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Sometimes in this day and age we may be stuck indoors in our office or stuck in front of a screen doing work. Which will make flashbacks of our life quite mundane. If you want flashbacks of the wind in your hair while climbing the highest mountains, water skiing or bike riding in beautiful landscapes you should try getting outdoors a little more. There are various other good reasons to get out even if it’s just a walk in the park,hiking in the mountains or spending some time in the backyard doing some gardening. We will explain the many benefits backed by research that explains why spending more time outdoors is a good thing.
To Rid Yourself of Stress.
One of the biggest benefits to being outdoors is the noticeable reduction in stress. With the way the modern lifestyle is at these times we will always be stressing about something and sometimes it gets to a boiling point. Spending some time outdoors can help lower the stress hormone cortisol. This will also help in areas of anxiety and depression. There have been many studies that prove this. In these studies it has been found that people that spend more time in nature have lower levels of cortisol. So if you are feeling a little stressed and overwhelmed it’s best to take a walk in nature and see if it works.
Improve Your Mental Focus on Cognitive Function.
There have been studies that have concluded that people that took breaks in a natural environment experienced many benefits such as cognitive benefits and increase in working memory. So being outdoors is a healthy habit to create especially if you are trying to improve your focus. The other participants took a walk in an urban environment and seem to be a lot less focused than their counterparts. So when working on big projects or getting a little unclear in your focus try to make it a habit to spend some time outdoors and in nature to make it part of your lifestyle.
Sunshine and Vitamin D
When outdoors you are clearly going to be enjoying more exposure to the sun. This is one ideal way for your body to produce Vitamin D. This vitamin is critical to having healthy bones and teeth. If you are deficient in vitamin D it has been linked to many other health conditions such as cancer and heart disease. Studies and experts suggest spending 15 mins a day in the sun can at least give you most of the vitamin D that you need and for darker skins for a few hours will be needed. Though vitamin D is great you need to also protect your skin. So try to use sunblock to a point to protect your skin and try not get sunburn as that will help no one.
Increase Your Levels of Creativity.
If you are stuck or have a writing block in your work it’s best to try to get some sunshine and spend some time in nature. According to studies the natural world allows you to regain your attention and allows you to refocus. The benefits of being outdoors can push your brain into new thought patterns that can help get you past your creativity hurdles. The Study went on further to say that it helps create a sense of flexibility and inspires our imagination. Spending time in natural surroundings will help distract your minds from work areas which helps you restore a lot of your lost attention.
Sleeping Better.
Being outdoors can help cycle your sleep clock. There are cells in your eyes that need light to get the body’s internal clock working. If you get enough sunlight in the morning it will help you sleep better at night. As you get older your eyes lose their ability to absorb enough light which can cause sleep problems. Also if you feel adventurous sleeping outside sometimes can help you in many ways. So try to plan a camping trip to spend time under the stars.
Immune System Boost
There has been research that shows that plants give off certain chemicals that can also protect humans from an immune system point of view. Many years ago Japanese people discovered it and called it forest-bathing. As we said earlier, spending time outdoors can also lower your cortisol levels and also blood pressure and pulse rates. The study found that being outside did increase the white blood cell count and also increased the amount of anti cancer proteins. One day spent in nature can boost your immune system for at least a week.
Breath of Fresh Air
Being stuck inside can be bad for you even if you have air conditioning. There is a good chance that your air is not best described as fresh.Outside the levels of CO2 are at around 350 ppm sometimes due to poor circulation or ventilation, offices can reach over a thousand parts per a million. There has been a lot of research that shows too much CO2 in your room can slow you down. Making you feel more tired and weak which will reduce your levels of focus. So spending some time outside to get a breath of fresh air can clear your brain and help your muscles get some high quality fresh air for renewed strength.
Physical Benefits of Being Outside
One of the clear benefits of spending time outside is the physical benefits. There are a lot of activities that humans enjoy outside that can get your blood flowing. This will help you maintain a healthy lifestyle, help you lose weight and increase muscle mass. Even if it’s not high intensity workouts you can just take a brisk walk that can help a lot if you are not an active person. Exercise and being outside will help reduce stress, anxiety and depression while reaping the other benefits of being outdoors.
Finding Inner Peace.
Life can be difficult for many people. In this world now most of us are stuck in an office all day, stuck in traffic and stressed about life. Sometimes you just need to be unplugged from this matrix. Getting your mind out of this rustle and bustle can help you get your mind in order. It’s all good to try for one day to get outdoors but trying to aim for long term lifestyle changes is the best bigger picture of things. Being outdoors has so many benefits as it does improve your health,improves your mindset and allows you to collect your thoughts for the day. Over time it will make you a better version of yourself. Finding your inner peace is important and can help you in many areas of your life. So it’s very clear that being outdoors is one way to find your inner peace in this world of chaos.
Social Benefits
There are many social benefits to going outside. At first you are going to get a reduction of stress and anxiety which will likely increase the likelihood of having a positive interaction with others. Spending time doing outdoor activities helps you get to connect with people around you and help you make friends. There are many group activities that can keep you busy such as hiking, team sports, gardening or having a family BBQ. Also being outside and being a social butterfly can give you the sense of community. a feeling of belonging, a feeling that your existence matters to others or the group and a sense of commitment to the world around you.
Reducing Pain
Pain is not something anyone likes to deal with. Some studies have shown that spending time outdoors can reduce pain and inflammation especially if you practice earthing (also known as grounding). There is some evidence that the earth’s magnetic force reduces pro-inflammatory cytokines in your body. Which will reduce inflammation and pain.The effect seems to be the way that earthing affects the autonomic nervous system. There is research that suggests that the earthing may help your body move the automatic system more towards the parasympathetic side which can help promote relaxation and reduce your pain.
How Much Time do I Need to Spend Outside?
A study from 2019 shows that there is an association between recreational nature contact and self reported health and well being. This study showed that you would need around 120 mins a week to get the benefits described in this article while around 300 minutes seems to be the sweet spot. This is only 20 minutes a day at 120 minutes a week.
It’s just something you need to twist your lifestyle towards. Just try your best to make it happen, go outside and read this article twice if you have to. So if you can just take a little time for a little walk or go checking out the stars and soon enough this will all add up in time. It’s always a good idea to try to spread things out to attempt to spend time in the day to bask in the sun and during the night to enjoy the timeless stars.
There are many benefits to spending more time outdoors. From improved health to enhancing your mental prowess. You can make small changes in your lifestyle to include it in your daily life. Trying just 20 minutes a day can improve your life in big ways. Life can affect us in deep ways, having a fun activity outdoors can be a lifesaver by helping us handle the daily stress of our lives.
So I suggest you really consider spending some more time outdoors for your own well being.
