How Does Your Health Benefit From Being Outside?

Now the warmer weather is here, we will be spending more time outside. Whether it is in our gardens or on longer hikes, being out in nature is excellent for your health. You can choose to be active and to use this activity to enhance your mind, body, and spirit. Alternatively, you can use this time to enjoy some peace and tranquillity.

While you might not need much more justification than this, here are the real benefits to your health from being outside.

6 Key Benefits...

Breathe better quality air

You might think that the outside is full of allergens and insect, there is no replacement for the fresh air of the big outdoors. We spend a lot of time indoors with air conditioning recycling the air, leaving it devoid of moisture and other good stuff.

To avoid pollution altogether, you can take yourself off somewhere remote. Yet, if you think the local area is a deluge in car fumes, be aware your home comes with its own pollutants. Not only is there dust but the residue from household cleaners, without adequate ventilation.

Soak in some Vitamin D

Many experts perceive vitamin D deficiency to be rife in the population. The signs of Vitamin D deficiency include aching bones and sleeplessness – and a general feeling of being off colour.

The Vitamin D we require is available in the sunshine. The vitamin is formed under the skill when it is exposed to the rays of the sun. The good news is that this production is not hindered by the wearing of sunscreen.

If you have ever felt a little down in the winter months, this is due to a seasonal affected disorder or SAD. Many experts perceive there to be a strong link between this disorder and a lack of Vitamin D.

There is no more straightforward way to take in your required vitamins. Eating your lunch on the garden bench or pottering around in the garden will help to top you up.

Improve your mood

Obviously, getting more Vitamin D will stave off the impacts of depression caused by too little sun. However, being out in nature has been a proven antidote to mental health worries. Science has yet to explain the link between being outside and positive mood hormones, but anecdotal evidence is very clear. When you step out on a sunny day with bright blue skies, you feel so much better.

Reduce mental health issues

The connection between our mind and nature goes even deeper still. Thankfully, in recent years, we have all felt more open to express when we are struggling. It has been evident in this time that many people have been experiencing increases in anxiety.

Anxiety is caused by many factors. It might be more prevalent now because we are more connected to our devices and the constant splurge of information. Our minds have little time to rest from the flow of information. It is also true that we spend more time in artificial light and at work, leading to a sense of claustrophobia.

There is nothing better for grounding us than getting out in nature. Sitting and listening to the birds and help soothe a racing mind. It might be a time on your bench in your garden or a trip to the seaside for some R and R. Wherever you go, being outdoors allows you to feel more connected to the planet rather than the internet and so relieve some of the anxiety and stress.

It is the best place to meditate

There is a solid argument to wish for something more than being ok. Using nature to cure our ills is excellent. However, to use nature as a means of feeling contented is even better. While life seems to demand that we know everything, walking on a path through a forest towards a lake requires nothing. It is the perfect place to soothe yourself to contentment with the use of meditation.

Meditation outdoors is lovely because of the breeze on your face and the sound of wildlife all around. You will notice the smell of the flowers and the texture of the earth beneath your feet.

A good life

There was a TV programme in the 80s where a couple lived a self-sustained life by gardening. It was a comedy, but at the heart of the series was the truth that a simple existence outside was making a good life. If you feel a little under the weather or anxious, you have been given the antidote in the big outdoors.