Monthly WhyPriya JagannathanFebruary 28, 2024

Why is outdoor activity beneficial to health?

Monthly WhyPriya JagannathanFebruary 28, 2024

In today’s fast-paced society, with everyone huddled inside their air-conditioned rooms, we are seeing an overwhelming incidence of vitamin D deficiency among younger and older individuals alike. Emerging science has documented the dangers of deficiencies like this and how even our immune system can be compromised by these deficits in our body. The wake-up call about this is not just vitamin D deficiency but a host of other factors that can positively affect our health through outdoor activity. In this section, we will document some of those points as follows:

Mental health and wellbeing:

It is easy to say that mental well-being is critical to overall health and performance, both personally and in society. The global pandemic showed us how isolation indoors caused surges in mental health diseases.
A meta-analysis of several RCTs (randomized controlled trials) showed that nature-based interventions, or NBIs, reduced anxiety and stress among participants.
It is commonplace to know that a lot of mental health diseases are based on anxiety and stress emotions—having said that these NBI’s can be utilized to treat and help prevent these conditions, along with the medications and guidance of the psychiatrist.

Terpenes:

Outdoor activity has the added advantage of exposure to volatile agents that are released by plants and trees that include terpenes.
These plant oils have useful applications that include the treatment of immunological disorders like dermatitis, arthritis, neuronal disorders, and even cancer, etc.
There are more than 40,000 structural variations to these terpenes, and their applications are innumerous and still under study.
“The Kneipp therapy" is a popular alternative and complementary approach in Germany with core foundations based on exercise in the forest.
In Japan, "Shinrin-yoku,” meaning taking or embracing the forest atmosphere or bathing, is also a very holistic method of healing that has been advocated and embraced by the Japanese government.
It is important to note that the essential oils and terpenes from conifers and herbs like rosemary have potent anti-inflammatory effects and directly affect inflammatory pathways. They even favorably influenced the workings of our immune system.

The above discussion is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of the benefits of outdoor activities for overall health. I would encourage you to protect and respect your environment, as we are to be good stewards of what has been bestowed upon us so graciously! As always, I wish that you keep your health and nutrition in center focus and live long and strong!

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