Fresh air and sunlight can help improve our well-being across multiple areas, from making us feel happier and more relaxed, to having a measurable effect on our circulatory systems, recovery time, and overall health. If you find yourself feeling stressed, tired, sluggish, or even just bloated, step outside and take a few good, deep breaths of fresh air. Your body and your mind will thank you. Don’t forget, its also helps you get Vitamin D!

Here are 6 reasons you should spend more time outside:

1. It helps clear your lungs. - Fresh air generally has higher levels of oxygen (not to mention lower levels of pollution) than indoor air. Exposure to more oxygen causes the blood vessels in your lungs to dilate, which improves cleansing and tissue repair within them, and helps them exchange gases more easily.

2. It can give you more energy and mental focus - As your lungs take in more fresh air, the oxygen levels in your blood go up. Higher oxygen levels mean more of it circulates to your brain, which helps you feel energized and improves your ability to concentrate and remember information.

3. It lowers blood pressure and heart rate - Every cell in your body needs oxygen to function. When there isn’t enough to go around, your heart needs to work harder to make sure that what’s available gets to where it needs to go. Fresh air has plenty of oxygen, so a few deep breaths helps to bring in more of this vital gas to your body. This means your heart can relax, since it takes less effort to deliver what your body needs.

4. It helps you heal faster - Healing from illness and injuries is pretty taxing on the body. Since every cell requires oxygen, it makes sense that replacing damaged cells increases your body’s demand for air. While oxygen therapy has been shown to help improve recovery time for athletes, fresh air can help you feel better and heal faster, too.

5. It can improve your digestion - Sometimes, it isn’t just oxygen that helps our bodies — the simple act of stepping away and getting outside does, too. When we’re stuck eating at our desks, or grabbing a bite here and there between tasks, the body has to divert blood flow from our digestive systems to our brains. It’s even worse when we’re stressed out, since or fight-or-flight response pushes blood too our muscles in case we need to escape. Going outside to relax and enjoy some fresh air doesn’t just supply our cells with much-needed oxygen, it also tells our bodies that it’s okay to digest and supplies our stomachs and intestines with vital blood flow.

6. It Helps You Get Vitamin D - It's important for your bones, blood cells, and immune system. It also helps your body absorb more of certain minerals, like calcium and phosphorus. Your body needs sunlight to make it, but you don't need much. In the summer, just getting sun for 5 to 15 minutes, 2 or 3 times a week, should do it. In the winter, you might need a bit more.

Why not visit Wistow! Enjoy the lovely walks, relax in the coffee shop or browse the lovely shop here