Physical exercise is even more likely to produce peak experiences when it takes place outdoors. For people with indoor jobs, getting outside into nature to exercise is especially pleasurable. It is a magical moment, for example, when people are biking at the same speed as a tailwind, and thus feeling no air resistance. Most of their senses are pleasantly stimulated as they:
- Look at the sun shining through the morning dew drops that seem to be as bright as diamonds.
- Listen to the sounds of birds and crickets.
- Feel the wind and sunshine on their bodies.
- Smell the blossoming flowers in the spring, the burning leaves in the fall, and the pine trees during the entire year.
It is easy to feel close to nature’s creator when people exercise outside and see rainbows, sunrises, sunsets, and color changes of the leaves in autumn. The great Greek Philosopher, Aristotle, once wrote,“In all things of nature, there is something of the marvelous.”
When exercisers walk, jog, or bike outside, they should take some precautions. They should:
- Avoid high crime areas.
- Carry pepper spray and avoid locations where they might be menaced by dogs.
- Wear reflective clothing and carry a flashlight, if they walk at night on roads.
- Have reflectors and lights on their bikes, if they do any biking at night.
- Avoid neighborhoods that have neighborhood watch signs, if the neighborhood residents do not know them.
- Get clearance from their doctors.
- Start slowly with short exercise sessions.
- Work up to walking, jogging, or biking for at least 20 minutes a day.
Walking is an exercise that most people can do, including the very old or very young. Walking is certainly more pleasant outside than on a treadmill inside of the house. While doing that, many people feel like gerbils on an exercise wheel.
In the past, many great men have recognized the value of walking. Christ and his followers often talked as they walked together. Thomas Jefferson said, “Walking is the best possible exercise. Habituate yourself to walk very far.” President Harry Truman liked to walk often, and President John Kennedy challenged us to take long walks.
These great men understood the value of walking. Why not give it and other forms of outdoor aerobic exercise a try?