Here’s How to Trick Yourself Into Liking Outdoor Exercise
And 13 items that will make it all SOOOOO much more bearable
by The Candidly Team
Running is daunting. Hiking is actual hell. Just the thought of anything that requires "gear" makes me want to crawl under a cooling comforter and sleep for 16 hours.
Add to that the elements of weather, lighting, getting our s**t together, or needing to drive anywhere, and working out outdoors becomes one of the easiest things to make excuses not to do.
And yet, we know from billions of studies just how good for our mental and physical health it is to exercise outside. Not to mention whenever we do manage to get our sloth-like selves to do it, we of course feel all the levels of amazing and enlivened that we feared we might be missing out on by limiting our “workouts” to those 16 squats we do while waiting for our toast to toast.
The point is, we knew we needed to go outdoors and move our bodies. So here's how we made ourselves do it …and, ok, we admit, also kiiiiind of like (errr love?) it now.
THE PREP:
So diving right into it, here are the "hacks" that helped us get started:
1. Pick a "pleasant" time of day.
Sounds dumb, but it can be genuinely helpful to consider how comfortable you feel in certain conditions and which work best for you. If your hands turn to icicles anytime the weather dips below 50, a stroll at sunrise is going to make you hate your life. Or, if the blaring sun makes you give up after 13 minutes of taking the slowest steps in history, a noon jog may not be your most fruitful activity.
Obviously, the goal isn’t to go unchallenged. And it’s not to say that at some point, you won’t wake up finding yourself transformed into a hardcore, rain-or-shine adrenaline chaser. But, your intro to outdoor workouts can be thought of a bit like a first date, where an ideal setting can help put you at ease.
Opt for a time of day you consider the prettiest. We all have that sweet-spot hour that puts us in a good mood all by itself, be it morning mist, broad daylight, or a sunset glow. Just pick one that works with your schedule (we know, what does?) then pounce.
2. Find your “happy place.”
Choose a location that makes you feel instantly uplifted/calm/thoughtful, even if it's just when you pass it in your car on your way to get iced coffee.
3. When possible, haul yourself to a GREEN space.
Green space has near magic powers when it comes to our health. Find a place with grass and trees and birds chirping - all of it. Your animal brain will love it, whether or not you want it to.
4. Consider company.
Bring someone you keep meaning to spend time with. Sometimes the guilt of bailing on a friend is all you ever needed to emerge into the full-blown REI-member you always knew you had inside.
Obviously, the exact opposite may be true when coordinating schedules just makes things more complicated. In that case, go solo. It’s really about what’s easier to follow through on for you personally.
5. Build your own glorious "outdoor workout kit."
We’re not talking about investing in a bunch of expensive QVC gadgets that are only good for turning your garage into a guilt-inducing graveyard for unused workout gear. But creating your own personalized “kit” full of very specific, incentivizing items can not only make your workout 200x easier, but it can make you 200x more excited to lure yourself out the door. This is because we're basically enormous children, and bribes work.
THE GEAR:
With all that said, here are the 13 glorious items that have made getting out the door miles and miles more joyful (and realistic) for us.
1. The Magic Leggings That Make You Want To Move
What: Beyond Yoga Spacedye Caught In The Midi High Waisted Legging
Why: Don’t make fun. Wearing something that's more fitted and supportive but still extremely breathable tends to make you want to move rather than lounge. And we naturally need those things to feel incredibly soft and stretchy and smoothing and not needing of adjustment. We’ve written tributes to these leggings, because in addition to being the butteriest, most supportive material in existence, they leave zero camel toe. Here, you can see how well they stack up to other leggings on our very own in-house, non-model model:
Left: Beyond Yoga Spacedye Caught In The Midi High Waisted Legging, Right: Another much less joy-sparking pair of leggings
Price: $97
2. The Most Buttery, Breathable Workout Top In Existence
What: Spacedye Slim Racerback Cropped Tank
Why: The same heavenly material as the leggings. An incredible amount of softness coupled with support that you can still blessedly breathe in.
