This is what outdoor sports do for the body and the psyche – SWR Aktuell

As soon as the first spring-like sun peeks out from between the clouds, people are drawn out in droves: jogging, on racing bikes or mountain bikes, with hiking boots on their feet, across country, through the forests and fields and along the rivers in Rhineland-Palatinate. But do sports and outdoor exercise also have a proven benefit for the body and mind?

How does the body benefit?

Anyone who does sports outside or “only” moves outdoors experiences variety: the temperature compared to indoors, the lighting conditions, different floor coverings, different stimuli for the eyes, ears and nose. All of this trains the body, the brain and the immune system, says Wolfgang Schöllhorn. He heads the department for training and movement science at the Institute for Sports Science at the University of Mainz.

On the one hand, exposing yourself to wind and weather outside strengthens the immune system – “if you don’t limit yourself to nice-weather activities,” says Schöllhorn. If you get caught in the rain, you should get out of your wet clothes quickly when you get home, otherwise your body can overcool.

From feet to brain

On the other hand, it is generally the variety of outdoor exercise that strengthens the human body and keeps it healthy, explains the training scientist: Uneven forest paths, gravel paths and stones train the foot muscles and address foot reflex zones. The balance is trained and the many stimuli address brain areas that activate the immune system. The research also sees a connection between varied exercise and the production of proteins that help form nerve cells in the body, explains Schöllhorn.

Exposing oneself to these changes and different stimuli is simply part of human nature, says Schöllhorn: “Our anatomy is designed for change.” Not walking on tar in padded shoes and sitting in the same chairs over and over again. Outside, on every corner there is the opportunity to exercise in a variety of ways, “or you simply walk backwards or climb the stairs sideways,” Schöllhorn continues.

More power, healthier body

When you train in the fresh air, you can increase your own performance. Fresh air contains more oxygen, which allows the body to perform better, says Schöllhorn.

The body also produces vitamin D in the skin through exposure to the sun. This is essential for a healthy bone structure and prevents numerous diseases, explains Reiner Theis from the Institute for Sports Science at the University of Koblenz.

The limits of outdoor sports

However, outdoor sports, with limited equipment and weight options, also have their limits, says fitness trainer Tommi Thiel: Anyone who does rehabilitation sports, for example, is better off in a fitness studio, he says. The devices make it safer to train.

On the other hand, if you want to build massive muscles, you will soon notice that training outside, without heavy weights and equipment, will make little or no progress. Here, too, the gym is the better choice for this training goal, says Thiel, in order to stay motivated in the long term.

How does the psyche benefit?

Already by green colors alone, says Schöllhorn from the University of Mainz: The colors of nature alone contribute to health and well-being. This does not always require a trip to the forest, a park or a green riverbank are enough. The environmental stimuli also have a positive effect on the brain via the ears. “But you should run without music on the headphones,” says Schöllhorn. This variety of stimuli not only activates the brain areas for the immune system, but also the production of dopamine, which is often called the happiness hormone.

Sunlight is another factor in well-being and mental health. “Especially after the winter,” says sports scientist Theis. “After the winter blues or the seasonal depression, the sun stimulates messenger substances for happiness hormones” – in addition to the advantages for the body such as strengthening the bone structure. “But it’s important to really expose your skin to the sun, at least on your hands and face.” Because the sun can only unfold its effect on people through the skin.

Unlike in the gym, where space and equipment are limited, it’s also easy to train with friends or in an organized group. According to coach Thiel, training outside, in wind and weather, has a great advantage – especially in a group: “It welds you together and you form a community that sticks together.” This provides motivation and – if the weaker self is strong – possibly the drive to keep at it and go to training.

Covid, flu, cold – what do I have to consider?

In spring, the infection season is only just behind us, after carnival and the like, many are still recovering from an illness or have just gotten over it. Sports physician Perikles Simon from the University of Mainz advises not to put the body under full strain again until you have had no fever for seven days and no symptoms for five days. If you start again too early after a viral infection with high stress, you may risk inflammation of the heart muscle (myocarditis). Such a situation could put you out of action for several months. At worst, myocarditis can be fatal.

And what do I do if I have a pollen allergy?

Sports scientist Theis says that if you have very strong allergy symptoms when pollen counts, you might be better advised to go to the gym, at least temporarily. Otherwise, a cloth over the mouth and nose can help.

If the plants that cause hay fever are known, they should be avoided if possible. Anyone who is allergic to willow pollen “perhaps doesn’t jog by the river where the willows bloom,” says Theis.