Is it better to exercise indoors or outdoors?

It doesn't really matter whether you choose to exercise indoors or outdoors, as long as you actually make an effort to exercise. The benefits of exercise don't disappear simply because you decide to run inside your house, on a treadmill, rather than running outside, and so it is worth maintaining your fitness in whichever way is most convenient to you. If you are unable to leave your house for some reason, at least it is still possible to get a good workout and know that you are doing your health and fitness the world of good.


Some people find it hard to motivate themselves to exercise indoors because it can become rather boring. If you set up the turbo trainer in the kitchen you are going to end up incredibly sweaty and most probably bored out of your mind, especially when you compare riding your bike indoors to being able to explore the great outdoors. It is possible to relieve the boredom somewhat, though, if you decide to listen to some music or watch a DVD. It also helps if you have a specific training regime, so that you may only ride for an hour, but you maximise what you get out of that ride. Thus, interval training can be an excellent way of increasing your endurance and giving you something to focus on.


If you prefer running rather than cycling, and own a treadmill, you will also find that it helps to run for a purpose, rather than simply plodding along, especially if you are hoping to improve your fitness and limit the boredom you are going to suffer. Again, listening to music and watching DVDs can prove to be a welcome distraction.


Most people, given the option, would prefer to exercise outdoors because it is easier to stay motivated to exercise. Running or cycling outdoors means you have a wide variety of routes to choose from. The route you decide to take may be influenced by your fitness aims, so that if you want to improve your ability to climb hills on your bike you may opt for hillier routes, for instance.


It isn't always possible to exercise outdoors, though, especially as winter brings with it atrocious weather that makes it difficult to want to go outside into the cold in the first place, as well as making exercise outdoors more dangerous. You may prefer exercising outdoors, but you don't want to hurt yourself by slipping on some ice, and thus putting yourself out of action for a considerable length of time.


There are other reasons why it may be difficult for you to exercise outdoors, such as if you have children who need supervising, while time constraints can also make it more convenient to exercise indoors. Some individuals loathe exercise, and find it embarrassing to be seen working outdoors due to their poor fitness, but decide that any form of exercise is better than none, which is clearly the case. Indeed, it doesn't matter whether you exercise indoors or outdoors, so long as you put in the effort to at least break a sweat.