Price: $68
3. The Stupidly Cute Water Bottle Holder
What: Calpak Water Bottle Holder
Why: Even with a handle, it can be annoying to lug your water bottle, especially when you wind up with other small, miscellaneous items spilling from your hands and pockets every 5th step. This bag is so easy, cute, and compact. And each print is better than the last.
Price: $48
4. The Cloud-like Sneakers That Leave You Feeling Like Air Itself
What: APL Women's TechLoom Pro
Why: This is a running shoe that takes comfort to an entirely new level. It boasts hidden depths of cushioning and carefully constructed support, neither of which leave you looking like you have a 10lbs orthopedic contraption tethered to each foot. Instead, you’re light as air with each energized step. Plus, it has a slightly wider toe-box, so your feet don’t get all cramped up and sad after a workout.
Price: $160
5. The Serious Sports Bra
What: Lulu Lemon Run Times Bra High Support, B–G Cups
Why: Can we just admit that most “sporty” sports bras eventually feel like we’re being squeezed by an anaconda? We need support, obviously, but we also need to breathe. This is precisely why we love this Lulu Lemon bra, which is made for running, so nothing will be bouncing around, but its flexible, breathable fabric molds to your body, so you still feel like your natural, non-suffocating self.
Price: $68
6. The Compact Belt Bag
What: Lulu Lemon Everywhere Belt Bag 1L
Why: As much as we’d love to fool ourselves into thinking we’ll be handsfree nature lovers, twirling on a hilltop like Maria von Trapp, more often than not, we spend our time outdoors awkwardly shifting our phone, keys, sunscreen, and water bottle between hands, dropping various items in the dirt along the way. And after about 15 minutes of this, we’re ready to head back to the car. There’s, of course, a simple and elegant solution to this. And it’s this bag. Which you can wear around your waist or shoulder.
Price: $38
7. The Perfect Water Bottle
What: Takeya Actives Insulated Stainless Steel Water Bottle with Spout Lid, 32 Ounce
Why: For the pure ease of sipping from a slender spout, not having to remove an entire lid, and never having to use a tiny scrub brush to wash a straw attachment, this water bottle tops our list.
Price: $40
8. The Outer Layer For Chilly Hours
What: Vuori Long Sleeve Halo Crew
Why: A tight, restrictive outer layer often leaves you sticky and sweaty and somehow simultaneously too hot and too cold. Which is why we love this lightweight crew, which is soft beyond reason, but is still completely moisture-wicking. We wear it on chillier workout days, but also everyday and all the time.
Price: $96
9. The Workout Shorts You Don't Loathe Leaving The House In
What: Girlfriend Collective Trail Short
Why: If you know us at all, you know we have a tumultuous relationship with shorts. But we have one very good reason for loving these lightweight, high-rise workout shorts more than any other. They have a built-in, stretchy running short underneath, so you'll never have to worry about giving passersby a show when bending over to tie your shoe.
Price: $55
10. The Essential Wireless Headphones
What: Powerbeats Pro True Wireless Bluetooth Earphones
Why: The most necessary thing a headphone designed for working out must be (besides unwaveringly comfortable) is secure. If they don’t stay put, they’re basically useless, and these glorious ones will not budge. Plus, they sound amazing. Obviously.
Price: $250
11. The Oversized Scrunchie
12. The Cap That Actually Accomodates Any Height Ponytail
What: Vimhue Sun Goddess Womens Hat
Why: After decades of giving ourselves a headache, squeezing a cap over our flattened ponies and bumpy top-knots, the creation of this cap feels like the stuff of genius. Honestly, how did it not exist until now?
Price: $32
13. The Sunblock That Looks (And Feels) Like Nothing
What: Supergoop! Unseen Sunscreen SPF 40
Why: We have never found a sunscreen more gloriously smooth and nothing-like than this one. Zero white case, no greasy finish, and it even works as a gorgeous primer under makeup for non-workout-related outings. For a full list of some of our favorite SPF products, go HERE.
Price: $48
At The Candidly, we try a lot of stuff so you don’t have to. We only recommend things we truly love, and that we think you’ll love, too. All products are chosen independently by our creative team, and all details reflect the price and availability of products at the time of publication. If you buy something we link to, The Candidly may earn a commission.
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