Outdoor activities are always said to be beneficial. This really is some common ground, but the truth is that people don’t always know all that is meant by this simple statement. For instance, exercising is always beneficial, but exercising outside has even more positive results than the one done in a gym. Your body and mind both benefit from outdoor activities. You may realize that you are happier when you get home from running even though you are tired. Here is a list of effects outdoor activities can have on your will-being.
Your vitamin D levels will go up
Vitamin D is important and its creation starts once you get outside and your skin feels the sunlight. Your kidneys and your liver are involved in the process and it all happens due to the sun. Because of this, it’s very important that you spend time outside. It doesn’t matter if you go for a walk or if you go to a public pool. What’s important is that you’re exposed to all the benefits the sunlight has on your health. The vitamins are rarely proved to have some disease-fighting powers, but this particular vitamin can be an exception to the rule. Epidemiologic studies have stated that this vitamin may participate in protecting against diseases such as osteoporosis, cancer, and depression. Even heart attack and stroke are said to be prevented by high levels of vitamin D.
The good thing is that you can increase the levels of vitamin D by just spending a few hours outside on sunny days. And the problem is that the production of vitamin D is affected by age and skin color. For instance, people over 65 can’t generate as much of the vitamin as people in their 20s can. Another problem is the fact that sunscreens not only block the ultraviolet B, but they also block the kind of light that triggers the production of vitamin D. because of these problems, it’s best to go outside for short walks. You can go for a few 10-15 minutes long walks on sunny days and get enough vitamin D.
You’ll get more exercise
It’s true that you don’t have to be outside to exercise. You can do it inside, next to a pool or in a gym. It’s also true that exercising outside is much more beneficial for you. Being inside is often associated with sitting down. The truth is that you have all that space and its commodity and it would be a shame to miss on all that. On the other side, being outside is often associated with the activity. It’s much more spacious and much less comfortable to sit outside all the time, so you are, in fact, forced to move more. This is especially important for children. Children, today, spend most of their time looking at computer screens. They spend multiple hours a day just playing video games. Needless to say, that can’t be good for a child.
If you have children, start taking them outside immediately. Children are twice as active when they are outside, as opposed to being inside. They will rarely think of this as a problem and it’s your job to take the initiative and inspire them to spend more time outside, moving around. Their bodies can’t develop properly if all they do is sit inside with their spine in all sorts of unhealthy positions. Not only the children, but you will also benefit a lot from spending time outside. Every step you take will count as an exercise. All the time you spend outside is the time you haven’t spent staring at the screens. It doesn’t matter whether you’re gardening, walking, or playing with kids. What matters is that you’re outside working on your health.
You’ll be happier
Light is proven to elevate people’s moods. The more exposed to the light you are, the happier you’ll get. When you are inside, your access to light may be limited and that could have an impact on your mood and overall well-being. Not only the light but the physical activity, too, is very important when it comes to elevating the mood. When you are physically active, you get more relaxed and your positive energy becomes radiant. The perfect combination would be spending more time outside with your loved ones. Go outside with your friends, family, or pets. Whoever comes with you, you are bound to share tons of smiles.
Furthermore, being surrounded by nature has a positive impact on your mental health. Living in proximity to open, green spaces are believed to be very beneficial for one’s mental health. Spending just five minutes outside, surrounded by nature, is enough for you to see changes in your mood. Even your self-esteem will be significantly improved. If you doubt any of these facts and opinions, you can go outside and see for yourself how important it is to spend time outside and how beneficial for your mental health it can get.
Your concentration will improve
The proof that your concentration will improve after you’ve spent some time outside is that even kids with ADHD seem to focus better after being outside. Outdoor exercise is bound to make you feel better and to clear your mind. If you get caught up in your daily activities, you may feel how bad the impact of stress and constant pressure can get. If you are constantly busy and you have problems with time management, maybe you should take a break.
When trying to solve a problem, excessive thinking about the problem may just take you in the opposite direction of the solution. All you need to do in such situations is to take a break and get outside. If you lack motivation, try doing something you haven’t done before and seen how motivated you get once you start being successful in something else. For instance, get a high-quality mountain bike and take up mountain biking if you haven’t already done this sport. Once you’ve spent time in nature, doing something useful for your body and soul, you’ll see how your concentration gets better and better. Take this as a prescription and every time you feel like you have trouble concentrating, get out, and solve your problem in a most efficient way.
Your short-term memory will improve
Walks in nature have multiple benefits. One of them is that walks in nature are very good for your memory. Namely, short-term memory can benefit a lot from time spent doing outdoor activities. You can even do an experiment to prove this theory. For instance, you can test your short-term memory now, if you haven’t been outside for a while. You can test your ability to remember a series of numbers or you can try to remember as many pictures as possible in specific orders.
After you’ve done with this testing and you have seen the results, you can take a break. Do something else and then, after a while, you can go outside. You can go for a walk, you can get out in the garden and do something useful, or you can go for a run. Whichever activity you choose, you will be able to continue the experiment, as long as the activity is set outside. After you come back inside, do the testing once again. Use similar methods as before, but use different numbers and pictures. This way, you will be able to see whether your short-term memory has improved or not.
Inflammation will be reduced
Inflammation is definitely not a cool thing. If you have this problem, you know how annoying and painful it can get. One of the things outdoor activities are good for is the reduction of the inflammation. A list of diseases associated with the inflammation is very long. Some of those diseases are autoimmune disorders, inflammatory bowel movement, depression, and cancer. It’s amazing how simple the prevention of such serious diseases can be. All you need to do is get outside more.
You will eliminate the fatigue
Your brain may sometimes feel like it’s so full of all sorts of information that it can no longer function. If you have ever experienced something like this, you had mental fatigue. One of the remedies for this is spending time outside. Your mental energy can be improved if you just spend time looking at pictures of nature. If that’s the effect the pictures can have, it’s amazing how beneficial actual nature can be for one’s mental health and energy.
You will fight depression and anxiety
Most of the mental health problems can be eased just by spending time in nature. The outcome of time spent in nature is even better if some exercise is included. If you struggle with depression or anxiety, you may find this very helpful. Namely, long walks in the forest can be very beneficial for decreasing levels of anxiety and a bad mood in general. Even doctors will recommend such walks if you have any sort of mental health problem. If you have the opportunity to get near water, the effects will be even better. If you do have some similar problems, don’t replace your visits to the doctor with just walks. What you should do is include the walks into the treatment you already have. This way, good results will be bound to happen.
Your vision will be saved
Outdoor activities are believed to have a protective effect on your eyes. Namely, outdoor activities are believed to reduce the risk of near-sightedness or myopia. If you have young children, encourage them to start spending more time outside. Play with them or let them play alone in the park. Take them for walks or include them in some yard work. Whichever activity you choose, make sure that you and your kids can enjoy it. They will be happy in those moments spent with you in the fresh air or in the bright sun, but they will also be grateful later when their sight and overall health makes no problem for them.
Conclusion
Outdoor activities are as good for adults as they are for the kids. If you have the time to spend it outside, you should definitely do so. Go to a park as soon as you can and enjoy all the benefits of it.
