I am fortunate to work in a gym that is a very short walk to the South Mountain Reservation, a 2,100 acre preserve of woods, trails, rocks, rivers and animals. It's a place I love to go to with my dog for hikes and contemplation.

It's also a playground.

On beautiful days, I'll take my clients outside, running along trails, sprinting up hills, and using rocks and logs as benches and hurdles. It's a great way to spend a session.

Today was one of the days. As I was out on the trail with my clients, it occurred to me just how very fortunate I am. I happen to really enjoy what I do. I truly like my clients. I get to share with them the magic of what happens when you step outside and walk into the fresh air of the woods. It's not a bad way to make a living.

The woods provide us with a perfect antidote to Modern Body Syndrome. When we get up and move, we are using our bodies in the way they were meant to be used. When we get the opportunity to spend some time moving in the outdoors, we not only provide our physical body -- the skeleton, the muscles -- with exercise and training necessary for it to stay strong and sturdy throughout our life, but we also provide our spirit with exercise. Fresh air, the sounds of birds, the drop in temperature when you walk out of the direct sunlight and under the protection of the trees -- all of this is exercise for our inner self.

Nature provides us with the perfect gym.

Exercise Outside