Investing in your health doesn’t just mean increasing the amount you exercise and focusing
on your diet. It’s important to prioritise your mental health, as well, and getting out and about
in the great outdoors is one of the best ways to go about this. Even better, you can
incorporate exercise at the same time, killing two birds with one stone very effectively!
Exploring the countryside on your doorstep and beyond provides you with endless
opportunities for mindfulness, a practice that has been found to yield all sorts of positive results, everything from feeling calmer to improving attention and concentration, greater self-
awareness, greater resilience, more confidence, greater self-esteem, stress reduction, better
emotional regulation and lots more.
One of the best mindful activities you can engage in while getting lots of fresh air is listening
to birdsong, with studies showing that doing so can help reduce symptoms of depression,
anxiety and paranoia.
Mindfulness aside, being out in the fresh air ensures that you get lots of lovely natural light,
keeping your vitamin D levels well stocked, as well as supporting your natural circadian
rhythm, improving focus and productivity, and reducing the health risks associated with
artificial light.
Here in Birmingham and the Black Country, there are countless places to explore and
endless opportunities to get outside. On your doorstep, you’ll find Cannon Hill Park (which
hosts a weekly parkrun event), Lickey Hills Country Park, the Grand Union Canal hiking trail,
the Malvern Hills, the Tolkien Trail, Sutton Park... the list goes on.
There’s also no reason why personal training and the great outdoors can’t be combined and
The Mito Movement offers PT sessions in a range of locations in the local area. Get in touch
to find out more.
