Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Master Class
Outdoor workouts are powerful in ways that indoor exercise just isn’t.
As we roll into the fairest weather months for this part of the country, I’m reminded of the incredible outdoor exercise experiences I’ve had over the years. Getting outdoors takes a little effort, but it presents a fantastic opportunity to benefit from more than a mere workout.
Two weeks ago, I traveled to Seattle for a business trip. I knew I’d only be there two days, not long enough to adjust to the time change, but I remembered how much I have enjoyed Seattle’s outdoor spaces. After settling into our hotel rooms just a few hundred yards from Elliott Bay, colleagues and I walked down to Pike Place Market for a little sightseeing. We met other friends for coffee (of course, we were in Seattle) and then took a ferry ride around the bay.
Rain is common there, but luckily, we were blessed with a sun-soaked afternoon on the water.
Because I come from the Central time zone and Seattle uses another, wrong, time zone, I rose early the next morning at 4:30 and laced up my workout shoes. But it was 4:30. A little sheepishly, I texted my colleagues with an invitation to join me later, and we met in the lobby around 6.
We set out toward Myrtle Edwards Park, a waterfront public space with walking trails, biking trails and amazing outdoor sculptures.
With the sun coming up over the city, we spent the next hour walking and jogging along Elliott Bay Trail. We saw no fewer than 100 other exercisers along the way, all happy as larks to be enjoying the combination of their endorphin release, the sunrise and the comfortable, 60-degree temperature.
After a nice breakfast, we began preparing for our business meeting. It was a success, and I had a great feeling that we would win the contract we’d come for before we even left the room.
Later that afternoon, I realized that our meeting preparation had been influenced positively by our outdoor workout.
The technical workout was nothing more than a 2or 3-mile walk/jog. We could have done that on the hotel treadmills. But the setting made a difference. We took the extra effort to immerse ourselves in the outdoors, and we were rewarded with not only a great memory but a new business partner.
Outdoor workouts are powerful.
This week’s exercise is a speed-training format that works perfectly for an outdoor training session. The 3-2-1 Run is a cool way to train one’s body to perform at different intensities depending on the terrain that’s being traversed.
1. Grab a stopwatch and head outdoors.
2. Start the stopwatch and jog lightly for three minutes.
3. Once you reach the 3-minute mark pick up the pace for two minutes to a moderate run (likely somewhere between 4.5 and 7.5 mph for most).
4. As the stopwatch approaches the five-minute mark, go into a full sprint for 30 seconds.
5. Drop back into a jog and repeat the same 3-2-1 intervals a few more times.
I want the takeaway from this week’s column to be less about exercise physiology or how great things are in Seattle and more about experiencing each day we are given. Physical activity is one way that we can enhance that experience, and when we take it outdoors, the combination could provide a positive memory that lasts a lifetime.
Enjoy the incredible outdoor landscapes of Arkansas.