Training outside is one of the best things you can do for your body and your head — fresh air, free, no gym. But ticks and mosquitoes can turn a great session into an itchy, worried mess, and ticks in particular carry real health risks. The good news: a handful of simple, evidence-based habits let you train outdoors with barely a second thought. Here’s how to protect yourself without giving up your outdoor workouts.
Why it’s worth a few precautions
Let’s keep this honest and calm. Mosquitoes are mostly a nuisance — itchy bites that break your focus mid-set. Ticks are the one to take seriously: they can transmit Lyme disease (borreliosis) and, in certain regions, tick-borne encephalitis (TBE/FSME). This isn’t a reason to train indoors — the benefits of outdoor exercise far outweigh the small, manageable risk. It’s simply a reason to take a few easy precautions so you can enjoy being outside.
1. Dress smart — your first line of defence
If you’re heading into tall grass, brush or woodland edges, cover up: long sleeves, long trousers, and closed shoes. Tucking your trouser legs into your socks forces any tick to climb up the outside of your clothing, where you can spot it — and light-coloured clothing makes ticks much easier to see (RKI). For an open, mown park or lawn the risk is much lower, so shorts are usually fine there. Match your kit to your terrain.
2. Use a repellent that actually works
On exposed skin, use a proven repellent. Look for icaridin (picaridin), DEET, IR3535 or oil of lemon eucalyptus — these are effective against both ticks and mosquitoes, and reapply as the label says, because the protection is time-limited (CDC). For serious tick country, you can treat your clothing and shoes (not skin) with 0.5% permethrin, which keeps working through several washes. Repellent on skin plus treated clothing is the strongest combination.
Prefer to avoid the chemicals? You have good options. The most effective plant-based repellent is oil of lemon eucalyptus (OLE / PMD) — well studied and effective against both ticks and mosquitoes, though it needs reapplying more often than synthetic products and isn’t recommended for young children. Other essential oils like citronella, geraniol or clove smell pleasant but wear off fast, so treat them as light, short-term help. Honestly, your most powerful chemical-free protection is behavioural: cover up in tall grass, wear light colours, stick to open ground and always do a tick check afterwards — none of that needs any product at all.
3. Pick your spot and your timing
Ticks wait in tall grass, undergrowth and the edges of woods — so do your bodyweight session on a mown lawn, a gravel area or an open path rather than in the long grass. Mosquitoes are worst around dawn and dusk and near standing water, so a mid-morning or afternoon workout away from ponds means far fewer bites. A quick routine like our 5-minute morning workout works perfectly on an open patch of grass.
Train outside, worry less.
GreenReps guides you through short bodyweight workouts — from 10 to 60 minutes, whatever your day allows. No gym, no equipment. Just press start.
4. Check yourself afterwards
This is the step people skip — and it’s the most important one for ticks. After an outdoor session in nature, scan your body, paying attention to warm, soft spots: behind the knees, the groin, armpits, waistband and hairline. Shower soon after, and if you tumble-dry your workout clothes on high heat for about ten minutes, it kills any ticks hitching a ride (CDC). If you find a tick, remove it promptly: grip it with fine tweezers close to the skin and pull straight out, then disinfect. The sooner it’s out, the lower the risk.
5. In risk areas, consider the TBE vaccination
If you regularly train outdoors in a tick-borne encephalitis (TBE/FSME) risk area — which includes large parts of southern Germany and other parts of Europe — health authorities recommend the TBE vaccination for people who are exposed to ticks (RKI). There’s no vaccine against Lyme disease, which is exactly why the clothing, repellent and tick-check habits above matter. Ask your doctor whether the TBE vaccination makes sense for where you live and train.
In short
- Don’t skip the outdoors — just take a few simple precautions.
- Cover up and wear light colours in tall grass and woodland; shorts are fine on open lawns.
- Use an icaridin/DEET repellent on skin, and permethrin on clothing for serious tick country.
- Prefer chemical-free? Oil of lemon eucalyptus plus clothing and tick checks do the job.
- Train on mown, open ground, away from standing water and dawn/dusk mosquitoes.
- Always do a tick check afterwards; consider the TBE vaccine in risk areas.
Protected and ready to move? Take a simple bodyweight session outside — here’s how to do burpees anywhere you’ve got a patch of ground.
Frequently asked questions
Yes — it depends on where. On an open, mown lawn or a paved area the tick risk is low, so shorts are usually fine, especially with repellent on your legs. Save the long trousers and tucked-in socks for tall grass, brush and woodland edges, where ticks actually wait.
Repellents with icaridin (picaridin) or DEET are proven against both ticks and mosquitoes. Apply to exposed skin and reapply as the label directs, since protection is time-limited. For extra tick protection, treat clothing and shoes — not skin — with 0.5% permethrin. If you prefer a natural option, oil of lemon eucalyptus is the most effective plant-based repellent — it just needs reapplying more often.
Remove it as soon as possible. Use fine-tipped tweezers, grip the tick close to the skin, and pull straight out without twisting or squeezing its body. Then disinfect the spot. Watch the area for a few weeks — if you see a spreading red ring or feel flu-like symptoms, see a doctor. Faster removal means lower infection risk.
Around dawn and dusk, and near standing water like ponds, puddles and water butts. If mosquitoes bother you, train mid-morning or afternoon in an open, breezy spot away from water, wear repellent, and avoid leaving standing water around your usual training area.
Not everywhere — it depends on your region. In designated TBE/FSME risk areas, health authorities recommend it for people regularly exposed to ticks. There’s no vaccine for Lyme disease, so protective habits still apply. Ask your doctor whether the vaccination is advisable where you live and train.