The great outdoors is your gym

The National Parks has teamed up with The Great Outdoor Gym Company and Olympic champion Sally Gunnell OBE to show how the great outdoors is as good as a gym.

Ahead of the bank holiday weekend, Sally Gunnell will spearhead the campaign #tgoismygym with a digital fitness programme accessible via smartphone that will help individuals turn their walks into workouts and their parks and gardens into gyms. The Great Outdoor Workouts with Sally Gunnell and National Parks launches today, Thursday 26th August, on The Great Outdoor Gym Company's digital platform, TGO-Activate.com.

The Great Outdoor Workouts with Sally Gunnell and the National Parks features:

4 x interval walking, hill climbs and jogging routines with bodyweight sequences to build muscle tone and strength
3 x TGO gym or local park workouts with off-kit alternatives for every gym activity
3 x home workouts to build movement breaks into your day
3 x bodyweight activity A to Z videos
3 x introductory videos to each section of the course
In-built progression through level 1, 2 and 3 workouts, to become fitter, healthier and happier
Motivation, wellbeing and mindfulness tips

This digital course can be accessed by smartphone with workouts tailored for our most accessible outdoor activity settings, including free-to-use National Parks, TGO outdoor gyms and green spaces nationwide. The course promotes the physical and mental health benefits of walking or jogging in beautiful National Parks across England, Scotland and Wales. Sally turns walks into workouts with 75+ bodyweight activities throughout the course, moves for all ages to build stamina, muscle strength and bone density over time. The course is designed to fit with time pressures in people’s lives too: participants can choose between 9-12 minute movement breaks to do at home; 13-21 minute workouts for their nearest park or TGO gym; and walking/ jogging routines that can be completed in 20-25 minutes or extended to several hours in their favourite green space. 33% of the profits will go back into the parks for biodiversity and tree planting.

Sally Gunnell OBE, said: “I’ve designed my Great Outdoor Workouts to encourage people of all ages to take positive steps towards improving health and wellbeing in the great outdoors. My activity has changed a lot since my competitive days on the world stage. Today, staying active is as much about my mental wellbeing as my physical health. Like all of us, I just want to feel good about myself and movement is one of my keys to a happy life. I want as many people as possible to make the most of free outdoor activity including in our beautiful National Parks and TGO gyms nationwide."

Naomi Conway, National Parks Partnerships Director, said: “Everyone can #BeMore outside. We want as many people as possible to discover the physical and mental benefits of nature connectedness. We are delighted to have The Great Outdoor Gym Company Activate and Sally Gunnell OBE launch the Great Outdoor Workout series in National Parks, to inspire people to get out into nature wherever they are and whenever they can.”

Kate Drake, Health and Wellbeing Officer for the South Downs National Park, said: “We were delighted to welcome Olympian Sally Gunnell to the South Downs National Park for her outdoor workout. With over 2,000 miles of rights of way and the internationally-renowned 100-mile South Downs Way, there are so many opportunities to walk, jog, run or cycle, breathing in fresh air and beautiful views. National Parks really are places to replenish the soul, both physically and mentally, and we hope Sally’s endeavours inspire more people to connect with the great outdoors for their health and wellbeing.”

Founder of The Great Outdoor Gym Company and sister company TGO Activate, Georgie Delaney MBE, said: “The great outdoors is accessible to everyone. Sally’s workouts help us all turn things like a hill or a TGO gym into a workout fit for an Olympian. Our ethos at The Great Outdoor Gym Company and TGO Activate is to make nature a stakeholder in everything we do, hence 33% of the profits in this course go back to the National Parks for tree planting. Our vision is one of a healthy people and healthy planet.”

Get Sally Gunnell's Great Outdoor Workouts here.