Indoor treadmills, stationary bicycles and elliptical machines offer weatherproof aerobic exercise, but machine training can be boring and repetitious. Outdoor aerobic activities add an element of play to your exercise routine, while providing you with an opportunity to breathe fresh air, get out into the sunshine and socialize with your friends. In fact, some of your favorite activities become aerobic exercise when performed at a brisk, steady pace for a minimum of 20 minutes.
Parcourse
The parcourse or outdoor fitness trail consists of a series of wood and metal exercise stations, situated along a hiking or jogging trail. The idea originated in Switzerland in 1968, and gained minor popularity in the U.S. Creating your own parcourse is easy, if you have access to a park or playground. Jog, run or walk the trail, and use the park benches for step-up exercises or standing push-ups. A hopscotch course in the playground adds agility training to the workout. If outdoor steps, especially stadium steps, are available, add some high intensity intervals by running up the stairs and walking back down. Place a jump rope in your waist pack, and intersperse rope-skipping intervals.
Winter Sports
The icy streets of winter pose a safety threat to joggers, but there's no need to to abandon your outdoor routine when the snow falls. Abandon the asphalt and sojourn to the snow-covered trails. A calorie chart on the MayoClinic.com website indicates that cross-country skiing burns between 511 and 763 calories an hour, and a chart on the "Walkabout Magazine" website shows that snowshoeing burns between 360 and 1030 calories per hour. Runners may want to consider the snowshoes that are specialized designed for running. Adding uphill intervals increases the aerobic intensity of both activities.
Geocaching
Geocaching is a high-tech treasure hunt. Participants use a global positioning system to track down a treasure, called a "cache." Information on the Geocaching website indicates that as of December 2010, there are 950,000 caches throughout the world, implying that this may be an effective way to stay fit on vacation. Participants receive the cache coordinates, some clues and an indication of the difficulty of the trails. Choosing caches hidden on hilly terrain increases the aerobic challenge, but competition is another option. Create two competing teams, and award prizes for the first team to collect the most caches.
Folk Dancing in the Park
Many public parks offer outdoor folk dancing during the warmer months, providing ideal outdoor exercise for seniors or anyone requiring modified aerobic activity. The results of an October 2009 study published in the "Journal of Aging and Physical Activity" indicate that dancing may improve aerobic and lower body muscular endurance in seniors. Folk, line and ballroom dancing were amongst the dance forms used for the study.
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