Since the beginning of time, humans have recognized the health-enhancing power of nature and the great outdoors. Older societies spent much of their time outdoors, simply based on their daily routines of farming, gardening, travel, and other work. As our society has developed, time spent in nature has drastically decreased. Nature is now viewed as a luxury rather than a necessity.
So, why the shift? The short answer is technology. Technology has completely changed the way we work, the way we travel, and really the way we spend our time. Technology fills our homes, our pockets, our purses and more. It’s everywhere. While it’s brought us many gifts and luxuries, it has also helped to pull us away from nature. Think about it, you could really spend days, if not weeks, in your home if you had to. As a matter of fact, we are being asked to do just that right now. Aside from the extreme current conditions we are facing today, this lifestyle change has led to humans spending a staggering 93% of their entire life indoors. This means, 93% of our lives are spent in boxes, under artificial lighting, without fresh air, and without a pure connection to the nature around us.
What if we could change this? And actually, we need to change this–for the sake of our health.
Nature is a place to destress, reflect and inspire. When it comes to optimal health, it’s a must. Several studies reveal the positive connection between nature and its effects on the body, mind, microbiome and more.
We are living through a time when it’s of the utmost importance to have a strong immune system. It’s important to note that nature actually boosts immune function. When we get outside and breathe fresh air, we breathe in a variety of airborne particles that plants produce to protect themselves from bugs. These particles are called phytoncides and they have both antibacterial and antifungal properties. When we breathe them in, our bodies react by boosting the natural killer cells (the ones that fight off the virus-infected cells in the body) thus boosting immune function. So get out and smell the roses, it will do your body good.
While on the subject of immune function it’s important to note the connection between nature and the gut microbiome. Fun fact, 70% of the immune system actually resides in the gut thus directly interacting, and partly depending, on the gut microbiome. When you spend time outside in nature, you are exposed to tremendous amounts of bacteria that help to diversify your microbiome. No, this doesn’t mean that you need to pick up a handful of dirt and eat it. Simply getting outside and playing in your garden will do the trick. Not a fan of dirt? No problem, hiking around in the forest will do the job as well.
Speaking of today’s events and the uncertainty that surrounds it, stress levels are rising. It turns out that nature can be of help in this category as well. Several studies show that just being in nature, whether you are sitting, hiking or running helps to improve mood, reduce stress and lower blood pressure. So as you are working from home, caring for the children, trying to keep your house clean and wondering when you will ever sleep, take a little time to get out in nature (of course away from other people) and let it offload some of that stress.
If you’ve been working from home and are new to it, you may be finding that it can be a bit difficult to focus. Well, you guessed it, nature can help with that as well. Spending time in nature helps with mental focus. Taking a break from your computer screen, from multitasking, from extreme concentration and spending a little time watching the plants sway in the wind, the bees dance from plant to plant and the birds glide allows the cognitive portion of your brain to take a much-needed break. And, of course, this allows you a renewed sense of focus and concentration when it’s time to get back to work.
Time in nature helps to remedy many of the daily concerns we face today. Rather than viewing it as a luxury, perhaps we should view it more as a daily supplement. Just as we focus on consuming a healthy diet and supplementing with probiotics, superfoods, vitamins and minerals each day, perhaps we should focus on adding a little “vitamin nature” to our daily routine. It may just improve your quality of life.