, elevate your mood, and improve your emotional and mental health as well.
Do all of these, do some of these, but do these activities! The couch is not your friend. Discipline and fitness are. Hope to run into you on an adventure somewhere soon.