Feel Good Friday- Top 11 Reasons to Go Outside!

Welcome back to FEEL GOOD FRIDAY!

Do you ever feel like you’re just in a funk? I know I have those days. Those days where you can’t find motivation, you feel kinda down, like you’re under a cloud and you just don’t know how to get out of it…Well, today’s tip really can bring you some extra “umph”!

Research has proven that going outside can have many mental & physiological benefits! Here are some of those benefits:

1. Vitamin D

Vitamin D comes from the sun, and works miracles in the body! Vitamin D is not actually a vitamin, but a hormone. It is responsible for boosting the immune system, fighting against cancer cells, regulating hormones, and keeping you in tip top shape. Vitamin D has even been referred to as “The Happiness Hormone”. All you need to do is go outside and let your body soak up the sun’s gift of Vitamin D. If it’s winter time and you have absolutely zero sun, you can refer to Dr. Mercola’s tanning bed guide to find a safe one near you. If you are deficient in this essential hormone, you have an increased risk for many illnesses and depression. Read more here…

2. Enhances Focus & Concentration

Sometimes we get so wrapped up into what we are doing in the office that we lose focus and concentration. Stepping outside for some fresh air to take a walk and get our mind on something else can really improve your focus and concentration when you return to work. Next time your brain stops working, go take a breather outside for a few minutes. 🙂

3. Stress Reduction

Research has shown that there is something very powerful that happens when we are outside in nature. Everyone’s environment is different. Maybe you live in a big city and the closest thing you have is a city park, or maybe you live in the mountains, where the forest is your backyard. Either way, use your resources to connect with nature. This has proven to decrease stress & tension in the body, no matter where you are. With how stressful life can be sometimes, this is a KEY tool to use whenever you need it. Step out of the office, get out of the house, spend some time with just yourself and the beautiful scenery around you. Even if it’s raining, put on a jacket, rain boots, and an umbrella and go take a walk in the rain, breathing in the fresh, clean air!

4. Get Grounded

What does it mean to “get grounded”? You may have heard of this technique as “earthing” as well. Some people get more into the “hippie” language than I like to, but the important part is that you know the incredible benefits of getting grounded! All it is really is putting a piece of your body in contact with anything in nature- a tree, the ground, a plant, etc. The best thing to do would be to get barefoot on the ground- not cement, but the grass or dirt. Why is this so important? Because in our society, no matter where we are in a building we are surrounded by EMF’s- ElectroMagnetic Frequencies. These come from all of the electronic devices we have around us- cell phones, house phones, WiFi, Laptops, radios, TV, etc. If you live in an apartment like I do, you are not only exposed to your own devices but EVERYONE’s around you… Electromagnetic Radiation goes through everything! This is very unnatural and very dangerous if you don’t know how to keep your body protected.

Each time you touch a tree or the ground, or anything connected to the ground, all of the radiation goes straight from you and is released into the ground. What happens when you don’t do this? Most of the time we wear shoes with a rubber sole. This means, the frequencies are basically bounced around in our body creating chaos. This can make you feel more stressed than usual, scattered, it has been linked to insomnia, tumors, infertility, etc. The risk is very much real and the most dangerous part about it is that you can’t see it.I personally use EMF protecting devices on all our cell phones, laptops, and WiFi router. You can learn more here- www.GIAWellness.com/jlopez I also have a grounding mat that I love! They are available at www.longevitywarehouse.com

So, try to get outside today and get in touch with nature and get rid of this added stress that you definitely don’t need!

5. Stimulate the Balance & Happiness Parts of your brain

Just looking at a natural scene activates parts of the brain associated with balance and happiness. In a study at South Korea’s Chonnam National University, fMRI scans showed that when subjects saw images of mountains, forests, and other landscapes, they experienced heightened activity in the anterior cingulate gyrus (which is linked to positive outlook and emotional stability) and the basal ganglia (an area that’s been tied to the recollection of happy memories). (Source)

6. Stimulate your senses

When you’re stuck inside a building all day, you are usually staring at a computer screen or indoors doing a repetitive task- of course depending on what your occupation is. When you go outdoors, your eyes are strengthened and SEE different colors, distances, and shapes, your skin FEELS the cool air, breeze, and sunlight, your nose SMELLS the fresh air and the different smells of restaurants and buildings, your ears HEAR birds chirping, cars buzzing, and people talking, and maybe even your mouth TASTES a cup of warm tea or fresh juice if you stop by your favorite outdoor cafe. 🙂 Your body feels alive and happy as you stimulate all of your senses outside.

