January 27, 2017
The Beauty and Health Benefits of Connecting with Nature
As the snow falls gently outside, I am reminded of the spectacular beauty that nature has to offer. The wonders of winter are upon us, at least here in Southwestern Ontario. This time of year it can be easy to stay indoors with the shorter days and the thermometer dipping below 0. Being cuddled up on the couch with a warm beverage can seem like a better option, but there is so much goodness and healthy benefits waiting for us outside. Don’t get me wrong, I am all for staying warm and cozy but once the layers of boots and mitts and hats and coats are on and you make the effort to get outdoors, the benefits will far outweigh all the time and energy it took to get dressed, especially if you have a couple small children to get dressed too. Parents, you know what I’m talking about.
As soon as you step foot outside, the cool, crisp air will be an immediate energy boost for your body and will help to stimulate you. You may notice yourself slowing down and taking deeper breaths as the air can be so refreshing. This is great if you spend the majority of your day indoors and need a pick-me-up. Going for a short walk in the outdoors is fantastic for both your body and mind. It connects your body with nature, even if you are in a city, and it allows your mind to rest and recharge.
It has been proven that being in direct contact with the Earth, something known as grounding, has some pretty outstanding health and beauty benefits. After all, each of us is a part of this planet, so connecting with it is just a natural part of our daily lives, or at least it should be. Just think of the last time you took a walk in a forest, or on a trail, or even stepped outside for a few minutes to get some fresh air. You were probably energized and rejuvenated when you connected with nature and the more we do it, the better off we are.
Bring on the Sun! During the winter months, most people are deficient in vitamin D because we do spend a lot of time indoors and when we do go out, most of our skin is covered up. Another reason is that the hours of daylight are significantly reduced this time of year. Vitamin D, also known as the sunshine vitamin, is produced in our skin when it comes into contact with the UV light in the Sun’s rays.
Vitamin D plays a key role in regulating calcification of our bones, keeping us strong and healthy. Kids need it to grow and to develop strong bones and teeth. So by getting outside and exposing even just a bit of our bodies to the Sun during the winter months will help the body to get its daily dose of Vitamin D.
Another benefit to being outside is that our bodies naturally build up something called free radicals as we are exposed to everyday life. Every day our bodies are having to battle pollution, both indoors and out, various chemicals and EMR(Electromagnetic Radiation) from devices like cell phones and computers. These free radicals that our bodies develop are positively charged and when we get outside and connect with the Earth, the largest grounding device there is, the negative ions from the surface help to neutralize those free radicals, basically grounding us, evacuating the free radicals from our system. This grounding helps us to stay at our best, physically and mentally.
Finally, there is happiness embedded in nature. If you don’t believe me, take a moment and watch children at play. They will remind you of how much fun can be had outside, especially now that the snow has started to fall. There is something so refreshing and soothing about watching the snow fall and to see nature covered in a blanket of it.
We owe it to ourselves to slow down just a bit and forget about all the stresses and worries for a moment and remember that we are each just tiny specs on this incredible planet, here for only a brief moment. So why not get outside and enjoy this spectacular season, if not for the abundant beauty that it has to offer, then do it for your health.
