A little sunshine can do a lot for your sleep, mood and recovery.
Grab a friend (furry or otherwise!) and hit the park for a walk, light jog or anything else you fancy.
Why We Go Outside
Improve Sleep Quality. When you spend time in bright sunlight, your body sees this as a signal to release certain hormones associated with sleeping well (bright light exposure lowers cortisol and aids in the production of melatonin). Sleep is where your body makes all its repairs and creates new muscle, so you want the best quality sleep you can get.
Boost Your Mood. Remember that mention of lowering cortisol above? You may have heard this word before as it is often referred to as the “stress hormone”. High levels of cortisol can keep your body in a constant state of fight-or-flight. So lowering cortisol is a good thing 😊
Get Your Vitamins. Muscles are not the only things getting strong when you work out. Your bones do too! Vitamin D is one nutrient we can make ourselves through sunlight exposure, but vitamin D deficiency is very common. You can thank long days spent working indoors for that. Spending just 20 minutes out in the sun (by doing your activity outdoors) is enough to dose up on this vitamin.
Browse through the Help Centre for plenty of workout videos and ideas to do out in the sun! You can start by clicking here for a 25 minute bodyweight workout which can be done anywhere. This needs limited space and you can do it anywhere you find a spot to yourself - on the terrace, in the park or in your driveway!
(Photo by Jenn Evelyn-Ann on Unsplash)