When the Olympic Games were first started in Ancient Greece the competitors will have been much different from modern humans in many ways. One such way is that they won’t have spent years solely training for the competition, locked away in a gym, drinking protein shakes and using intricate equipment to improve performance.
Instead a lot of their strength, fitness and health will have been gained through a natural diet and regular day-to-day activities.
For anyone put off by gyms, expensive fitness equipment and hardcore gym routines, why not take a leaf out of the Ancient Greeks’ book and try a more natural and fun way to stay healthy?
There are so many different ways to keep fit and healthy, which are often overlooked because of certain stereotypes of society.
For instance, a common misconception of being ‘fit’ is that you need to be signed up at an expensive gym or employ a personal trainer to design a complex training regiment and detailed diet full of macronutrient numbers and specific amounts of calories. This can be quite overwhelming for the average person and in turn put them off the whole idea.
Not everybody wants to look like a bodybuilder or fitness model, or enjoys that kind of training. So it’s important to find something which you really enjoy doing, as this will make you stick with it and do it more often.
There are many really simple and fun activities, which you can do to stay in decent shape, and are not conventionally thought of as ‘exercising’ per se. So you would be working out without even knowing it!
Explore Nature
A big disadvantage of working out in a gym is that it involves even more time spent indoors, surrounded by screens. For many who work 40 hours a week while sitting indoors in front of a computer this can feel like a continuation of work with little added benefit. Keeping fit should be fun though, and there are countless outdoor activities that make it so.
Hiking in woodlands or the countryside is free and the intensity can be ramped up or lowered depending on your needs.
Find different sorts of terrains to really challenge yourself and see what you are made of.
It could be turned into a weekend activity with friends and family, by going a step further and camping. Just make sure to have the appropriate equipment beforehand, which can be found at outlets like E-Outdoor.co.uk
Take Your Dog
Everything is better with a friend, so why not take man’s best friend along when you exercise? And if you don’t have a dog there are plenty of kennels that will allow you to volunteer to take one out. Going running, fell walking or even making up a game involving a ball and a lot of running kills two birds with one stone by exercising you and your dog. Unlike some others in the gym your dog is unlikely to dish out judging glances and when they are full of energy, you can’t help but be motivated and feel energised as well.
Get On Your Bike
Cycling also allows you to exercise outdoors for relatively little (just the bike and safety gear are required).
Include a cycle trail on your weekend away or just discover exciting routes to follow that start from your own home. Cycling provides a great workout, from improving cardio to really building leg muscles.
Bikes for dogs don’t yet exist but if you have children it can be a great family activity for a few hours, a whole day or entire weekend. It beats peddling away on a static bike in the gym, watching another repeat of pointless any day!
