Did Jody Daunton and Rachel Taylor’s podcast interview inspire you to get outdoors and enjoy an outdoorsy lifestyle? These two creative entrepreneurs are the founders of Another Escape, an outdoor lifestyle and creative culture publication that celebrates people who are inspired by nature and live life in tune with the outdoors.
Being outdoorsy always seems to get a bad rep as only being for people who are adventurous and enjoy living off-the-grid. While that can seem the case at times because of the influx of adventure travel imagery in social media, being outdoorsy can truly be as simple as enjoying activities and creative explorations in just your own neighbourhood – your local parks, national parks or even in a community garden. Being outdoors is a mindset shift. Both Jody and Rachel talk about the benefits of outdoor lifestyle not just as outdoor loving people but also devoting their careers to showcasing people and narratives around a theme of nature.
If you want to listen to Jody and Rachel’s podcast interview, you can listen to it here.
Science is abound with research as to why spending time outside, and being active, is beneficial to both adults and to children. Unfortunately, most people around the world spend more than 75% of their day indoors and in front of computers or other technical devices. But being outdoors and breathing in some fresh air has mental, physical and emotional benefits. Psychologists and mental health researchers are finding more and more science-backed reasons why we should go outside and enjoy the natural world.
Here are some reasons why being outdoors for even a small amount of time everyday is so beneficial.
Studies have found that people immersed in nature for four days boosted their performance on a creative problem-solving test by 50%.
So if you’re trying to solve a problem or come up with a brilliant idea, take a walk outside. Walking in itself increases creativity, but walking outside produced the most novel and highest quality analogies. To take full event of this, try not to multi-task with music or even podcasts and audio books. Maybe listen to the CulturallyOurs podcast before you step outside so that the inspiring people you get to meet on the podcast can help get those creative juices flowing! Let the time outside be just to spend time outside.
Even among children with ADHD, spending time in nature leads to improvements in focus and higher scores on concentration tests. Richard Louv, in his book Last Child in the Woods, even used the term “nature-deficit disorder” to describe behavioral problems he believes stem from spending less time outdoors.
Spending more time outside is arguably one of the easiest ways to improve your life. Now that it’s finally warm outside, we challenge you to spend at least 15 minutes every weekday and one hour each day of the weekend outside. Start tracking the amount of time you spend outside each day, and see if you feel healthier and happier.
How much time do you spend outside on a weekly basis? We would love to know.
This article totally resonates with me. Being from the UK where the winter days are short and often it rains for weeks on end, it’s tough to get that outdoor time. Who wants to get a chill walking in the rain? But through my travels I’ve realised just how much I love to be outside. I notice things I would normally not register. If only we could all do this, the world would definitely be a better place.
Totally agree Nicky! There is just something about being outdoors that is so energizing to the mind and body, isn’t it?
I couldn’t agree more with the benefits of outdoors! I live nothing more than camping with my family! It brings us closer together.
Very beautiful post as having outdoor lifestyle sometimes connects you well with nature. I agree remaining outside keeps us healthy and out immune system more strong. Also we reduce stress and fatigue when we are outside.