My Turn: Get outside on Earth Day, and every day
Earth Day is this coming Saturday, April 22, 2023, and you can have a whole week to celebrate! If you have been reading this column, it tends to get preachy about being a good steward for the environment, but the Sierra Club has a different twist for this Earth Day… incorporating fun and hopefulness into your environmentalism (instead of the dread that we are destroying this planet).
The Sierra Club, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service and from Trip Outside, there is agreement across the board that being outside has many wellness benefits. As the Father of Western Medicine, Hippocrates, once said, “Nature itself is the best physician.”
Wellness incorporates the physical, mental and spiritual being; this is how our time outdoors addresses all of these aspects. It is recommended to spend 120 minutes a week outside and that’s about 17 minutes per day, depending on the weather.
One study found that just spending time in a park setting increases your life satisfaction by 64%, and that did not involve any activity.
Being in the sunshine is the best way to get your vitamin D. Over 40% of us are deficient in vitamin D which can contribute to depression, cancer and osteoporosis. The sunshine and shade actually aid eyesight. With the changing light conditions outside, the eye muscles are forced to continually adjust, exercising the eye.
Encouraging kids to play outside will keep their eyes in better shape, and you should accompany them. Sunlight can also reduce high blood pressure: nitric oxide that is present in our skin reacts to the sun’s rays by widening blood vessels and allowing better blood flow. Being outdoor encourages one to be active. Just a walk through a park, or better yet, a hike around Rankin Lake or Crowders Mountain will burn some calories and exercise your leg muscles. And think about carrying a small bag as you walk or hike, picking up any random litter you may encounter, leaving the area cleaner and happier for your efforts.
Outdoor exercise encourages better sleep. Stanford Medicine tells us that being outside helps to regulate and improve your circadian rhythm – your sleep/wake cycle and regulates your body temperature. (Remember, no screens one hour before bed, sleep in darkness, no lights, and keep it cool).
Being outside in your yard or neighborhood can be social. Encourage family members or neighbors to take a walk. We know that people do better when their social life is engaged. Help a neighbor to separate their recycling and offer to take it to the convenience site to make both of you feel better; extend that green hand of help. It is also noted that being outdoors generates creativity. When we sit in front of a computer screen or are plugged into social media or texting, our brains are bombarded with bits of information, necessary or not. When you venture outside, leave those devices behind and really absorb your environment. Your brain will relax and explore ideas on its own. It is a mental vacation just by taking that break from your everyday habits.
Many people feel a spiritual connection when experiencing the outdoor world. It can be a time to be alone with those thoughts or be with others to share the connection to the world we have been given. Many people prefer to do yoga outside or find a quiet place outside to meditate. Keep in mind that all of wellness can be accomplished with the act of being outside. Your body gets vitamin D as you walk (medical) with a friend (social) and experience the beauty of the natural world with the plants and birds (spiritual).
This Earth Week explore your local environment. Gaston County has so much to share with you outside. Remember, it’s all of our responsibility to keep our county clean.
Nan Kirlin is recycling coordinator for Gaston County.
This article originally appeared on The Gaston Gazette: My Turn: Get outside on Earth Day, and every day
