Your Outdoor Activity Guide to Reconnect With Nature

Finally the days are getting warmer, the nights are getting shorter, flowers are blooming and birds are singing. It’s that magical time of year when, after months of hibernation, we finally feel the urge to get outside and make the most of what mother nature has to offer. And there’s no better way to connect with nature than by enjoying some fun, invigorating and challenging activities with your Urban Sports Club membership. So what are the benefits to working out in nature? And what fun activities can you try that are great for the environment too? Read on to find out! 

Ground Yourself in Nature with Yoga 

Are you a yoga enthusiast? We bet you love to visit your favorite studio regularly, especially with all those familiar faces and well-rehearsed sequences. But the ancient art of yoga teaches that it’s important to maintain constant change and development. So why not swap your studio for a sunny outdoor location? This will awaken all of your senses and change the way you practice. You’ll connect with nature, find inner peace in your new environment and experience your postures in a different way. Open up and feel the difference in perspective and a heightened awareness of your body and surroundings. Shine! Yoga in Cologne has the right idea. They understand that being in direct contact with the elements awakens your senses and helps your body connect with the mind. Their yoga studio has a rooftop, so you can breathe, flex and flow under the warmth of the sun with a light breeze in your hair. 

Similarly, Pop Up Yoga in Munich helps you feel grounded with the earth with their pop-up yoga classes in the beautiful green spaces of Munich. Their outdoor classes will awaken your senses, deepen your practice and give you an extra dose of Vitamin D so you can enjoy those endorphins for even longer than usual.

Shift Your Mindset

There’s no activity more challenging or sweat-inducing than HIIT or Bootcamp. If you love it too, we have a ton of outdoor functional fitness bootcamp partners for you to try. Many of these classes take place in parks and green spaces so you can get a daily dose of fresh air in the great outdoors. You’ll partner up or work in teams, a great way to stay motivated during the workout, and we bet you’ll make friends out of it too. Did you know that training outdoors shifts your mindset and helps you push your limits even further? Studies show that training outdoors lowers your blood pressure and heart-rate, which means exercise feels less strenuous resulting in improved overall performance. To try a range of activities outside, check out SHIFT. They offer outdoor bootcamps, yoga, running and cycling classes.

Or for a serious endorphin hit, try out CityBootcamp and their outdoor bootcamp classes in Leipzig and Dresden. Their 60-minute, intensive interval training sessions will help you smash your goals and make you feel at one with nature.

Get Into The Team Spirit

Are you a fan of team sports? We love the mutual support and motivation of playing in a team – it means you work at your peak performance! If your spirit needs lifting after a long winter, it’s high-time you try beach volleyball! This team sport is guaranteed to boost your mood and help you get closer to nature. Feel the sand beneath your feet and work up a sweat at beach volleyball partners across Germany, including BallsportARENA in Dresden and BeachMitte in Berlin. 

There are many benefits to regularly playing beach volleyball. Your hand-eye coordination will improve, your cardiovascular fitness will increase and, best of all, you’ll make a ton of new friends in time for summer!

Take Your Exercise to the Water

Do you love to be in water? Then go to your local (heated) outdoor pool and pursue your passion. Soak up some sun on a sun bed and cool down in the water afterwards! A water-based activity is a great way to switch up your fitness routine and connect with nature at the same time. Exercising in water has a myriad of physical and emotional benefits. It’s easy on the joints, so perfect for anyone recovering from an injury, and water keeps you cool which stops your body from overheating and improves blood circulation. Plus water has built-in resistance which makes your body work over-time and improves your overall fitness. There are tons of emotional benefits too. Studies show water has an instant calming effect on the psyche and improves memory, mood, concentration and cognitive function. Sounds like a win/win to us!

If you’re looking for something a little more extreme, try wakeboarding. It’s challenging to keep your balance on the board but after a little practice you’ll be speeding away across the water!

Or maybe you’d like something a little more chill – we have a ton of spots where you can try Stand-Up Paddling. Just rent a board, grab a paddle and away you go. This is a sport that anyone can do with just a few minutes practice, so pick up your best friend and glide together over lakes, rivers and canals.

Or hire a canoe or kayak – that way you’ll throw in an arm and back workout.

Urban Sports Club has a range of water-based partners and activities for you to try, ranging from SUP & Wakeboard at Wasserski Bleibtreusee wake&ski in Cologne to the outdoor sports pool Bäderland in Hamburg. So this spring you can SUP, wakeboard, swim laps, canoe, kayak and relax in the sun afterwards.

Reach New Heights

Climbing is fast becoming one of Europe’s most popular sports and a fantastic way to get to know the natural landscape and enjoy the great outdoors. Many climbers in Germany say they spend the winter practicing indoors to prepare for big outdoor excursions every summer. 

So to build up your muscles and prepare for a summer climbing adventure, we recommend trying one of our fantastic climb partners in Germany. Kletterhalle NO LIMIT in Leipzig is well known for their versatile range of climbing routes suitable for every level, while Südbloc in Berlin is conveniently located and has one of the most vibrant communities in the city. And make sure to ask the team if they have any group outdoor climbing trips planned. Climbing in nature is one of the most rewarding and exhilarating activities out there, and you can get fit, make friends and discover a different side to the country at the same time.

Bond With Friends In Nature

We’re all feeling a lot more social now the sun is shining, so it’s a great time to get back in touch with old buddies. Golf is a great way to reconnect with old friends and get outside in the fresh air. When it comes to golf, the game is only half the fun – the other half is catching up and chatting between hits. You can try golf at many Urban Sports Club partners across Germany, including Golfclub Herzogenaurach near Nuremberg. 

Tennis is also a great way to spend time with loved ones, work up a sweat and get out in the sunshine. Try it out with Tennis Hirschau or Tennisanlage Olympiapark in Munich.

Give Something Back To Nature

It’s nice to give something back once in a while, and sustainable and eco-friendly activities are a great way to do this (and get fit at the same time). A class at Green Yoga Berlin won’t just be great for your body, but is great for the planet too! They donate 5% of all their profits to a plantation project in the south of India.

STORM Boutique Fitness regularly teams up with charities and organizations for sustainable initiatives like planting four trees every time someone attends a class. Köln Bäder publish annual sustainability reports for people to keep track of the steps they’re taking to limit their impact on the environment. 

It’s easy to get motivated when the sun is shining, so we hope these activities inspire you to reconnect with nature and push your limits in the great outdoors. If you’re still in the process of kick-starting your sports routine, our blog post “How to establish a sustainable, long-term sports routine” will help get you started. And if you’re in the spring-cleaning mood, read “How to detox the right way” to get your body and mind in shape for a summer of outdoor fitness.