10 ways to get fit and healthy in London's parks

1. Research shows that being outdoors is great for your health and well-being - just stepping in to a park is proven to bring your heart rate and blood pressure down.
2. As little as five minutes exercising in a park, hiking on a nature trail or sitting out in your garden will benefit your mental health.
3. In the dark winter months, getting outdoors for a dose of vitamin D can boost your alertness and energy levels as well as strengthening your immune system.
4. Be a tourist in London – we live in such an amazing city and have some of the best parks in the world.  Go for walks and explore them.
5. You could complete the Capital Ring Walk, which offers you the chance to see some of London's finest scenery. Divided into 15, easy-to-walk sections, it covers 78 miles of open space, nature reserves, Royal Parks, Sites of Specific Scientific Interest and more.
6. One of the best things is; it’s free! Why pay to go to a stuffy, noisy gym when you could go to a park and workout for free?
7. Avenues of trees are great for starting interval training – try walking from one tree to the next, then jogging to the next one, walking to the next and so on… An easy way to raise heart rates, introduce cardiac exercise and get a bit fitter.
8. You’ll get a break from technology and your busy lifestyle so when you're outside you have a clearer, more focused mind-set.
9. All those beautiful trees that surround the parks lower temperatures and absorb those nasty UV rays.
10. We run loads of events, walks, talks and discovery days in London’s Royal Parks throughout the year, find out more and start planning your trip to the park today!