Hey guys, it’s Ollie here, and today we’re going to be talking about the importance of experiencing nature in our everyday lives, and why increasing your exposure is a simple, accessible way for anyone to improve their health. The best part about it? These many benefits to your health are absolutely free (or at least very low cost)! From sunlight and fresh air, all the way to simply enjoying time with animals, the natural world has so many health benefits to offer that it makes no sense NOT to be getting outside at any opportunity. After all, it is where we humans are perfectly adapted to be.
Sunlight plays a key role in many of our bodily functions. I’m sure most of you know that it is critical for the production of Vitamin D, a hormone used to regulate the levels of minerals in our body, reduce inflammation, and control infections, but it also has some lesser known effects that are likely to provide more tangible improvements to your everyday life, and to do so more quickly. A perhaps more exciting benefit for the men reading this is that, by increasing your levels of Vitamin D, it has been proven you can increase your testosterone levels by up to 30%! Those of you that have read some of our other blog posts will be aware of just how important that is for the modern man, whose testosterone levels are buffeted by, it feels like, every aspect of life today. That’s not all sunlight is good for either – it helps regulate our circadian rhythm, encouraging better sleep, which has a huge range of benefits. In order to feel this advantage, try to get 10 to 20 minutes of sunlight directly on your face within half an hour of waking up. On top of all of this, it is great for strengthening our bones and even preventing cancer. Everybody knows the feeling of warmth as the sun rays fall on your skin, and it’s a great one – certainly not an unpleasant way to start living a healthier life.
Another way that being outside is great for you, is the lack of overstimulation. Modern life is synonymous with a constant bombardment of notifications, advertisements and entertainment, but we cannot forget that, as I mentioned before, this isn’t what we have adapted for. We see this disparity causing problems for many individuals with concentrating and even with, potentially chronic, low mood. Dopamine is the chemical reward system in our brains, and technology in particular is actively designed nowadays to hijack and exploit this system. Have you ever played a game where at the beginning you make progress very quickly and receive many rewards, but the progress and rewards slow down rapidly? These are designed to be addictive, by causing your brain to produce dopamine and then slowly reducing this, leaving you unsatiated and hooked trying to achieve this again. This is just one example of this, and constant overstimulation can actually destroy dopamine receptors. That means you will feel less satisfaction and happiness from the same occurrences. A dopamine deficiency will leave you feeling tired, moody, unmotivated and struggling to focus. A natural deficiency is actually the cause of ADHD. All of this sounds very alarming, but don’t worry, by just being out in nature our brains will reset and, it has even been said, after enough time one simply stops experiencing boredom entirely. So, make sure to get outside when you can, even if nothing else changes in your life, it will improve your overall happiness from the same events.
Unfortunately, we can’t all live in a cabin in the woods, so one problem you may face when trying to spend more time in nature is figuring out what you can actually do to stay entertained while you’re out there? Here at Eso World, we believe that everyone’s connection with nature is different and encourage you to figure out your own little habits and routines you enjoy doing, but here are a few activities we love that may help you get started:
Walking:
Starting off with the most obvious and simple, almost everybody can manage it and I personally love it as a way to get in exercise when I just don’t feel like an intense workout. Try walking somewhere with a friend and taking a packed lunch for a relaxing and healthy activity. As much as walking is great, there isn’t much I can tell you that you won’t already know, so let’s move on.
Cycling:
Cycling is an excellent middle ground between walking and running; it gets you outside, in the sun, exploring, and it’s not normally quite as intense as running can be, but it’s definitely more of a workout than walking so it might suite those seeking the physical benefits more. It’s also much faster and so allows you to explore a much greater area, which is a huge bonus for anyone living in urban areas who unfortunately might have to go further just to be in nature.
Exercising:
Nature is a great place to exercise. Running on uneven ground such as a dirt trail can help to strengthen otherwise underused muscles (known creatively as stabiliser muscles). Similarly, you can try lifting with rocks or logs which force you to alter your grip compared to standard free weights, which again works muscles that would otherwise not be used. Unlike a regular gym, no one will mind if you prefer to exercise shirtless, helping your sweat evaporate, cooling you and helping you sweat less, all while increasing your sunlight exposure even more (although unless you’re especially brave, you might want to save this part for when things warm up a tad).
Camping:
Camping is an excellent, form of returning to nature that I have very fond memories of and that is all-encompassing in a couple of ways. Firstly, offers a huge range of experiences, from visiting a designated camp site with lavatories, showers and shops close by, all the way up to survivalist camping in the wilderness far from home, meaning everyone can find enjoyment in it. Secondly, it also, depending on where you want to go and what you want to or can bring, involves a huge range of activities. Hiking, building fires and cooking around them, and virtually anything else you can think of! Many campsites are located nearby to other facilities like kayaking or rock climbing. Many options are based around exploration/adventure, which brings me onto my next point…
Exploration/Adventure:
Going out and exploring, just for the sake of it, brings a kind of childlike joy that is hard to explain. It is freeing to go out and overcome new, challenging areas and will enable you to experience some of the most stunning and rarest views our beautiful Earth can offer. When we get bored, my friends and I love to just pick a direction and wander down a new path in the forest to see what is there. Whether you’re doing it locally, or travelling far away, going on your own adventure is something which will never lose its magical touch.
Hunting/Fishing:
Though I’ve never had the opportunity to hunt myself, I’ve fished many times. These are both activities which have been a key part of the human experience for tens of millennia. Whilst you should respect wildlife and avoid waste by utilising everything you catch, these fit very nicely into the Eso lifestyle; where we try to focus on natural experiences similar to those of our ancestors. Fishing is very relaxing and a great social activity, not to mention, if you think that food tastes better when you cook it yourself, try it after you catch it yourself!
Art:
Artistic pursuits are an incredible way to connect with the world around us. Simply immerse yourself into nature and create a piece of content which expresses how you feel, something you are going through or something you want to remember. It can be a drawing, a song, or even a YouTube video/short film. If you try this last suggestion, feel free to tag us in them on social media, we would love to see you guys getting out there!
Interacting with Animals:
Many farms will let you feed their animals for a small cost, usually alongside a tour of the place. There is a stable with fields of horses near my home that I love to go to, where you can feed the horses grass and pet them. If you’re lucky enough to have any pets, then you understand that it is a beautiful thing to interact with animals, and those on farms are no different. However, if you choose to try this, you should obviously get permission from the owner first, and do not try this with wild animals – though you can probably get away with feeding ducks and such.
I’m glad you’ve taken the time to learn a little about living in connection with nature, but this is only a small selection of ideas, please let us know in the comments what you love about nature and the activities you’ve found which help you connect in your own way!
