Compared to gym machines, exercise outdoors is more effective, more efficient, and immeasurably more fun. When we use gym machines that put us in a fixed position, like seated chest press or leg press, our functional patters are taken away. And functional movement patterns are essential to a healthy, athletic, and flexible body. In the real world, we use different forms of movement everyday: We squat, stand, and rotate when we lift bags of groceries into the car. We move up and down, side-to-side, and diagonally when we play with our kids or pets.

In the gym, we're mostly working in a linear motion where it is impossible to work multiple joints and muscles in all planes of motions. Because we live in a three dimensional world, our joints move in various planes of motion at once. Our exercise should do the same. Outdoor fitness activities move our bodies through an infinite number of constantly changing planes of motion, putting the movement back in. And studies have shown that exercising on uneven terrain pulls in three to five times more muscle fiber than on a treadmill or floor. So for the best results, toss the indoors out!

-Tina Vindum, Outdoor Fitness