Time to Unplug

 

At this moment people are working on a persuasive ad campaign to make your subconscious push you into buying another tech product. From Silicon Valley to the Guangzhou Province of China, multi-billion dollar corporations are saturating our lives with more technology, and it’s hurting every aspect of our lives. With more technology in our homes, we withdraw into our shell, stay indoors more, make social media our best friend, and almost forget how beneficial the outdoors can be. Courtesy of technology, we now spend about 90 percent of our time indoors. We suffer when we limit our existence to the walls of our homes. Spending some time outdoors has a lot of benefits including the following.

 

 

You Move More

 

Obesity is now an epidemic largely because of our sedentary lifestyle. The outdoors presents many opportunities to move about while engaging in different activities. Research has revealed that people who run or bike outdoors expend more calories and exert more energy than people who exercise on treadmills or stationary bikes. Studies suggest people who get more sun tend to be more physically active. It has been shown that people who exercising outdoors are more committed for the long term and reap numerous health benefits.

 

 

Reduces Stress Levels

 

After work, walking can de-clutter your mind and eliminate tension. According to a 2009 study, people reported lower stress levels after taking a walk in a green area. Another study conducted in 2013 discovered that taking a walk in a green area can result in a meditative state of mind. A 2010 study also found that walking through the forest could reduce the levels of the stress hormone "cortisol" in the blood and reduce anxiety and stress. The study also found that the practice, which is also called forest bathing can lower blood pressure and heart rate, lower fatigue, and even improve mood.

 

 

Get Some Fresh Unpolluted Air

 

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the indoors is more polluted than outdoors. Studies have shown that pollutants can be as high as 100 times indoors than outdoors, and yet we believe our cozy little crib is the safest place in the world. It gets worse because most common indoor pollutants make the list of the top five environmental risks to public health.

 

While indoors, you are exposed to CO gas from cooking appliances and the fireplace as well as other chemicals from furnishings, office products, and many other things in the home. Ventilation can reduce the pollutants, but your best bet is to spend more time outside.

 

 

Easiest Way to Get Vitamin D

 

Isn’t it ironic that Vitamin D deficiency is now a pandemic while the sun is the best source of the essential vitamin? You don’t pay for it, it comes to meet you anywhere you might be, but yet millions of people are still deficient in this gift of nature because we spend most of our time indoors. Vitamin D is an important vitamin, and its deficiency has been linked to different types of diseases including cancer and Alzheimer’s. Spending more time outdoors can help improve and even solve the problem of vitamin D deficiency.

 

Our tech gadgets have enslaved us to the point where we are dependent on them for our daily existence, something unthinkable in the last 50 years. By spending more time outdoors offers the body and mind unbelievable benefits.