Inspiration
A Guide to Working Out in your Outdoor Living Space
Story Highlights
According to research, 90% of people experience increased energy by participating in outdoor activities. Additionally, while outdoors, the body works hard to balance CO2 levels and consume oxygen, both of which require more energy, leading to a higher calorie burn. By increasing your natural energy as well as the calorie burn, moving your workouts outdoors will increase their effectiveness and further improve your health.
Whether you're looking to start a regular at-home routine or simply looking to make up for a missed gym session, your outdoor living space provides the perfect setting for a workout.
Use open patio, deck, & Porch space for...
Yoga
One of yoga’s many beauties is that it can literally be done anywhere. Taking your yoga practice outdoors can transform a stagnant routine into a heightened experience. An outdoor practice has been shown to replenish depleted energy, heighten awareness and grounding, increase confidence, and further boost yoga's meditation benefits.
Use Your Railings for...
Barre Workouts
Barre is a form of physical exercise, that is distinguished from other group fitness activities by its use of the ballet barre and its incorporation of movements derived from ballet.
When used for fitness, the barre height is usually 36", the same as the standard railing. If you miss a class or you're looking to start an at-home routine, take your workout onto your patio, deck, or porch and use your railings as a substitute for the barre.
Use your steps for...you guessed it...
Step Aerobics
Whether you have a patio, deck, or porch, it is likely that you have at least a few steps that you can incorporate into your outdoor workout.
Step aerobics was introduced in the 1980s as part of the aerobics craze, and it's still popular in gyms and health clubs. These workouts have all the benefits of a high-intensity cardio workout without putting as much stress on your joints.
if you have more than a couple, consider...
Climbing Stairs
If your outdoor living space has more than a couple of stairs (preferably 10-12), consider a workout of running or climbing stairs.
Running or climbing stairs is one of the best exercises when it comes to pure fat burn, strengthening the lower body, toning the butt, thighs, calves, losing inches from love handles and belly, and building great abs. Along with these benefits is the immense good it does for your lungs and cardiovascular system.
Use sitting & Retaining Walls for...
Box, Bench & Chair Exercises
A box, bench, or chair can be a great way to add some variety to your workout routine and make basic bodyweight movements even more challenging without adding weights. Entire workouts have been built around using boxes and bench-only (or chair-only) exercises. All of these exercises transition well to outdoor livings spaces with retaining and sitting walls.
Sitting walls specifically work well for these exercises because their 18" height should perfectly replace benches and chairs.
Use your Pool for...
Water Resistance Exercise
Whether it's swimming laps or water aerobics, your pool should be part of your workout routine. Working out in a pool for 30 minutes gives you similar benefits to a two-hour, land-based workout.
This is the result of the resistance provided by water — the harder you push or pull through it, the more resistance you experience. Additionally, the upward force called “buoyancy” helps to take pressure off of the joints. This transforms normal movement into smoother actions, keeping it low impact.
If you're injured, working out in water is also known for its rehabilitation properties. Water rehabilitation therapy can speed up recovery, is nearly pain-free, and helps the injured move easier.
Utilize open spaces for
HIIT Workouts
High-intensity interval training, or HIIT, is performed by completing high-intensity exercises, to increase heart rate to a high level, followed by a period of rest.
One of the best parts about HIIT workouts is that many regimes are meant to be done "in place" and do not require a lot of space. These workouts are great for the overflow and flex portions of your patio or deck that do not contain any furniture.
Be sure to utilize the area
Under Your Deck
Unless fully finished or turned into storage, the area under a deck is often underutilized. If your deck is high enough, use the area under your deck as a workout area. Proper deck framing provides plenty of sturdy areas for mounting various forms of exercise equipment. Consider installing items like a pull-up bar, battle ropes, TRX bands, a speed bag, and/or a heavy bag.
Use your Outdoor TV for...
Workout Videos
Whether it's a YouTube class, Peloton session, or something from another app, cast your workout videos to your Outdoor Television. Once the furniture is moved out of the way, your patio or deck will provide plenty of space and the perfect setting for a workout!
And don't forget...
Yard Work is Exercise!
There’s something to be said for old-fashioned, outdoor manual labor. It makes you feel accomplished, connects you to nature, and comes with the bonus of burning a lot of calories. Instead of viewing yard work as a chore, shift your mindset to see it as part of a workout regime.
Yard work that includes raking, mowing, weeding, and sweeping provides quality cardiovascular workouts. Strengthening yard work, like lifting/moving heavy pots, chopping wood, mulching, digging, and shoveling snow, provides workouts that target and build every muscle group throughout your entire body.
If you're serious about burning more calories, stop hiring someone for this yearly chore! According to various research, one hour of mulching burns 350-600 calories!
Raking is a fantastic cardiovascular workout and helps to build/define your shoulder muscles. Raking leaves for one hour racks ups nearly 292 calories burned.
It's an annoying task that so many of us want to avoid. Instead of viewing it as a chore, think of weeding as an outdoor workout. Just 30 minutes of weeding can burn up to approximately 160 calories.
Whether you are planting trees and shrubs or preparing a vegetable garden, digging and shoveling is a great workout that can burn up 340 calories an hour. That's equal to half a Big Mac! If you want the whole thing, just dig for another hour.
Gas-powered hedge trimmers are for cheaters! Grab a pair of manual cutters and stimulate muscles in the forearms and shoulders. One hour of playing Edward Scissorhands will "lop off" approximately 235 calories.
If you want to get a workout (and look like a total badass), don’t buy prepared firewood—chop it yourself! Just 30 minutes of this lumber-jack workout will pump up the back, shoulders, and core while cutting your calorie surplus by 247.
Holiday Decorating Tips for your Patio or Deck
Holiday Decorating Tips for your Patio or Deck
Whether you're incorporating your outdoor living space into your holiday gatherings or you simply want to see something festive when you look out your back windows, our tips will help you to create a beautiful holiday scene on your patio, deck, or porch.