The warmer weather is here! The outdoors beckons. Being outside will boost your physical, emotional, social and spiritual wellbeing. When we look back at our past generations we see that they spent more time outdoors; they did their own gardening, they walked around their villages and only used the horse and buggy to visit towns and family that were a great distance away. Children always walked to school, people worked in their own community so often they walked to work and they walked to Church on Sundays as well.

Today we find that most people spend an average of 90% of their time indoors, the most time spent outdoors is the walk from their front door to their car and then into their place of work or school. The average person in 2014 spends less than 1 hour a week outside!

Here are five good reasons to get outdoors:

1. Vitamin D levels rise: When you are out in the sun from May until October the hormone Vitamin D is formed on your skin. There are studies that suggest Vitamin D will improve your immune system so it helps fight many conditions, from osteoporosis and cancer to depression and heart attacks. Also because Vitamin D can help lower and control insulin, sunlight may also play a role helping people reach their weight loss goals. Limit your sun exposure (don’t overdo it), supplement with vitamin D3 drops if you are not able to get out in the natural sun for 30 minutes each day (during the winter months you should supplement by 2000-5000 units a day).

2. Get more exercise: Once you are getting outside more now that the warm weather is here you will be spending less time inside watching TV or playing computer games and such. You will be spending more time walking, gardening and doing other things that put the body in motion. Other studies by researchers in England and Sweden have found that joggers who exercise in a natural green setting with trees, foliage and landscape views, feel more restored, and less anxious, angry and depressed than those runners who burn the same amount of calories in gyms or other urban settings. So even if you have to drive a few miles to find a little green, it’s worth it!

3. Air Quality is improved: Believe it or not the air outside is better than the air in your home, school or workplace! Plants and trees are like living, breathing air filters. They detoxify the air by absorbing many substances that can be harmful to humans, like excess carbon dioxide and dust particles. They also create oxygen, which we need to live and to function. NASA researchers conducted a study years ago, which found that having just two houseplants per 100 square feet of space removed toxins and dramatically improved air quality in a house. Studies of human exposure to air pollutants by EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) indicate that indoor levels of pollutants may be 2 to 5 times – and occasionally more than 100 times – higher than outdoor pollutant levels. Indoor air pollutants have been ranked among the top five environmental risks to public health.

4. Your moods will be more positive: Light tends to elevate people’s mood, and there’s usually more light available outside than in. Physical activity has been shown to help people relax and cheer up, so if being outside replaces inactive pursuits with active ones, it might also mean more smiles.

5. Your concentration will improve: The Harvard studies show children with ADHD seem to focus better after being outdoors. This can easily apply to adults too, if you have trouble concentrating, outdoor activity may help.

6. You may heal faster: Because outdoor light will improve your immune system your body will heal better. In one Harvard study, people recovering from spinal surgery experienced less pain and stress and took fewer pain medications when they were exposed to natural light. An older study showed that the view out the window (trees vs. a brick wall) helped recovery in the hospital.

Nature’s Healing Powers

According to a study done by Harvard University you will reap physical and mental health benefits, reports the July 2010 issue of the Harvard Health Letter.

According to a 2009 study published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, the closer you live to nature, the healthier you’re likely to be. The study took an objective look at 345,143 Dutch people’s medical records, assessing health status for 24 conditions, including cardiovascular, respiratory and neurological diseases. The records were then correlated with how much green space was located within 1 kilometer and 3 kilometers of a person’s postal code. And what did researchers find? People who lived within 1 kilometer of a park or a wooded area experienced less anxiety and depression than those who lived farther away from green space. Additionally, people living in urban environments had a higher prevalence of 15 of the 24 conditions, with the relationship strongest for anxiety disorder and depression. It’s interesting to note that the green space’s health benefits were only found when they were within a kilometer (not 3 kilometers away), except for anxiety disorders, gastrointestinal digestive disorders and other medically unexplained physical symptoms, according to the research.

Salad in a Jar with flowers

This is a great idea for taking on an outdoor picnic – a Salad in a Jar – always bring the dressing in its own jar so you can shake it up and add it to the salad just before eating. By packing everything in a jar you can keep them all cool much easier too!

The Salad

we used 16 oz jar for each person (serving 4 people)

You will need the following ingredients:

• 2 cups shredded cabbage
• 1 medium zucchini (diced into small pieces)
• 1 cup of each frozen then thawed: organic corn and peas
• 1 cup finely chopped spinach
• 2-4 organic marigolds (we bought ours from the Mennonite nurseries near Elmira)

The Dressing

makes 1 cup

Put the following ingredients in your mini blender and blend until creamy:

• 1 grapefruit freshly squeezed
• ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
• 3 mint leaves (or 1 tsp dried mint)
• 2 tbsp avocado

This dressing keeps well for 4-5 days in the fridge.

To assemble the salad pack about 1 inch of each ingredient – cabbage – zucchini – corn spinach – cabbage – peas – top with yellow or orange marigold petals