4 Tips for Staying Safe while Exercising Outdoors
Exercising outside has plenty of perks. No gym membership fees, nobody hogging your treadmill, fresh air to enjoy, and the beautiful outdoors everywhere you look.
While you’re exercising outside, play it safe with these four tips to make sure that your workout’s as safe as it is invigorating.
1. Stay hydrated. Some of us sweat a lot; some of us sweat a little. But the truth is that any form of sweating depletes your body of fluids. If you’re going on a long bike ride, take a water bottle along. If you’re simply going on a quick run, your body can probably wait until you get back home for a tall glass of water, but don’t wait too long. If you get dehydrated far away from home, you may feel faint and dizzy and have difficulty getting back. Don’t stray too far from the beaten path, and hydrate yourself before you work out.
2. Check the weather before you set out. Before you undertake a 25-mile bike ride or a 3-hour hike, make sure no severe weather is headed your direction. You don’t want to be stuck beneath a lightning storm, rainstorm, or something worse, so check your area’s forecast for the foreseeable future. You can make it especially easy on yourself by purchasing a weather alert radio like our FRX3.
Image credit: dianamaweddings.com.
3. Don’t over-crank the tunes. Music makes exercise more tolerable for many people, but don’t turn up your playlists so loudly that you can’t hear nearby traffic or potential mishaps. You want to stay alert and aware, and you definitely don’t want other exercisers trying to pass you and causing a spill! Keep the headphones to a reasonable level, and constantly scan your surroundings as you make your trek.
4. Take along the essentials. Inside of a running pack, backpack (if appropriate for your form of exercise), fanny pack, or armband, always carry a photo ID. You should also take a whistle and wear a reflective vest if you’re outdoors at night or in the early evening. If you’re the kind of exerciser whose exercise permits you to take along a cell phone, we also recommend encasing your phone in the Mobius, a solar-paneled iPhone case, so that you’re never without smartphone power regardless of where the trail takes you.
Do you have additional must-have safety items in your outdoor-exercise checklist? Share your advice with us, and stay safe on the trail, the road, or the park.
