Getting outside can help you to improve your overall health. Your lungs, your heart, and your weight will all benefit from outside time. Your immune system will get the benefit of vitamin D when you are out in the sun. Being outside more can also be beneficial to your mental health as well. A good way to make sure that you are outside more is to do fun things with your family, friends, or even just by yourself. The more you can do to make things fun, the more you will reap the benefits of going outside.
1. Hiking to Get You Outside More
One of the best ways to get outside is to go hiking. Hiking will allow you to get a workout and experience nature. If you are not experienced at hiking, you can still do it. Just start in a small beginner area somewhere near your home.
You can look online to find hiking trails in your area that you and your family will love. When you first start out, make sure to only hike for a short time. You do not want your first hike to be ten miles, especially if you have your family along. Look for one mile and under hikes until you have a few hikes under your belt.
To make the hiking trip enjoyable, make sure that everyone has comfortable shoes, water, and snacks. Packing a small backpack can help to ensure that you have everything you need. To make it even more fun, consider doing a nature study during the hike. Look for small animals and plants that will interest the entire family.
2. Camping
Another great way to get outdoors is to go camping. Camping gives you the opportunity to go somewhere new away from the city. There are campsites where you can be completely enclosed in the woods, you can camp on a lake, you can camp in the mountains, or you can even camp on the beach.
When you are camping, you can encourage your children to get out and play in the area or explore the area. The more that they are out in nature, the better. When camping, you can choose to tent camp, or you can use a camper. To find locations that you wish to camp at, you can go online and look at some of the camping parks out there.
For example, you can go to Lake Claiborne and do some Lake Claiborne camping. You will get to experience the lake and more. Once you go on your first camping trip, you will want to go back again and again. To start your camping journey, make sure that you plan out where you want to go and take all of your necessary supplies so that you have a great camping trip.
3. Gardening to Get You Outside More
In addition to camping and hiking, another great thing that you can do that does not require you to leave your home is to garden. There are plenty of options when it comes to gardening. Even if you only have a small piece of property, you can still garden. For example, if you live in an apartment or do not have much of a yard, you can always garden in containers. If you have a larger piece of property, you can do more, including planting flowers, trees, and a vegetable garden.
The key to gardening and making sure that you enjoy it is to grow things that you love. If you love roses, plant roses. If you love certain kinds of vegetables, do not hesitate to plant those. If you are inexperienced with gardening, you can always purchase a book or read gardening blogs online.
With some time and effort, you will have the garden of your dreams. The most important thing with gardening is to plan and to understand that there is a learning curve. Even experienced gardens have trouble with their plants from time to time. The more you garden, the more you will love it, and you will find yourself going outside more and more.
4. Bird Watching
There are approximately 1000 bird species around the world, did you know that? Most people don’t take the time in their everyday life to appreciate the beauty of birds. Because of this, only a very few number of people can claim to have spotted 7000 of these bird species in their lifetime. Bird watching has quickly become a popular outdoor recreational activity for those who want to get outside more.
It is a safe, relaxing, and fun way to enjoy nature without requiring too much from the participant. Bird watching can require a lot of walking, which makes it great exercise, too. You can also just walk out into your backyard or a nearby park and try and see how many bird species you can spot close to home to see if it’s something you even enjoy before getting too invested. It’s a cheap and easy way to get the sun on your skin and the wind in your hair.
5. Take a Walk
While this may seem like a no-brainer, that’s the exact reason it’s been included on this list. Taking a walk is so common it can often be overlooked or forgotten. It’s a great way to get out of the house for however long you desire. You can take a walk that ends up being 15 minutes or a walk that ends up being 2 hours. Either way, it will always be beneficial to you no matter the length. Taking a walk is a good activity for those who aren’t physically fit enough to go hiking, but still want to be active while outside. Getting outside and going for an early morning or late night walk allows you to meet community people in the park whenever you choose to go out on your romp. Strolling alongside a lake or river is a great passive recreational activity that doesn’t put too much strain on the body and still gets you outside. It is equally beneficial for mental and physical health.
The serenity and peace that can be offered by early morning and afternoon walks are incomparable to anything else in the world. You can enjoy the beautiful dew drops, the sounds of chirping birds, nice cool breezes, and obviously less polluted air. If you choose to get started early in the morning you can then have a good day.
Conclusion
If you want to get out more, you must find the time to do some of the things listed above. It is possible to get outside more, but it will depend entirely on your dedication to doing so. If you don’t make the change, you will not get out. Your goal should be to spend at least ten minutes outside every day and increase that time as you go on. The more that you stay outside, the more benefits you will get to your health. Staying outside not only helps your overall health, but it can also can help boost your mental health. Consider making a plant today to get out more, whether it be with camping, hiking, gardening, bird watching, taking a walk, or all five. Do not be afraid to test out different activities until you find one you like, and stick with it.
