This time of year, the harsh winter months can easily lead to days and weeks of being starved of the venturing outdoors. Summer evening walks and even the crisp woodland strolls of Autumn can slip away as cold rains and frosty mornings take hold — and with them we see a rise in the number of people of suffering from ill mental-health. Few would argue that this is any kind of coincidence.
In this insightful guest blog post from Katie Myers, we look at the importance of getting outdoors — to both physical and mental wellbeing — with the help of an eye-catching infographic shared at the end of this post. [Please see this as a plea to take care of yourself this winter. Kate x]
Benefits of getting outdoors
Being outdoors has a profound effect on your physical and mental wellbeing, from improved sleep quality, increased energy levels and a more positive outlook.
Unfortunately, many of us seem to struggle to get outside often enough and as a result, a huge percentage of the population struggles from illnesses such as stress, sleep deficiency and Seasonal Affective Disorder.
Modern in-door lifestyles
Today’s society is becoming less focused on the outdoors and more targeted towards technology, productivity and career-driven lifestyles.
By working 9-5, commuting by train or car and spending the evening in our homes, it’s easy for the majority of our day to be spent inside without natural sunlight.
As a result, 90% of our time is spent indoors on average, which means the majority of us are not spending as much time outside as we need to.
How does spending time outdoors help us?
Unfortunately, there are many health risks to a lack of sunlight exposure from sleep deprivation to Vitamin D deficiency.
Especially during the winter months when daylight levels are at their lowest, it’s important that you make an effort to spend some time outdoors when you can.
You can make sure you’re getting enough sunlight exposure simply by going for a walk on your lunch break, cycling to work or going for a jog in the evenings. Guaranteed, you’ll feel the physical and mental health benefits almost immediately.
‘Get outside and be immersed in nature’
This infographic created by the team at Mainland Aggregates looks further into why going outdoors is so beneficial for your mind and body.
We hope this infographic is enough to inspire even the least outdoorsy of us to get outside and be immersed in nature, even for just 20 minutes a day. Read on to find out more:
About the Author
Katie Myers is a content writer for Mainland Aggregates, who supply and deliver of all types of quarried, recycled and decorative aggregates as well as sports surface products. On their behalf, Katie produces a range of online content that reflects the health benefits of enjoying the outdoors. In the past she has written on a wide range of topics including wildlife, the environment and previously on the pages of this blog: the value of water as a global resource.
