In a society that has become increasingly urbanized, fewer people are benefiting from the innate health effects of being outdoors. This big city living, which has inundated individuals with indoor entertainment via electronics, has been detrimental to the health of society at large. Let’s take a closer look at why spending time and being outdoors is beneficial.
Why Being outdoor is beneficial to Health
- Decreases Depression. Being in nature can help restore a person’s mental health, as it acts to reduce stress and boost happiness. Additionally, when a person spends time outside, it increases their serotonin and endorphin levels – both of these help stabilize mood.
Sunlight on your skin is one of the best ways to get vitamin D. Studies have found that vitamin D is vital for your mental health, and insufficient vitamin D results in depression-like symptoms.
- Reduces Chronic Illness. Not getting outside enough increases a person’s risk of chronic illness. Being outside helps reduce your stress levels, which directly affects both your cardiovascular health as well as inflammation. Both inflammation and heart health contribute significantly to chronic disease. Inflammation in the body leads to more pain and suppresses the immune system.
- Better Breathing. By being in nature, an individual is more apt to breathe clean air. Indoor air quality is 2 to 5 times more polluted than the outdoor air. When your air is cleaner, you are less susceptible to allergies, asthma and other respiratory illnesses.
- Improved Sleep. Spending time outdoors also helps improve the quality of your sleep. So many people get too much blue light through the use of their phones, even when the natural light of the sun has set. This light ruins a person’s natural circadian rhythm, impacting their ability to have a more restful sleep at night.
- By being outdoors first thing, you are able to signal to your body that it’s morning. Additionally, by abstaining from electronic devices for two hours before bed, you can increase your quality of sleep by a significant margin.
How To Spend More Time Outside
Studies have found that spending just 2 hours outside every week significantly impacts your health and well-being for the better. This time can be broken up throughout the week, or can happen all in one day. You may find as you begin to implement outside time into your routine that your body will start to crave it more, due to the natural positive impact your body feels.
There are a variety of ways you can spend time outside, and they don’t always involve sports, hiking, or exercise. Outdoor recreational activities can be either individual or group related. In fact, many individuals report gardening as a very therapeutic outdoor activity.
Family group activities can be as simple as having a picnic, and exciting as boating during the summer months. When you add boat tubes to the experience, you can encourage your teenagers to enjoy the outdoors as well.
Conclusion on Being outdoor
Embracing nature is the best way to improve your overall health. While some individuals might feel overwhelmed with all of the healthy living habits that are recommended for a more wellness centric life, spending time outdoors is a simple solution. A new habit of simply spending 2 hours outside every week is easy to implement and sustain. This manageable solution has a direct correlation to improved health. Living a healthy life does not have to be overwhelming, but by taking simple steps, it can become fun and rewarding.
Article Submitted By Community Writer
