5 Reasons Why the Outdoors is Good for You

Playing outdoors used to be a great way to keep us physically active as children. But as we got older, we came to spent more time indoors and less time outside our four walls, be they our homes or our work cubicles. As much as we think we can cut breaks to maximize productivity, it’s important to step outside and take a leisurely walk every once in a while. Here are some of the reasons why:

1. Indoor Air is Not Always Cleaner

You probably assume that indoor air is cleaner and better for your lungs than those outside; but the opposite is true. Researches have found that concentrations of certain pollutants is often 2–5 times higher indoors than it is outdoors.

Making things worse is that the most common pollutants found indoors are among the top five environmental risks to public health. Inside, exposure to carbon monoxide and other particulates, including volatile organic compounds, formaldehyde, and flame retardant, become even more likely.

Chemicals from furnishings, building materials, household and office products and more can produce particles into the air, including mold, dust and dirt. If you regularly experience symptoms such as burning eyes, scratchy throat, breathing problems, headaches, fatigue, and brain fog, you probably spend too much time breathing indoor air.

2. It Cuts Down Stress

If you’re feeling stressed at home or at work, taking a short walk outside can be amazing for you.

A study in 2009 found that after taking a walk in a natural setting, people reported feeling less stressed. One 2013 study also reported that walking in areas like parks and tree-lined paths can put the brain in a meditative state.

And you’ll feel even better by going directly to a forest. “Forest bathing”, which is basically walking through a forested area, not only reduces cortisol levels in the blood (indicators of stress), but also reduces feelings of anxiety. Walking in forests also lowers blood pressure and incidence of fatigue, as well as improves mood.

3. Sunlight Gives Good Vitamin D – And Boosts Your Immune System

Vitamin D is hard to get from just the food we eat. In fact, most of our daily vitamin D intake actually comes from being exposed to the sun. Vitamin D is not only good for cell growth, it also helps to strengthen our immune system.

However, because spending too much time under the sun can be harmful to your skin, you should also consider using sunscreen to protect it.

Studies from the Nippon Medical School in Japan found that women who daily spend at least 3 hours outside had higher levels of white blood cells than those who spent less time outside.

4. Your Eyes Will Thank You

In children, numerous researches have found that spending time outdoor may protect eyesight, lowering the risk of developing near-sightedness or myopia.

One study in Australia followed close to 2,000 children for two years and found that more time spent outdoors resulted to lower prevalence of near-sightedness among 12-year-olds. A similar research in Taiwan studied two nearby schools where students commonly develop myopia. One school was encouraged to add outdoor activities in its curriculum, while the other was kept as a control group.

After a year, the rate of myopia in the control was about 18 percent. In the school that encouraged kids to play outside, the rate was just 8 percent.

5. You Will Sleep Better

Going outside can actually help you sleep better. This is because your sleep pattern is kept in check by what is called the “circadian rhythm”, a natural rhythm of the body linked to daylight. Excessive time indoors can adversely affect this rhythm, resulting to disrupted sleep patterns.

Routinely exposing ourselves to sunlight, particularly in the morning, will help our bodies return to a natural sleep cycle.