Sometimes in order to understand how humans work, I look at kids. Most of them do a lot of good stuff for their health, innately. They go to bed early, eat when they’re hungry, don’t stress over much, and they play outside! What’s different from us and kids? We say we don’t have time. We have too much stress. We don’t know HOW to play and relax anymore. These are all problems I deal with myself as well, but I’ve learned the only way for me to stay sane is to take some time with my friend nature.
Think about all of your favorite vacations. They could range from beach time, hiking in the mountains, skiing or snowboarding, visiting other countries, fishing, hunting, camping, etc. You get the point, in our free time, we all have a common want to be outdoors. So why is it important to spend time in nature?
- Our physical body benefits from it! When outdoors, our blood pressure and heart rate decrease. It’s healthy! It can increase our overall energy levels, and make us feel alive again.
- Our mental state benefits from it! Being outdoors for 20 minutes a day was shown to boost vitality in this research.
- Prevents disease! Being outside has even shown to prevent disease and help heal the body from infection. It helps decrease ADHD in children, (amazing huh?)
Personally I love the outdoors. A trip snow skiing each winter always rekindles my love with nature. I recently got back from an amazing trip in North Carolina, where we enjoyed hiking, kayaking, white water rafting, and some amazing sights. Up there you can see me doing some yoga at the top of the highest peak in the East, Mount Mitchell.
The bottom line is nature is great for you! We all enjoy it when we can get vacation, but do you make daily time to be outside? If your blessed with nature in your backyard, try to spend 20 minutes in your yard at the end of the day.
Mike LeCompte says
I could not agree more!! Give me the mountains or the beach anytime over any city. I only feel truly at home in the woods. Great post Monica.