Who Doesn't Love Nature?

How often do you get to nature? This is a question I asked on my blog site. After getting seven total responses, I thought it interesting how even with all the benefits of nature, most people picked "Occasionally" for their answer. One person even picked "Every Once and Awhile." This saddened me as I go hiking, biking, and skiing in the the mountains of Colorado every break. These experiences both help me physically and mentally and are ones I wish everyone could enjoy. Physically with the hiking and exercise, and mentally by meeting new people and, and enjoying the beautiful calming scenery. The reason nature has inspired me to create this blog is because I have great memories of it.

Some of my fondest memories are of a hike  that I take with my Dad every year. The trail is called Lincoln’s Lake and it’s fun for me every year to go and see how much easier the hike gets every time I go. When I was little for example it was a hike that took 3-4 hours. Now I can hike up and back, with a lunch break, in only an hour or two. Another great memory I have about the outdoors is in my trip to NOLS last year. NOLS is the National Outdoor Leadership School. I took my course with 10 other boys that I had never met. We backpacked for two weeks in the Idaho- Montana wilderness on the Great Divide. Then we rafted down the Salmon River. I had never been more physically or emotionally challenged, and I loved it. This experience changed my personality and I came back stronger. This is why I thought it was so sad that more people didn’t get out to nature, so I encourage you my reader, to do what I have done just get out to nature and really find yourself.

But I’ve Got Sunshine on a Cloudy Day!

While getting into the benefits of nature, like the sun’s rays and the natural clean air of nature, some may argue about the necessity of these things. The sunlight and it’s resulting Vitamin D, for instance,  is accessible through tanning salons. Tanning salons though do cause  skin to produce Vitamin D, but they hold  a peril of their own. Over the years numerous studies have found a connection between tanning salons and melanoma, a type of deadly skin cancer. A study in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, by Weinstock and Dartmouth researchers found that people who used tanning beds are 1.5 times more likely to develop basal cell carcinomas, a cancer of cells below your skin than those who didn’t. They also found that they are 2.5 times more likely to develop squamous cell carcinomas, a cancer of cells both in skin and other internal and external organs, than non-tanning others. Basically they found that using tanning beds increases your risk for skin cancer.

Now you may also argue that the air you breathe in your house is clean as the air outside. This is not true, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, indoor air is typically five times more contaminated than outdoor air.  The American Lung Association,  The Consumer Product Safety Commission, and  The EPA, also say its bad. For people suffering from asthma, exposure to dust mites, animal dander, cat saliva and mold, commonly found in homes and buildings, causes around 200,000 total visits to the emergency-room. For non-asthma affected people the pollutants can also cause respiratory problems like congestion, coughing, and wheezing. You can see now that people’s man-made environments can not replace the full benefits of nature.

It May Not Be Second Nature

 

Though nature is not part of most people’s everyday life, it’s physical benefits of  exercise, the suns rays, and plants natural chemicals should not be underestimated. According to a map on obesity rates throughout the country, Colorado, and other western states, have the lowest obesity rates while Mississippi and the flat midwestern states have the highest. This is because of the geographical arrangement of mountains, which allows for Colorado and other states in the Rocky Mountain Range to have access to more hikes and places to do other outdoor activities.

The sun is also a big part of nature that keeps you healthy. According to an Washington Post article by By Rob Stein, 9% of kids aged 1 thru 21 have vitamin D deficiency. Vitamin D is most commonly obtained by sunlight hitting your skin but, as less and less people have exposure to sunlight, the government has added it to things like milk, and making vitamin D chews to compensate. Vitamin D is vital to your health as it reinforces bones, by allowing more intake of calcium, and helps keep your cholesterol and blood pressure at constant levels. Having low Vitamin D means you are doubling your risk for a heart attack compared to a person with higher amounts of vitamin D.

Another reason you should go outside into the wilderness is because scientists say a type of airborne chemicals, called phytoncides benefit humans. These chemicals are secreted by plants to protect themselves from rotting and insects. ln a study conducted by the Department of Hygiene and Public Health in Nippon Medical School, Tokyo. They had 12 people walk in a natural area and a city each for 3 days and 2 nights and tested them at the end of the 2nd day. In the study, the nature trip was shown to increase natural killer cells (a type of white blood cell), Granulysin (a substance used to kill infectious cells), and anti-cancer proteins. This means that going out into the wilderness and being close to plants will decrease your chance of infections and viruses. Nature benefits your health a lot  in many physical ways.