As we adjust our lifestyle to the requirements of the modern age, we sometimes disregard our own well-being in the pursuit of things like material goods and our careers. However, reconnecting with the great outdoors encompasses a whole range of factors with a positive effect on our health, while also changing our perspective, enhancing our appreciation for the natural world around us and enticing us to treat it better. If you’re looking for reasons to embrace nature and spend more time outdoors, here is how that decision can benefit your health.
You get to be more physically active
Working out can add years to your life and keep your well-being in order. And even though you can go to the gym and exercise there, you’re actually more likely to be physically active when you’re outside. And let’s not forget that, while outdoors, you’re combining your physical activity with natural light and fresh air. From a brisk walk in the local park to hiking in the countryside, to swimming or roller skating, any type of exercise can make you happier and healthier. Plus, if you need something more exciting, you can try something along the lines of dirt biking. This is an extreme sport, but one that can maintain your fitness, increase your balance, strength, and endurance, as well as improve your posture. One thing that’s important about dirt biking, as well as any other extreme sport, is that you stay safe while practicing it. This is why you should be well equipped and find some quality bike accessories to keep both you and your bike in the best possible shape. Physical activity, especially when performed outside, is also something you should encourage your children to do, so find activities you can participate in together, even if it’s just playing catch or throwing a frisbee in your backyard.
You get more natural light
Artificial lights can put unnecessary strain on your eyes and even lead to stress when they aren’t strong enough, but also when they’re too strong. This can cause such issues as headaches and make you more inert. Unlike them, natural light can influence your mental and physical health in all sorts of good ways. For instance, when you spend time outside and are exposed to sunlight, your skin starts absorbing the valuable vitamin D, or the sunshine vitamin. It can promote good heart health, lower the risk of weight gain and can help your bones stay strong for longer. Natural light can also improve your sleep since it allows your body to regulate your sleep/wake cycle, as it lets you know when it’s time to be awake, and when you should sleep. Furthermore, natural light is excellent for your vision and your mood. In fact, spending time outdoors during the day, especially on sunny days, can help prevent seasonal depression. And as much as big windows can help you get more natural light in your office or at home, the best thing you can do for your body and mind is to spend at least half an hour every day outside, where there aren’t any walls around you blocking the sun.
You get more fresh air
Being outdoors is great, but if it’s in a bustling and dirty city, the benefits won’t be as noticeable as those you get from actually turning to nature. Other than the soothing properties of all the green, you shouldn’t forget that trees also reduce air pollution. They filter the air by absorbing various gases, particles, and odors and providing you with cleaner air to breathe. Breathing fresh air can then help you clean your lungs from the effects of allergens and all sorts of pollutant chemicals. It may also regulate your heart rate and blood pressure, which can have a good impact on your cardiovascular health. In addition, while you breathe fresh air, your brain receives more oxygen, which means that your focus is improved, you can think more clearly and you become more productive. Furthermore, the increased amount of oxygen you get from fresh air supports proper white cell function, which can make it easier for your immune system to ward off any germs, viruses and other microorganisms you come across on a daily basis. Finally, fresh air combined with the scents of different flowers and plants can help you battle stress, anxiety, and even depression to some extent, meaning that fresh air can actually make you happier.
If you can’t avoid spending a significant part of your every day indoors, in an office, sitting passively over some papers or in front of a computer screen, balance it by spending some time outdoors whenever you can. Make it a healthy daily habit to get out more and enjoy all the benefits nature offers you.
