Over the past 20 years life has developed in a way that brings us indoors most of the time. Many of us spend the majority of our time inside.
Modern lifestyles are designed for comfort and safety – if your home has internal access garaging, your office has parking inside the building, and your supermarket is inside the mall, then it’s easy to avoid any exposure to the elements.
On the North Shore, we’re very fortunate to have access to many beautiful outdoor areas. The World Health Organization has identified access to green urban spaces as a significant tool to reduce the risk of type two diabetes and improve cardiovascular and mental health. The light, air and atmosphere outdoors benefit your physical, cognitive and emotional wellness. Certain natural environments are more powerful than others due to negative ions. Negative ions are molecules floating in the air that have been charged with electricity. They exist wherever water collides, so the beach is a great place to be.
Exposure to the outdoors is necessary to get your dose of the “sunshine vitamin”. Vitamin D is important for blood, bones and your immune system. Your body needs sunlight to make vitamin D but it doesn’t need much. When the sun is shining intensely, it’s recommended to get outside either early morning or late afternoon, keeping an eye on the UV index. When the weather’s a little cooler you can go at any time. It’s ideal if you’re moving outside, rather than just sitting, so that you’re warm enough to expose more of your skin to the sun. For vitamin D synthesis, exposure must be to direct sunlight as UVB does not pass through glass.
With all the benefits of exercising outdoors it’s no surprise that many people prefer to do their cardiovascular exercise outside, at least for some of the year. Walking, running, biking, sports and water activities are great for body and soul. It’s important to support these activities with weight training to strengthen muscles and ligaments. Every cardio activity has its own unique repetitive movement pattern, and if you put your body through a fixed pattern often enough with enough impact, you can create imbalances. This can cause vulnerability to injury, particularly as you age.
Everyone is different, but for most people an effective exercise regime will involve the outdoors, and will have a balance of cardiovascular, strength and flexibility training.
If you’re looking for a new outdoor exercise option this summer, then come join our outdoor classes on Sunday mornings outside the Takapuna Beach Café. Check out our timetable for details of this week’s class: lesmills.co.nz/timetable?club=06#Classes
We’re so fortunate to live on the Shore with its wonderful beaches and leisure activities. People pay good money to holiday in a place like this, and we live here. Les Mills Takapuna wishes you and your family a safe, happy and healthy summer. We look forward to seeing you by the water.
