The benefits of being active and outdoors

June 11, 2021
Posted by All Terrain ®

The whole world has been stuck indoors for the past year or more due to the COVID pandemic. For some, this means a needed break is on the horizon now that places are starting to open up. Outdoor activities are especially back on the table!

While we may have become comfortable being indoors, there are numerous benefits to being active outdoors. From relieving stress to losing that pesky excess weight to just spending time with friends and family — there are so many reasons why we should head outside and be safely active.

Soak up the Sun

Vitamin D is fundamental to our survival. It helps regulate how much calcium and phosphate are in our bodies. (The minerals responsible for healthy teeth and bones.)

Without adequate sunlight, you are facing an increased risk of depression, cancer, and other illnesses. Taking an hour out to bathe in the sun and be active. It can improve your mood and create a healthier lifestyle. Just remember to wear your sunscreen! Too much UV is just as bad as not enough Vitamin D.

Strengthen Bones and Muscles

Aside from the positive effects of vitamin D on the bones, spending time outdoors is one of the best ways to keep muscles and bones strong. When outside, you can spend time being physically active.

By participating in aerobic, muscle-strengthening, and bone-strengthening physical activity, you make the process of aging a bit easier on the body. As you grow older, you will naturally experience a loss of muscle mass if you remain inactive. Outdoor exercise combats this, meaning you will remain strong while you age.

In addition, bone-strengthening activities like running create a force on the bones, hence making them stronger. This means that you will likely sustain less severe injuries and recover well if you fall in old age! The inclination to exercise while outside feeds into the next idea, which is managing your weight.

Weight management

Many of us feel more inclined to be active outside. There are so many things to do, whether they require an exercise as simple as walking to more high-intensity workouts, like running.

As you age, your metabolism slows. Unfortunately, this means that you are more likely to gain weight and find it harder to lose it. Spending time outdoors, especially with a mindset towards exercise, is one of the most important benefits of spending time outside.

When you manage your weight, you decrease the risk of many diseases, including cardiovascular disease, heart attack, stroke, diabetes, cancer, arthritis, gallstones, asthma, and high cholesterol!

Good for eyesight

Nowadays, we are glued to our screens, whether it’s a phone, TV, or computer. If that describes you, there is a risk of Computer Vision Syndrome. It's caused by focusing on your computer screen at a short distance for prolonged periods.

Eventually, the muscles in the eye find it hard to recover from the constant tension. You may experience blurred or doubled vision, dry red eyes, eye irritation, neck pain, back pain, or headaches. Spending 30 minutes outdoors every day builds healthier eyesight by allowing your eyes a break from artificial light.

In addition, you can focus on objects farther away from you, reducing the constant strain of looking at a phone or laptop that’s near you!

May Lower Blood Pressure

Having an unhealthy diet and remaining inactive is known to cause many health problems. Participating in outdoor activities like hiking, cycling, walking and more, appeal to those who may not be as interested in the gym while keeping your blood pressure in check.

Some researchers report that blood vessels under the skin widen and reduce blood pressure due to nitric oxide in the sunlight. Therefore, the more widely accepted idea is that proper outdoor activity is the source of lowering blood pressure.

Improve Sleep

It is said that an excellent way to improve sleep is to spend time outdoors! When you’re outdoors, you are more alert, and your body is warmer due to movement. When you return home, you calm down and become more comfortable.

Spending time outdoors is said to help regulate your body temperature and circadian rhythm,

which in turn helps with quality rest. Stanford Medicine discusses findings that show the benefits of time outdoors on sleep.

Socialize!

Humans are social creatures. We are not made to survive on our own. This is the main point of the saying, “No man is an island.”

When you spend a load of time indoors, whether due to extraneous circumstances or personal choice, many of us become withdrawn. We resort to hours of inactivity on our computers or binging Netflix.

Heading outdoors means that you can find companionship with a friendly neighbor or spend time with friends and family. This creates a positive impact on your mental health, and for many, this can reduce anxiety.

The one thing that people tend to worry about when they are heading outdoors for the day is those pesky insects. When you have spent the last year indoors due to COVID, it is easy to forget about ticks and mosquitos! But you don’t have to sacrifice your outdoor socialization.

Using Herbal Armor® InsectRepellent will help keep you and your family protected when you head outside.Whether you are hiking, camping, or simply relaxing in your backyard with family and friends, you can spend a quality time with less worry about getting itchy bug bites!

With Herbal Armor’s natural insect-repelling oils, the mosquitoes and ticks will be kept away. Effective Herbal Armor bug spray offers you a DEET-Free protection while still packing a powerful punch. You won’t miss a beat when you pack Herbal Armor for your outdoor adventure.

Remember: Being active and outdoors is directly linked to a healthy body and mind. While research continues, many of us are beginning to see the importance of escaping the confines of our home and venturing out into nature. No matter how much we try, we will always be connected to nature and benefit from direct interaction.

Not only is it vital for the individual, but it also brings friends and families together. You can exercise, encourage each other, meditate, destress or simply relax! Remember, every time you head out into nature, take precautions to help keep your skin safe from mosquitoes and ticks by using Herbal Armor!

Herbal Armor® Repellents are available in pump spray version with different sizes and in continuous spray version with 3oz travel-size which sprays easily and consistently at any direction.