For almost half a year, Massachusetts has been endlessly dreary, wet, and cold. After this past weekend, it finally feels realistic to hope that the weather has finally turned from winter into a gorgeous spring.
The banks of the Charles River are once again full of students and tourists enjoying the beautiful scenery, and outdoor seating has returned to almost every bar around the Square. In the spirit of fixing our vitamin D deficiency and seasonal depression, now is the perfect time to return to joyful outdoor exercise.
Just being outdoors is a natural antidepressant, as sunlight increases the level of serotonin in our bodies. Specifically, when your retinas are exposed to sunlight, chemical signals are sent to your brain to produce more of this neurotransmitter, which is then diffused throughout the body.
Exercise is another catalyst for serotonin production, as it increases the presence of free tryptophan in the brain. Tryptophan is the chemical precursor of serotonin, so an increased supply makes it easier for the body to produce higher levels of this chemical. Exercising outdoors, therefore, creates the opportunity for two different sources of increased serotonin production, allowing you to reap more benefits.
Sunlight is a free and needed source of vitamin D. An estimated 42% of the U.S. population is vitamin deficient, and as little as five minutes a day in direct sunlight can help maintain healthy levels. When the Ultraviolet B rays from sunlight hit your skin, they provide the energy for vitamin D production by the cholesterol in skin cells. These UVB rays cannot be absorbed by sunlight that passes through windows, so the only way to maintain healthy levels is to spend time outside. With the temperatures warming up, it is the perfect time to swap your 12-3-30 on a MAC treadmill for a speedy walk along the Charles.
Want to take it one step further? Consider removing your shoes and feeling the grass between your toes to really get in touch with nature. While it may seem a bit strange, walking barefoot strengthens the muscles of your feet and calves to walk on uneven surfaces and decreases stress. Part of the fitness community even believes this type of exercise is the best way to reconnect with the physical activity that kept our ancient ancestors alive. Unlike walking on a treadmill, barefoot walking requires cognitive energy that cannot be found from setting the treadmill to 3 MPH and walking at a 12% incline. Whether you buy into this or not, who would have thought that touching grass could be a good thing beyond when you are deathly hungover?
For anyone new to working out, walking into a packed gym might lead you to spend 30 minutes on the treadmill just trying to figure out what equipment you have the confidence to use. Why not spend that time outside in a low-stakes group setting, getting all the benefits of the outdoors while socializing and moving your body? Enter Harvard On The Move.
Harvard On The Move is a University-wide program dedicated to getting everyone from students to faculty and staff outside for holistic exercise. They offer both walking and running groups three times a week, meeting at various locations throughout campus to begin their routes. This is the perfect opportunity for anyone who wants to get outdoors for their run and socialize. You may even run into professors like Daniel Lieberman ’86 and walk away with a burning desire to read his book, “Exercised: Why Something We Never Evolved to Do Is Healthy and Rewarding.”
Walking and running along the Charles River are the best forms of outdoor exercise at Harvard. Strolling along the banks, you are greeted by crew boats on the water, students soaking up the sunset on a picnic blanket, and fellow runners soaking up the beauty of nature. The winding path closely following along the river remains the perfect scenic route. After exclusively running laps around the Square, a jog on the river is truly unbeatable—to me, nothing compares to the loop between the MIT and Harvard bridges. In that spirit, throw on your tennis shoes and walk along the river; it might just surprise you with how much you love it.
Kate Oliver ’26 (koliver@college.harvard.edu) always finishes her river runs with a dining hall Diet Coke.