7. Increase oxygenation

What would happen if you stop breathing? Obviously, we would stop living. Oxygen is critical to our health and survival. Going outdoors and breathing the fresh air increases our oxygen consumption, therefore improving our health. Air quality indoors can be very poor, and in some buildings even dangerous. Breathing in the fresh cool air is one of the best things you can do on a daily basis. Oxygen has been proven to kill cancer & diseased cells, which is what we all want, so go outside today and take an extra deep breath of fresh air and get that oxygen moving all over your body!

 

8. Stimulate your Immune System

Going outside has various benefits for the immune system- moving increases peristalsis in the digestive system where 80% of your immune system is, increasing oxygen has been shown to fight cancer cells, reducing stress causes reduced cortisol levels, which lets your body do it’s job and fight off pathogenic invaders, and Vitamin D is proven to increase the immune system and kick the crap out of dangerous carcinogens. What’s not to love?

Researchers at Tokyo’s Nippon Medical School have quantifiable evidence: In one study, women who spent two to four hours in the woods on two consecutive days experienced a nearly 50 percent increase in the activity of cancer-fighting white blood cells. (Source)

 

9. Increased Energy

If you’re dragging and feeling low energy levels, research has shown that just going outside for a quick walk can boost your energy levels more than a cup of coffee! Being outdoors stimulates your brain and puts an extra pep in your step. So, next time instead of heading over to the coffee cart or vending machine to get a dangerous energy drink, go for a walk and breathe in some fresh air!

 

10. Fights against Depression

As you have read above, being outdoors has tremendous effects on the body, and each of the above reasons plays a role in fighting against depression. If you find yourself in a place of feeling depressed, spend as much time outdoors as you can. Maybe try gardening, sit in the sand, go for a swim, go hiking or camping, and watch your mind & body begin to change. 🙂

Norwegian researchers discovered that subjects with moderate-severe depression who participated in a horticultural program experienced reduced symptoms after 12 weeks. “Humans are innately engaged in nature,” says study author Marianne Thorsen Gonzalez, PhD, making gardening an ideal distraction from the rumination that fuels depression. (Source)

They sound like science fiction, but negative ions—particles that are plentiful near waterfalls, breaking waves, and river rapids—can act as natural antidepressants, according to Columbia University researchers. And an Indoor Air study found that after breathing negative ions for an hour, subjects’ blood lactate levels dropped 33 percent, improving their energy levels. (Source)

11. Easier Exercise

I can attest to this proven fact, that exercise is perceived easier outside. For me, running 10 minutes on a treadmill indoors feels like an eternity, but 10 minutes outside is more like an adventure and passes incredible quickly. I can easily go jogging for 30-45 minutes and feel great outdoors, but indoors, I’m lucky to last 10-15 minutes. It is also better for you, because when you exercise outdoors, you are also reaping all of the above benefits simultaneously!

So, today’s challenge is to get outside more and enjoy your scenery. Are you up for it? 🙂 Let us know how your journey’s outside go today by leaving us a comment below!

Have a beautiful day everyone!

xoxo,

“By entering through faith into what God has always wanted to do for us—set us right with him, make us fit for him—we have it all together with God because of our Master Jesus. And that’s not all: We throw open our doors to God and discover at the same moment that he has already thrown open his door to us. We find ourselves standing where we always hoped we might stand—out in the wide open spaces of God’s grace and glory, standing tall and shouting our praise.

 There’s more to come: We continue to shout our praise even when we’re hemmed in with troubles, because we know how troubles can develop passionate patience in us, and how that patience in turn forges the tempered steel of virtue, keeping us alert for whatever God will do next. In alert expectancy such as this, we’re never left feeling shortchanged. Quite the contrary—we can’t round up enough containers to hold everything God generously pours into our lives through the Holy Spirit!”

~ Romans 5:1-5 (The Message)

 

Resources:

http://foodforconsciousness.blogspot.com.es/2011/01/vitamin-d-happiness-hormone.html

http://onlyhealth.wordpress.com/2009/12/10/health-advantages-of-going-outside/

http://physicalliving.com/nature-deficit-disorder-the-top-10-reasons-to-go-outside/

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