Embrace the Cold at London’s Best Outdoor Workouts

When the weather begins to cool down, we tend to retire the workouts we’ve long enjoyed undertaking in nature, opting instead for the indoor equivalent. Park runs become treadmill slogs while lidos lose out to heated pools. Other activities halt altogether. But active pursuits that embrace the great outdoors needn’t be an exclusively summer sport, and Londoners are particularly blessed with year-round offerings.

It’s not just a perception of stoicism to be gained from training outside post-October. Cold weather workouts come with benefits including anything from increased weight loss as the body burns more calories to stay warm, to cardiovascular gains from the heart working harder to pump blood around the body. More important still is the ability to counteract Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) and its effects on energy, self-esteem, anxiety and food cravings.

So, before you succumb to a winter spent training inside, consider the pursuits that won’t be closing their doors for any draft. Here are five outdoor workouts in London worth braving the cold for.