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Happy Great Outdoors Month! What began as Great Outdoors Week has grown into a month-long reminder to enjoy parks, trails, green spaces, and outdoor activities. This year, National Get Outdoors Day falls on Saturday, June 13. It’s a simple reminder to get outside and enjoy the natural spaces in your community.
At Remote Area Medical (RAM®), our mission is focused on health. That’s why Great Outdoors Month is worth talking about. Spending time outside can support both physical and mental wellbeing. Fresh air, movement, sunlight, and time in nature can all play a role in helping people feel better and stay active.
Simple Ways to Get Outside This Month
How does getting outside help improve your health? Time outside often encourages movement, whether that means walking gardening, swimming, or simply spending less time sitting indoors. Outdoor time can help people move more, get sunlight, and take a break from the stress of daily routines.
Here are some ways to get outside and celebrate this Great Outdoors Month:
- Take a walk or run
- Take a walk with family, a friend, your dog, or on your own through a neighborhood, park, or local greenway
- Go for a hike
- Look for a nearby trail through a local parks department. Use sources like AllTrails to find trails near you!
- Visit a National Park
- Live near a National Park? Parks will offer free entry on June 14th in honor of Flag Day! Learn more and find more upcoming free entrance days here.
- Work in a garden
- Pull weeds, plant flowers, water vegetables, or help with a community garden. Gardening is a simple way to move your body while spending time outside.
- Go swimming
- Visit a local pool, lake, or splash pad for a great way to enjoy the outdoors this month.
- Sit outside
- Even sitting outside relaxing is a good way to increase your vitamin D levels and feel the benefits of sunlight and fresh air.
- Have a picnic, read on the porch, or spend time in the shade.
Make sure to read RAM’s post on the Benefits of Sunlight for Health to learn more about how sunlight benefits your overall health.
The Benefit of Movement and Exercise [CDC]
One reason Great Outdoors Month matters is that outdoor activities often make movement easier and more enjoyable. Benefits can include:
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- Lower blood pressure
- Lower risk of diabetes
- Lower risk of heart disease
Exercise is a great way to strengthen your muscles and bones, which can help prevent health issues from developing later in life.
The CDC recommends that adults should get 150 minutes of physical activity a week. Equal to a 30-minute walk five days a week — a great way to celebrate the great outdoors and get in necessary exercise!
How Being Outdoors Benefits Mental Health
“Spending time outdoors in green spaces has been linked with myriad physical and mental health benefits,” according to Harvard’s School of Public Health.
Being in nature can provide:
- A break from overstimulation in the workplace, home, schools, etc.
- Increased positive emotions
- Decreased anxiety and rumination
- Improved mindfulness
Experts recommend trying to incorporate nature and the outdoors into your daily routine to promote mental wellbeing.
Great Outdoors Month
We hope that you get outside this Great Outdoors Month, spend time in nature, and improve your health while doing it! Make sure to bring water, wear sunscreen to protect your skin, dress for the weather, and choose activities that are safe for personal health and ability level.
More About RAM
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