The Great Outdoors

Guest Post by Lee

The Great Outdoors: Why It's Great For the Whole Family

We all know that spending time outdoors plays an important role in living a healthy and fulfilling life. Ultimately, that's what we want for ourselves and our children, right? As our culture has nurtured its relationship with technology, our relationship with nature has been put on the backburner. With mental and physical disease on the rise, it is time to pay more attention to the fact that our often neglected relationship with nature could be a major contributing factor. There are many ways to reconcile this relationship, and the benefits are sure to be felt by the entire family and even the community around you. Adventuring outdoors can be a learning experience that is exciting and liberating, and there are plenty of things to do! But first, let's look at why outdoor play is important and how exactly you and your family can benefit from it.

The importance of outdoor play

Children and adults alike are spending more time indoors than outdoors on a daily basis, and it could be causing problems with their mental and physical health. According to Kenneth Wright, director of the Sleep and Chronobiology Laboratory at the University of Colorado, staying inside all day can contribute to difficulty sleeping, loss of appetite, and lower energy levels. Absorbing nutrients provided by the sun such as vitamin-D, aids in our bodies ability to more effectively regulate itself.

Since most of our indoor time is spent in front of a phone, television, or computer screen, children and adults are becoming less and less active. This can lead to weight gain, lethargy, and impaired vision. Richard Ryan, a professional psychologist suggests that even 20 minutes a day can make a large difference in vitality felt by both children and adults. Studies show that wilderness therapy, or outdoor behavioral healthcare, can help to address behavioural and mental health conditions using nature as a therapeutic tool. If you or your child are particularly restless or have a hard time focusing, spending more time outside could help in a number of ways. It also helps exercise imagination in children, facilitates social skills, and provides new learning experiences.

How to incorporate outdoor play into your family's lifestyle

There are many different ways to incorporate outdoor activity into your family’s lifestyle. Look up the parks in your immediate area and see if there are any of interest to you or your children. If you have the means to go on a big adventure, plan a trip to a National Park! You and your family can take in some incredible scenery and learn about a completely new environment. You may even have one close to you already!

If you want to embrace your creative side, come up with a scavenger hunt and get to exploring. You can even start a garden to be used as an educational tool. An added bonus is that your kids will be able to grow and eat their own food! Even indoor activities such as painting or playing an instrument can be enjoyed out in the yard or at a park. It's also a great idea to have quiet time outside as taking the time to tune in to your surroundings can have an instant calming effect on the body.

Whether it's building confidence, promoting creativity, or teaching responsibility, the benefits of outdoor play are many. Now more than ever it is important that we not only engage our children more in nature but ourselves as well. Spending time outdoors can bring a family closer, and there are lessons that are sure to be learned on everyone's part.

Life Benefits of Getting Fresh Air

Guest Contributor Lee has a new post on fresh air:

Do you make it a priority to get outside every day? You might after you read this article. People do all kinds of things in the name of their health and well-being, like taking supplements, trying new diets, and going on expensive retreats. But if you want better health and a more optimistic outlook on life, the solution might be much simpler than all those things: just go outside and breathe some fresh, clean air.

Intrigued? Here are five reasons why fresh air might just be the best medicine available to you.

1. Getting outside gives your immune system a boost.

If you want to stay healthy, you've got to take care of your immune system. Your immune system fights off invading bacteria and viruses, protecting you from everything from the common cold to stomach flu. There are a number of ways you can keep your immune system in tip-top condition, including eating a healthy diet with plenty of vegetables and fruits, getting enough sleep, and washing your hands regularly. But the simplest thing of all you can do? Just step outside and take a quick walk around the block. The combination of oxygen and exercise will boost your white blood cell levels, helping you fight off infections before they even get a foothold in your body.

2. Fresh air helps you stay alert.

Feeling sleepy after lunch? Don't reach for that energy drink or third cup of coffee. Take a minute to step outside instead. Fresh air has a way of clearing your head and boosting your alertness. It can even make you more creative. As a result, your thinking will become clearer and sharper at school or on the job, no caffeine required.

3. Spending time in the sunlight increases your vitamin D levels.

Did you know that many people are vitamin D deficient, even though this essential nutrient is plentiful and free? That's right - we can get vitamin D from the sun, but lots of office workers, students, and other people who spend most of their time inside still don't get enough of it. You can boost your vitamin D levels - thereby improving your mental health, bone health, and cardiovascular health - by spending as little as fifteen minutes outside on sunny days. Wear short sleeves if it's warm enough, so your skin can soak up as much sunlight as possible. Just don't forget to put on sunscreen after fifteen minutes!

4. Fresh air makes you happier and less stressed.

If your mood has been down in the dumps lately, it could be because you've been spending too time breathing stale air indoors. People tend to be happiest and healthiest when they're getting regular doses of fresh air and sunshine. In fact, wilderness therapy has been found to be a potent antidepressant - people actually have lower rates of mental health problems like depression and anxiety when they spend regular time outside in nature. The great outdoors also has a soothing effect on stress, so if you've been under pressure lately, a few deep breaths of fresh, clean air could be just what you need.

5. Unpolluted air improves your overall health.

Breathing in pollution isn't good for you - everybody knows that. People who live in areas with lots of pollution are more likely to deal with asthma, digestive problems, and cardiovascular problems like high blood pressure than people who live in less-polluted areas. Breathing clean air has the opposite effect: it supplies your body with plenty of oxygen, improves your lung capacity, and makes it easier for your heart to do its job. If you live in a big city with a pollution problem, do your best to visit green spaces like parks frequently, since trees purify the air.

The Takeaway

Fresh air does a body good. If you haven't been getting your daily dose of fresh air, establish a new habit of going outside frequently. You'll likely become happier and healthier as a result.