In the excerpt from the third paragraph “Although the mountain hiking turned out to have been, objectively, the most strenuous of the workouts, int...

In the excerpt from the third paragraph “Although the mountain hiking turned out to have been, objectively, the most strenuous of the workouts, interestingly, almost all the participants reported that the outdoor effort had felt less strenuous to them than their time on the treadmill. And their mood scores were much higher after the outdoor hike than the treadmill workout. On the other hand, the long walk in the gym had left them almost uniformly happier and more relaxed than after sitting and using a computer or chatting for several hours. These results could have particular resonance for people who have tried brief, intense workouts and disliked them. But, of course, this study looked only at a single instance of each workout: it did not follow people to see if they would voluntarily keep walking or measure the extent to which the prolonged hikes affected their health and fitness.

The study showed that:
- Mountain hiking was the most strenuous workout.
- Participants felt less tired after the outdoor hike than after the treadmill workout.
- Participants' mood scores were higher after the outdoor hike than the treadmill workout.
- The long walk in the gym left participants happier and more relaxed than after sitting and using a computer or chatting for several hours.
- These results could have particular resonance for people who have tried brief, intense workouts and disliked them.
- The study looked only at a single instance of each workout.