With technology sprawled in the society through screens, there can be no better role of stepping out than this. Walking through a park, climbing a mountain, or even relaxing in a garden provides number of positive effects on the human body, mind, and spirit. The above activities can help to break the monotony and also are very important in enhancing the health of a person.
Physical Health Benefits
Being an outdoor activity, most of the activities involved in this physical health improve are enjoyable. This is in contrast to indoor exercises that have to be performed indoors and may at times turn out to be very boring or monotonous leading to little action by the people involved. Brisk walking, running, cycling, swimming or playing football or tennis is excellent for a full body exercise that aid cardiovascular fitness, muscular endurance and elasticity.
Also, getting a chance to sunbathe while performing outdoor tasks helps in the intake of Vitamin D that is important for bone and the immune system. Another nutrient which is believed to cause various diseases if not adequately supplied in the right proportions in the body is Vitamin D, it is believed to cause osteoporosis, some types of cancer and mood swings. Staying outdoors also guarantees that the body gets enough sunlight to increase the Vitamin D in the body thus minimizing the incidence of such diseases.
Playing outdoors also contributes towards upholding a healthy weight of the body. Since most outdoor practices involve natural grounds, any activity that is done outdoors involves more energy expenditure compared to indoor surfaces. This extra effort helps in expending more calories hence aiding in the control of weight in the body. Besides, activities done outside are experienced to be physically demanding for longer and more rigorous periods because the natural environment acts as a form of entertainment that distracts people from the sweating they are undergoing.
Mental Health Benefits
It is actually found that the psychological benefits of outdoor exercises are perhaps just as much or even more than the physical benefits. Modern society can be characterized by developing stress levels, anxiety, and even depression, outdoor activities solve this problem on their own. There is a strong folklore that going for a walk, any kind of walk in the fresh air and where green trees or hills can be seen, can work wonders for the soul. It is for this reason that a simple act of getting out of doors, under the trees, near the water, or under the sky's vast canopy has been known to bring the mind to rest.
The ability of outdoor activities to lower concentration of cortisol, the stress hormone, is one of the outstanding benefits of outdoor activities for mental health. Of particular interest is the fact that when cortisol is high, then one is likely to experience anxiety, get depressed or even have a poor memory. It also reduces the level of cortisol thereby enhancing the general health of the brain.
Outdoor activities also help in increasing the level of mindfulness, a concept that demands that the mind dwell on the present moment with minimal criticism. Nature generally helps in making people pay attention to their surroundings through touching, seeing, hearing, etc NATURE IN THE PARK Bringing in nature itself will help encourage awareness through the use of our five senses. Such patience of mindfulness actually has the benefit which consists of reducing the possibility of stress, anxiety, and depression, increasing the ability to focus, and cultivating more appreciation and happiness.
Social Benefits
Outdoor activities can also present occasions to interact with people, and that is another component of welfare. Be it a family outing in a park, a team trekking or even a school sports day, the involvement in a sporting event can create better relations socially. Companion has a radical role playing in emotional health since they make the individual feel protected, valued, and have purpose in the society. Fun activities also create a sense of involvement in a team, communication, and building of proper interpersonal relationships.
As for children, outdoor activities are important in the overall process of their social human interaction. To support the key argument, it can be suggested that pre-school children playing clustered in an outdoor environment enhances their pro- social development skills including sharing, persuasive speaking and generative empathy. It also strengthens creativity and problem-solving as most children tend to come up with games or challenge that has to be met using the natural surrounding.
Connection to Nature
A very deep value that can be understood from the aspect of outdoor activities is the possibility to interact with nature. This link is not only a calming one but can also help a person or a community establish a relation with the World, thus making them a steward and take responsibility for the environment. There is hardly any doubt that nature has a gentling effect on the human spirit; it has the power to effectively reorient the mind to the different existential issues in life as well as reawakens the soul to the fact that there is a huge universe out there in which is are but small players.
Staying in natural areas can also make people become more considerate with the environment and, thus, live sustainably. A group of people who apply their leisure time for outdoor activities are generally aware of the possible negative effects they impose to the environment or the eco-system and would more likely fight for the conservation of such areas. It is pivotal to the health or the self as well as to the earth that this linking to nature occurs.
Boosting Creativity and Problem-Solving
Outdoor activities help in increasing creativity and problem solving as it has been evidenced among the adventurers. Constantly changing environment of the natural surroundings provokes the brain to work in different way and make connections that were not possible before. Hiking or camping, or any activity which may take place in the outdoors demands critical thinking and recourse to solutions.
