COVID-19 had a multi-dimensional impact on global health. The social distancing measures implemented in most developed countries created significant disruptions to our lives and daily routines. Along with homeschooling and working from home, gym closures produced a noticeable shift in our physical activity and exercise behaviour. Unfortunately, this change led to a huge spike in physical inactivity and sedentary behaviours.
Prior to 2020, trends within the fitness industry were largely influenced by effective marketing campaigns, new technology, and new exercise modalities such as CrossFit and spinning classes. The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the fitness industry, with outdoor exercise, home gyms, and online fitness apps taking top positions in global exercise trends. This global shift in exercise behaviour provided an opportunity to study the effectiveness of previously less popular exercise formats.
Admittedly, I have a bias towards outdoor green exercise, and with that in mind, let’s look at outdoor vs indoor exercise during the pandemic! It is well documented that, compared to indoor exercise, outdoor exercise offers superior benefits for mental and physical wellbeing. The big question is: was this positive effect still present within the ‘pressure-cooker’ environment of the COVID-19 pandemic? The answer is YES!
A study out of Canada (see sources list) showed that more people reported good to excellent mental and general health after engaging in regular outdoor exercise, compared to those who exercised indoors at the height of the pandemic. Additionally, that same study measured reported levels of mental/general health alongside screen time. The study found (unsurprisingly) that individuals with reduced screen time reported better mental and general health than those with higher screen time. In today’s world, screen time goes hand in hand with sedentary behaviour, further amplifying its negative impact on our health.
If you take the time to read through my other blogs, you’ll notice a pattern. I will continue to repeat the same basic message: unplug and exercise in an outdoor green space. At the very least, aim for one green exercise session per week.
To be clear, indoor gyms are a good thing, they literally save lives. However, if you spend most of your time in front of a screen or indoors under artificial light, moving from one artificial environment (work) to another (gym) can reduce the positive impact of your daily exercise session.
To wrap this up, the outdoor vs indoor exercise studies I mentioned earlier were conducted during a daunting, stressful, and uncertain period. Thankfully, we now have a wealth of robust research showing the positive effects of physical activity, particularly green exercise on mental health. No matter what the future holds, we can take control of our own wellbeing by regularly exercising in nature
Matt Adey MSc, GMBPsS, Dip PT.
Sources:
Exercise and screen time during the COVID-19 pandemic by Rachel C. Colley, Tracey Bushnik, and Kellie Langlois
A study of exercise environment and its effect on changes in mood: indoors vs outdoors by Colin Fannon
Physical activity, mental health and well-being of adults during initial COVID-19 containment strategies: A multi-country cross-sectional analysis
Worldwide Survey of Fitness Trends for 2022 by Walter R. Thompson, Ph.D., FACSM
