Did you know that getting outdoors to breathe in the fresh air and getting some light and sun rays can be beneficial for your health?
According to Harvard Health (https://www.health.harvard.edu/press_releases/spending-time-outdoors-is-good-for-you) getting outdoors even for a few minutes can help reap physical and mental benefits.
They list 5 good reasons to get outdoors.
1) Your Vitamin D levels rise
Would you believe that Vitamin D from the sun helps fight diseases and conditions such as osteoporosis, cancer, depression, heart attacks and more?
2)Moving more and getting a bit of exercise.
Rather than taking a break from your computer and jumping on the couch to catch a Netflix episode get your body in motion.
3)You will get happier.
Light (especially sunlight) elevates mood and helps you relax.
4)You will improve your concentration.
Breathing in fresh air soaking in the warmth of the sun can be meditative and help clear the clutter in your mind.
5)People may heal faster.
One study showed that when exposed to sunlight people in pain and stress took fewer pain medications.
Other reasons include just a change of scenery, connecting with others (especially now with the pandemic in action and meeting outdoors for safer measures) it can be meditative, gives you mental focus and clarity, just feels so darn good!
If you are working from home and feel that you are strapped to your chair and trapped at your desk with work calls back-to-back then perhaps taking your audio call while you go for a short walk. Just pop in those earbuds, put on those walking shoes and just go! You may even find yourself less stressed and with a better state of mind to push through some of those tough meetings and strategy planning sessions. Technology these days has made it so much easier for us to be creative with our work and home life schedule.
If you have kids at home, still from in person school, take them outside for breaks between lessons and walk/run around a bit or even play a quick outdoor game such as catch or tag. You can even take your mobile devices and sit in your yard or a nearby park to continue schoolwork or office work.
Lastly, if time just does not permit for longer breaks then after taking a bathroom break take a quick step out onto your front or back porch and just stand there and breathe for a minute. Notice how even a minute can make you feel before you head back in to continue your work.
Sneaking in multiple quick breaks by stepping outside is a better option than getting into the pantry and refrigerator for multiple snack breaks or turning the TV on to catch up the news.
If you have only 5-minute increments to get that outdoor light and fresh air during the day, then do just that. You do not need 30-60 minutes at a time to get your outdoor Zen in. Rather than incorporating the “all or nothing” mentality just get in what you can and notice how it makes you feel and how much better you will perform in all of life’s activities.
Would you like to learn to create a better lifestyle and incorporate more things that bring you joy in your life practice?
Try a free 30 min Health and Wellness Coaching session with me to see how I can help!