While the benefits of working out in a gym are plentiful, indoor exercise sometimes leads you down the road to a place called boredom and burnout. When this happens, there's a simple solution: Reverse direction and take it outside!

Participation in outdoor sports can breathe new life into your fitness program. You'll work different muscle groups while enjoying the fresh outdoor air. Instead of waiting online for gym equipment, you can jump right to your game. Sport participation will improve your coordination, balance, agility and reaction times. Since all sports are weight bearing activities, they help maintain the bone density necessary to prevent osteoporosis. Many sports offer the opportunity to improve hand/eye coordination.{relatedarticles}

As if this was not enough, outdoor sports help your body absorb vitamin D, which is crucial for strong bones and healthy skin cells. While vitamin D is available in many food sources, just think: Your body can actually get the amount in needs with a small amount of sun exposure. It's a no-calorie solution.

Let's explore the exercise benefits of specific sports.

Tennis

The famous Dr. Ralph Paffenbarger study surveyed 10,000 people over a period of 20 years. The researchers found that people who participated in three hours of tennis a week cut their risk of death in half from any cause.

Studies performed at the Southern Connecticut State University found that tennis players scored higher in vigor, optimism and self-esteem, but lower in depression, anger, anxiety and tension than other athletes.{relatedarticles}

Additionally, a 155-pound person can burn up to 563 calories an hour during a tennis game. While this is great news for aerobic enthusiasts, tennis also provides anaerobic training. The short, quick bursts of energy required of the game train your muscles to use oxygen efficiently. The rotary movements required of tennis players are a great way to tone your obliques.

Golf

A 150-pound person can burn up to 300 calories during a game of golf, provided that they carry their own clubs. In fact, one of the many great things about golf is that it combines the fitness benefits of sport with the fitness benefits of walking. According to the Northern Ohio Golf Association, when a golfer walks across a course, it is equivalent to walking for three to four miles.

Additionally, some studies indicate that playing a round of golf has similar fitness benefits to a full 45-minute fitness class. Another study, performed by cardiologist Dr. Edward A. Palank's, indicated that walking golfers reduced their levels of bad cholesterol while keeping their good cholesterol in check.{relatedarticles}

Like tennis, the rotary movements of golf provide an excellent toning system for the waistline, while sidestepping the boredom associated with endless crunches. It can also help tone muscles in the arms, back and shoulders.

Winter Sports

If you become a winter sport enthusiast, when the temperatures drop, your spirits will soar. Winter sport participation is the perfect solution to winter weight gain. Cold weather requires you to expend more energy to keep warm. This translates into burning extra calories. Additionally, the extra weight of your clothing and gear forces you to work harder, thereby burning even more calories.

For calorie burning, cross-country skiing and snow-shoeing are the winners. Both of these activities burn over 500 calories an hour. You can burn extra calories by actively using your poles. An hour of ice skating burns about 425 calories. Intensify the leg workout by skating backwards. While downhill skiing burns only 324 calories an hour, you can burn more calories on a mogul field. Aside from calories burned, winter sports improve dynamic balance and coordination.{relatedarticles}

In summary, to paraphrase Dr. Seuss: You're off to great places. Today is your day. The outdoors is calling. Now go out and play!