Top 5 Outdoor Fitness Accessories for a Fun-Filled Summer
Whether you prefer running, cycling, or practicing yoga in the park, incorporating outdoor exercise into your routine can invigorate your mind and body. Engaging in outdoor workouts also gives you a change of scenery to motivate you this summer.
Aside from a new environment, you can enhance your workout sessions by adding essential fitness accessories. Aside from your trusty sweatbands and hand towel, exercise props can provide additional support, maximize your performance, and make your training sessions more enjoyable. Below are some things you can use to level up your workout experience this season.
Comfy and Stylish Outfit
Outdoor exercises will have you dripping in sweat, so it's essential that you wear comfortable workout attire. Clothes made from moisture-wicking fabric such as polyester, nylon, and spandex keep you cool and dry throughout your exercise session. Sportswear that uses these materials also allows you to move freely so you can engage in more intense workouts.
What's more, wearing appropriate workout clothes helps you avoid injuries. For instance, high-quality compression wear enhances circulation and properly delivers much-needed oxygen to your muscles. This improved blood flow and proper oxygen distribution results in less fatigue and soreness, faster recovery, and improved endurance and power.
An aesthetically pleasing exercise garment also boosts your confidence, further motivating you to achieve your fitness goals. That's because when you look good, you feel good too, which can influence self-esteem and performance.
So, whether it's elevating your sports experience with the perfect pickleball outfit or ensuring a comfortable swimming session with comfortable period swimwear, choosing the appropriate clothing for your outdoor activities will make a world of difference.
OutdoorVoices
Doing Things Thrive Bra
OutdoorVoices
TechSweat™ 5" Thrive Short
A Weighted Jump Rope
Jumping rope is one of the few exercises that will give you a satisfying full-body workout. From your calves and feet to your abdominals and arms, a few reps of this exercise will engage multiple muscle groups. However, if you want to take jumping rope up a notch, consider using weighted jump ropes during your outdoor sessions.
This fitness accessory has the same design as your regular jump rope, except its handles are heavier than usual. Such a feature increases the level of difficulty when you skip and requires more upper-body strength. That means using a weighted jump rope can help you build muscular strength while improving your footwork and coordination. It can also burn more calories and enhance your balance.
However, you must take caution when using this fitness tool. Since jumping rope is a high-impact workout, using a weighted jump rope can add more stress to the joints on your knees and ankles. It may also flare up recurring stress injuries such as carpal tunnel syndrome or tennis elbow due to the power exerted to use this accessory.
Weighted Jump Rope
Suspension and Resistance Bands
Suspension and resistance bands are versatile fitness tools that offer unique benefits for your workouts. Despite similarities in their designs, there are key differences in the usage and benefits of these fitness accessories.
A suspension band, also known as a suspension trainer or TRX band, involves anchoring the bands to a stable structure such as a door frame or tree branch. This accessory relies on your body weight and gravity to create resistance, so you can perform various exercises that target different muscle groups. Using suspension bands helps you improve core strength, stability, and overall functional fitness.
Meanwhile, a resistance band is an elastic prop that applies constant tension during your workout routine. This versatile workout tool targets specific muscle groups and can be used for various exercises, such as strength training, stretching, and rehabilitation. It comes in multiple resistance levels, usually color-coded to indicate their intensity.
Normally, resistance bands are more appropriate to use when exercising outdoors since you wear it on your body. However, there are now portable suspension bands that you can use for outdoor workout sessions. All you have to do is find a strong horizontal overhead anchor point that can hold your weight.
resistance bands
Wrist and Ankle Weights
Another fitness accessory that can add resistance to your outdoor workouts and intensify your sessions are wrist and ankle weights like the Bala Bangles Weights. These exercise props are particularly beneficial for strength training and targeting specific muscle groups.
For instance, you can wear ankle weights while doing squats, lunges, or leg lifts to strengthen your lower body muscles. If you want to engage your upper body muscles, you can use wrist weights when doing bicep curls, tricep extensions, or shoulder presses.
You can also improve your cardiovascular fitness by incorporating these versatile accessories in aerobic activities. Moreover, wrist and ankle weights can help improve overall strength, stability, and coordination as you train your functional movements.
Bala Bangles
A Yoga Strap
A yoga strap is an excellent way to improve flexibility and maintain appropriate posture throughout your outdoor yoga sessions. Unlike a resistance band, this accessory doesn't offer any resistance at all and instead serves as an extension of your arm to help you get in the right yoga position.
Using a yoga strap, especially lengthy ones like the Alo Extra Long Yoga Strap, opens opportunities to attempt advanced poses. This added arm length allows you to experiment and ease your way into these difficult positions as it guides you in understanding the motions and becoming familiar with the muscle groups used in advanced poses.
Another benefit of using a yoga strap is that it helps you determine if there are problem areas on your body. It helps in recognizing small movements and sensations that are important to many postures. This understanding then allows you to address these and correct these concerns immediately.
Yoga Strap
Final Thoughts
Don't forget to equip yourself with the best outdoor fitness equipment to push your exercises to new levels as you prepare ready for a fun and active summer.
Whether you are a fitness enthusiast, a newbie, or simply trying to mix up your routine, the accessories discussed in this article will undoubtedly enhance your next outdoor workout.
These tools offer versatility and benefits for every fitness level as they keep you comfortable, provide more challenge to your routines, and help you improve various functions and movements.
