How can outdoor fitness improve your mental health?

It’s an incredible thing to look back on how far we’ve come in our understanding of our mental health and the role in which exercise can play in reducing the chances of mental illness and alleviating its effects. One thing we’re really starting to understand is the additional benefits of working out in the great outdoors and as part of a group.

A number of studies conducted over the past few years have shown a real correlation between these forms of working out and improvements in stress levels, emotional health and mental health. Which begs the question, why isn’t more being done by health clubs and gyms to promote and develop these highly effective forms of exercise?

Take this recent study by The American Osteopathic Association for example – showing that participants in group exercise reported 12.6% better mental health, 26% better emotional health, and a 26.2% reduction in perceived stress levels in comparison to their solo-exercising counterparts.

One further study conducted in 2011, alongside the European Centre for the Environment and Human Health, found that outdoor exercise was associated with greater decreases in tension, confusion, anger and depression when compared to indoor activity. The results really do speak for themselves.

Our founder and CEO, Dave, has always been passionate about the benefits of the above, and upon discovering a real lack of services available to those looking for a more structured approach to outdoor group workouts, he took it upon himself to create the world’s first marketplace specifically for the outdoor fitness space.

For the everyday user, Bua Fit will offer new and exciting ways of working out, connecting you with some of the best fitness trainers in the most unique surroundings in your area. Whether you’re looking for a more social workout experience or you’re just tired of exercising in the same location day in day out, signing up to Bua Fit is the first step toward breathing new life into that workout regime.

For the trainers among you, Bua Fit will provide an unparalleled sense of freedom, offering a portal to a growing user base of outgoing, enthusiastic potential clients in the local area. The app will allow you to host sessions where you want to, when you want to and at a price set by you. A recent white paper published by our friends over at EMD UK highlighted a real lack of growth in the salaries of fitness instructors over the past 10 years! Something has to change, and we hope that by signing up to Bua Fit trainers can really utilise their value, scale their business and put the power back in the hands of those that work tirelessly toward getting consumers healthy, happy and fit.