Explore Which Outdoor Activities Can Make Your Health Better

“Nature’s therapy heals the soul.”

Who needs a gym membership when you have the outdoors?

Outdoor exercise has a stronger effect on blood pressure and mood than indoor exercise. Stress is relieved within minutes of exposure to Nature as measured by muscle tension, blood pressure, and brain activity.

To put it simply, time spent outside is good for you!

Let’s take a look at a few fun Outdoor Activities that can improve your health.

Outdoor Activities That Can Improve Your Health

Cycling

Cycling has plenty of benefits for both the mind and body.

To start, it’s a great lower body workout that works your quads, hamstrings, and calves. It’ll also help you get your cardio in, and therefore improve your cardiovascular health.

Plus it’s non-weight-bearing, which makes it a good option for people dealing with joint pain or injury. Pedaling while maintaining balance and steering also improves your coordination.

A bike ride is great for your mental health too! Cycling can relieve stress and boost mood, plus it’s a great opportunity to bond with your friends and family.

Swimming

Swimming isn’t just about enjoying Ontario Parks’ beautiful beaches, it’s also a head-to-toe workout!

Swimming is another great low-impact exercise, which means it allows people recovering from injury to stay fit without straining their bodies.

The water also provides resistance, which increases muscle strength and tone as you swim. Lastly, swimming stretches your muscles and increases flexibility.

Swimming helps you relax and destress. Floating in the water dulls the sensory information that can overwhelm, creating feelings of calm. The rhythmic movements and breathing can also provide meditative benefits.

Next time you backstroke, butterfly, or front crawl, think about all of the amazing health benefits you’re getting!

Hiking

Hiking can be a peaceful walk in the park or a heart-pounding workout. Hiking tones your lower body, and upper body if you use poles. It’s great cardio to keep your heart healthy and boosts bone density as a weight-bearing exercise.

Feeling stuck? Hiking can improve creative thinking and problem-solving. As you make your way down the trail, you’ll hear nature sounds like birds and rushing water. These sounds are proven to have a calming effect.

Hit the trails today, and see the health benefits of hiking for yourself!

Yoga

Seeking some peace and stability, while enjoying the fresh air?

Outdoor yoga could be for you! The combination mind-body workout of yoga pairs perfectly with the all-over health benefits of time spent outdoors.

Feel your worries melt away as you breathe in the fresh air, and focus on your wellness. Contact with nature has been found to lower blood pressure, strengthen the immune system, help mitigate disease, and reduce stress levels.

Health Benefits of Outdoor Activities

Improves your mental wellbeing

As we mentioned, your mental well-being greatly improves when you exercise outdoors. One of the reasons for this is the awareness that your mind has throughout the exercise, particularly in regard to the changing terrain and weather.

Unlike in the gym where the floors are flat and benches evenly positioned, the terrain outdoors includes winding paths, hills, woods, and valleys. You are forced to be focused and alert at all times and that alone benefits your mental health.

The best way to get Vitamin D

Your bones and blood cells need a lot of calcium, phosphorus, and vitamin D for them to be healthy. Working out under the sunlight helps your body to absorb these minerals seamlessly. Also, getting 5–15 minutes of sun at least once every two days gives your body all the Vitamin D it needs.

Boosts self-esteem

Your self-esteem increases exponentially when you spend time with friends doing different outdoor activities. This effect is particularly strong when you spend time near water, green areas, and within sounds of nature such as waterfalls.

Walking along nature trails, fishing, and gardening, among other moderate-intensity physical activities, are important for your esteem as well.

Playing with paintball guns or laser guns is another worthy activity as it gives you a renewed sense of accomplishment, which is a major confidence boost.

Promotes memory

Nature walks have shown a significant relevance in memory retention among humans.

Walking around trees, for example, promotes your memory by more than 20%.

Stress-reduction effects

Cortisol — The hormone that indicates the level of stress in humans- reduces greatly when you spend time in the forest, say, watching birds and taking part in low-intensity outdoor activities.

Camping in the woods, for example, is a far better activity than spending time in the city, especially for people who suffer from anxiety.

It has also been scientifically proven that people who spend more time in the wild have a better heart rate than those who spend hours sitting in front of screens or in city traffic.

Reduces anxiety

As we have mentioned above, something about outside calming down an anxious mind. You will attest to this fact even if you aren’t fond of going out, you definitely have experienced the calming nature of Mother Nature even if it is through a house plant or pictures of nature.

Many offices nowadays have nature wall art hanging on office walls as a way of calming down angry, stressed, and anxious employees.

If that works, then you can imagine the significance of being in the presence of that waterfall or mountain you see in office wall art.

Improves the quality of your sleep

Your sleep cycle is dependent on the accuracy of your internal clock. If the clock isn’t working right, then you will have a hard time regulating your night's sleep.

The clock works right when the cells in your eyes get enough sunlight during the day, particularly before midday.

That is why you need to be out as many minutes as possible in the morning hours. This requirement becomes more important as you get older.

Boosts your immunity

We mentioned that morning sunlight boosts your Vitamin D levels. The more Vitamin D your body gets, the stronger its immune system becomes.

On top of that, being within outdoor plants helps you leverage the health benefits of the phytoncides and other organic compounds that plants produce. These compounds boost immune function in humans.

Conclusion

If you are a working citizen, you probably spend hours indoors in front of a computer and under artificial lights. And because you are overwhelmed by work in the office, you don’t have enough time to catch up on news and social trends, so you spend your evening basking in the glory of social media and TV.

It is in your best interest if you can end this harmful behavior. Get off the couch and take a walk in nature for a healthier lifestyle.

To make the most of these outdoor adventures and ensure a consistent routine, consider integrating the Justly app into your journey.

So, let the call of the outdoors beckon you.

Embrace the beauty of nature, engage in outdoor activities, and harness the transformative power they offer.

Start your adventure today and experience the incredible rewards that await you.

Justly: Habits, Goals, Journal

Explore Which Outdoor Activities Can Make Your Health better was originally published in Justly Blog on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.