Step into Spring: Walking Outside to Improve Health & Happiness
Here in the Midwest, we often suffer through difficult winters—months of bitter cold and snowy conditions and (worst of all) day after day without seeing the sun. For walkers, the winter can be even more difficult—because it’s not always easy to find the motivation to bundle up in fleece-lined layers and jackets and gloves and hats and gaiters to trudge through icy trails in dull, drab weather. For that reason, the first days of spring are some of the most joyful days of the Midwestern year—when flowers are blooming, the birds are singing, and the sun finally makes an appearance. As soon as the sun comes out and the temperatures hit 50 or so, the kids start wearing shorts, and the grown-ups hit the trails.
After spending the last several months hibernating, it’s time to get outside and walk! Not only is it fun and uplifting to get out for a walk, but it’s good for you, too!
HEALTH BENEFITS OF WALKING OUTSIDE
I often talk about the benefits of walking as a form of exercise—but there are added benefits to walking outside. And spring is the perfect time to cash in on those benefits.
Walking Outside Increases Vitamin D Levels
During those endless winter days, when you’re stuck inside, hiding from the freezing temperatures, your body may end up low on vitamin D. And while you can always head to your local health store and pick up vitamin D in pill form, sunlight is actually one of the best sources of vitamin D. Just 15-30 minutes a day can help you replenish this important nutrient—which helps to strengthen bones, boost your immune system (to help you through the rest of cold and flu season), and improve your mood, too!
Fresh Air Is Great for Your Lungs
While you’ve been stuck inside, you’ve been breathing in all kinds of dry, stale air—air that’s often just circulating allergens and germs. But that fresh, outdoor air will help you clear out all the winter junk while improving your lung function, too. So take a deep breath and breathe in that fresh, spring air. It’s good for you!
It Just Makes You Happy
You know how, during those long winter months, you just feel kinda…blah? That’s probably due to something called Seasonal Affective Disorder (aptly acronymed as SAD). In short, winter is a bummer—but spending time outside in the spring can help boost your mood while reducing things like stress and anxiety (and who couldn’t use some stress relief about now?). So while you’re out walking and doing something good for your body, you’ll refreshing your mind, too.
When It’s Nice Outside, You Actually Feel Like Reaching Those Goals
It’s been a while since you set those goals for the new year—and there’s a chance that you’ve been struggling to achieve them. Honestly, January 1st is a terrible time to set new fitness goals—because no one wants to get out for a walk in January. But in the spring—when everything is fresh and sunny and colorful—you actually want to get outside for a walk. Not only that, but there are more hours of sunlight, which makes it easier to find the time to get outside. So while your fitness goals may have fallen flat on their faces in January, spring is when you actually have the motivation (and the time) to get outside and get moving.
ENJOYING ALL THAT SPRING HAS TO OFFER
Even on beautiful, sunny days, it’s easy to get so caught up in the demands and schedules and to-do lists of the daily grind—and you might race right past all of the beauty of nature as you rush through your walk (you know…just another thing to check off your to-do list). But spring is the time to take it all in—to engage your senses and appreciate every little thing about this time of year.
While you’re walking, ignore the phone calls and emails and direct messages and be extra mindful of the details. Use your phone for taking pictures and capturing videos of the beauty of spring instead of managing your business or your family. It’s so easy to pop in some earbuds, turn on some music or a podcast, and tune out the world—or to spend the time replying to texts and scrolling social media. Instead, take the time to use all of your senses. Take in the sights and sounds and smells of spring!
Things to Look For:
- Budding flowers. This time of year, my phone’s gallery is full of green sprouts, budding flowers, and sunny daffodils. Take note of the patches of green stems, and watch as they blossom.
- Buds on the trees, opening up to fill the forests with green leaves.
- Animals on the trail. This time of year, it’s still squirrels and chipmunks—but I’m looking forward to seeing spotted fawns along the trail soon.
- Birds flitting between tree branches and serenading you on your walk. Now’s a great time to check out Merlin and start identifying the birds you see each day.
- The scent of spring. Breathe in the smell of blooming plants. Soon you’ll be smelling blossoming trees along your walk, too—and even though I know that often comes with seasonal allergies, it’s my favorite time to walk.
While you’re at it, be sure to change up your walks. Explore different trails and different parks—from nature trails to city sidewalks—to enjoy the spring in different settings. Try different terrains—from paved trails to wooded paths. Walk alone…and walk with friends. And make a point of noticing something new and interesting on each walk.
If you’ve been suffering from cabin fever while spending the winter months outside, now is the time to get outside and go for a walk! Not only is it great for your physical health, but it’ll do wonders for your mental health, too!
