Here’s why you need to go outside more

We are naturally drawn to being out in the ‘wild’ surrounded by tall trees, green grass and mud. And it’s not just about the “moving more”. Apparently, most of us are running around with Nature Deficit Disorder. Which basically means we don’t go out enough. The less we go out, the less we feel we have in common with the great wide yonder.

When we were younger we all spent hours running, jumping and hanging out with our friends, the older we get, the less we do. So pick up some good shoes from outdoorgearonly.com and get going.

But, there is a whole host of reasons to get outside more often, so let’s explore some of them.

Vitamin D

May as well start by addressing the fact you probably have a vitamin D deficiency (welcome to adulthood). Vitamin D helps protect your immune system, but that is just the tip of the iceberg. Vitamin D has been linked to preventing osteoporosis, Alzheimer’s, and cancer.

Of course, you can take a supplement, but going outside and getting the real thing is more potent and free.

Photo by Zara Walker on Unsplash

Escape

If you work in an office or factory (maybe even working from home) it can feel like a hamster wheel. Get up – work – come home – sleep. Quite the cycle.

For some short, sharp escapism, leave your phone at home, or at least turn off your mobile notifications, and head somewhere green. Leaving technology and the city behind can do wonders for your mental health.

Thinking Time

When you walk in the woods or big green fields, your brain starts working through issues – the silence and calm affords you the moment you need. Many a person has confessed to feeling wonderful after a walk to ‘clear their head’. Some studies have found that attention span and memory performance all increased by around 20 percent after an hour was spend interacting with nature.

By ditching tellies, movies, the never-ending chore list and even people you’d rather not see right now, you can lighten your personal mental load.

Eye Health

We are mostly seated for large chunks of the day. Even during our commutes in most cases. Staring for long hours at a screen, ticking boxes on paperwork. In the downtime, it’s all TVs, or back at a computer doing stuff we deem as fun.

Ever had that tired eye ache? Well, your eyes have pupils which contract a lot. When you remove the up close screen and replace it with some far off hills, you give your eyes a chance to use different focal lengths.

Green Therapy

It has been proven time and time again that going outside brings stress levels down. And reducing your stress levels can help relieve headaches and other feelings that follow stress. The act of walking burns off excess energy too.

Heading out into the great outdoors is fantastic for you mentally, physically and emotionally and those should be reasons enough to do it.

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