Spending time outside can contribute a huge impact on your health in many ways. With so much technology all around us, it can be simple to overlook the advantages of nature on our health. Spending time outside can reduce stress, help you bond with family and friends, increase your energy levels, improve your mood and even make you more creative. A more active lifestyle with nature can help you attain all of these benefits, so it’s important to incorporate outside time into your weekly schedule. Here are five health benefits of regularly spending time outside.
1. Lowered Blood Pressure and Reduced Cortisol Levels
Dramatic changes in heart rate and blood pressure can occur when you spend time in nature, especially among animals. With time and repetition, humans have evolved to mimic these natural changes that occur with the animals around us. Spending time outside helps keep your blood pressure and cortisol levels lowered. It also increases the amount of oxygen that goes to your muscles, which keeps them at a steady level of activity as they work hard during exercise.
2. Resting Easy
The outside environment can make you feel more relaxed and less stressed. Even just taking a short walk or sitting outside to enjoy the beauty of nature can help reduce stress and anxiety. This is because spending time outdoors in natural settings allows you to connect with your most basic human needs, such as food, drink, shelter and companionship. You can also spend time resting on the hardscapes in your landscape with a fire pit for gathering and resting to make you feel relaxed.
3. Increased Energy Levels
The outdoors invigorates your senses, which naturally boosts your energy levels. Time spent playing in the sun, feeling the wind on your face, and hearing the sounds of nature can help boost energy that can last all day. People who spend time outside also tend to have more physical activity throughout the day, which naturally boosts energy levels. Your teeth and bones will grow healthy because of increased vitamin D levels.
4. Improved Mood and Sense of Well-Being
Being outside and breathing in the fresh air can greatly help improve your mood and sense of well-being. Spending time outdoors also helps lower your stress levels, which can boost your mood. Spending time in nature also enables you to find peace, allowing you to focus on positive thoughts that help increase your mood overall and decrease stress levels. Your body is designed to interact with the outside environment, and as a result, you can feel better once you start spending more time with nature.
5. Increased Creativity and Ability to Focus
Spending time in nature also increases your creativity and ability to focus. This is likely because spending time outside allows you to escape the day-to-day disturbances that distract you from your creative goals. You can spend more time on creative tasks when you take a break from other distractions. You will also be able to focus more easily when you get out into nature because you are less distracted by your thoughts and can concentrate.
It is also fun to spend time in nature throughout the day, like walking during lunch hours. This can give you more energy and make you feel better all day long without being a big change. Make sure you combine your time on the computer with time in nature, taking a break, and walking into your backyard, which will help you ease into the day.