When it comes down to it, good old Mother Nature has provided us with an unlimited canvas of fun and natural ways to fulfill our daily exercise requirements. The best part is that it's free to exercise outdoors! The fresh air and beauty of Mother Nature makes exercising much more fun, attainable, and enjoyable compared to working out in the stale indoor air. There are several outdoor elements to take advantage of in order to obtain a great exercise session, and there is never a required gym membership or fee.

Let's start with the obvious outdoor location; your back or front yard. This is one of the best options to choose for working out when time constraints are a concern. There's no travel time, no wasted gas, and no traffic to deal with. It's the perfect option for individuals who also work from home! In addition, it's also much safer to work out at home, especially if you have closed-off fences and locking gates.

Your back/front yard may have trees, steps or stairs, a fence, grass, or concrete. Trees can be utilized for pull-ups, standing push ups, or as a stabilizer to wrap workout bands around. If you have steps or stairs, you can achieve some great cardio exercise done by running up and down each step (or doubling up), doing lunges, and also performing slanted push-ups. The grass is great for sit-ups, as well as other ab exercises. Sprints are a great exercise to perform in a large grassy area, and jumping rope works great on concrete surfaces. Each of these exercises can be modified for an obese person. You can stand vertically against any wall and do mock push-ups. Your body weight will make up for the fact that you can't do a regular push up on the ground.

Another favorite outdoor area to exercise at is the park. Mothers all over the country are getting in their required daily exercise thanks to neighboring parks and recreation areas/centers. You can do everything at the park that you can do in your own yard, with the extra addition of having a playground nearby for your little ones to entertain themselves on while you're keeping an eye on them and getting fit at the same time. The park makes exercising fun for the whole family, and the fresh air is great for the lungs. The first time I went to the park to exercise, I remember being pumped and ready to go at first until I realized that I had to wear workout clothes in front of strangers. This terrified me in itself. You don't have to wear work out clothes if you don't feel comfortable in them around other people! Just put on a pair of comfortable shorts or pants, a lose shirt, and a sturdy pair of tennis shoes and off you go!

The beach is also a great spot to exercise at. The water, sand, and pier structures can add an element of a tropical vacation to your day if you bring along a picnic lunch & blankets to sit on. You can swim in the ocean, or run on the shoreline through the water while flying kites. You can sprint through the softer yet challenging grainy sand to tighten up those calve muscles. Walking, playing Frisbee, volleyball, or playing horseshoes in the sand also make for great cardiovascular exercise. Walking, jogging, and sprinting on the pier are also fun and easy alternatives to the sand. Paddle boarding has become a newer fascination with beach goers, and some beaches even have paddle board or surf board rentals by the hour. What ever you choose, the beach is a great place to incorporate both exercise and fun into your day.

Hiking/backpacking is a fantastic and beautiful outdoor exercise experience. Before attempting your first hike, please research your local mountain range and read books on proper hiking/backpacking gear. Hiking can be a lot of fun, but it can also be dangerous if one is not fully educated or prepared beforehand. Proper nutrition, hydration, mountain range location/help, first aid, outdoor elements, snake bites, clothing, shoes, and hiking gear are essentials to learn about before hiking. Never hike alone, and better yet, make a family day out of it! Just because you are obese or overweight does not mean that you can't enjoy a hike with your family or friends. Do some research, find some low elevation trails, and just put one foot in front of the other. 20 steps total in the right direction is better than no steps at all sitting on the couch!

No matter your weight, once you begin to notice and utilize your outdoor surroundings as your perfect exercise playground, you'll never have to go far to get the fitness that your body requires daily. Make it fun, keep it safe, and try new things. Best of all, save your hard earned money and utilize what Mother Nature has already provided for you to complete your exercise tasks. You'll get just as good of a workout, if not better, than paying for an expensive indoor gym membership. You can't go wrong with the beauty of the outdoors to get you through your exercise goals.