Spring is a great time to get outside because flowers are blooming, grass is growing green, and the weather is perfect! The ground is ready for planting flowers, fruits, vegetables, and much more. It’s just right for riding bikes, flying kites, hiking, swimming, climbing, and having fun with family and friends.
Health benefits of being outside:
- When you spend more time outside, you get more exercise and have more energy for the rest of the day.
- Our bodies need the sun to produce vitamin D, so the more time you can spend outside, the better.
- Being outside helps lift your spirits, lower your stress levels, and make you feel more happy.
Things that keep us from being outside:
- Because of school, many kids spend hours a day at their computer.
- Many kids choose video games for entertainment instead of working or playing outside.
- We’ve become comfortable in our climate-controlled homes and sometimes don’t like to brave the rainy or hot weather outside.
Ideas to help you spend more time outside.
Every day, I encourage you to set aside time to go outside and spend time in God’s Glorious Creation. When you are tempted to sit down at your computer and enjoy some entertainment, take a look outside and contemplate all the benefits of going outside versus staying inside. The Bible talks quite a bit about enjoying God’s beautiful creation and taking care of what He entrusted to us. Genesis 1:28-30 says…
And God said to them,”Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” And God said, ”Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth,and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food. And it was so. And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.
- Try starting with small amounts of time outside, and then gradually increase that time each week. Keep a chart if you want. It might be fun.
- If you have a shady spot to sit, you can take your work or school outside. It takes a little extra effort, but you will be surprised by how refreshed you feel when you come back inside.
- Do you have any kind of hobby or work outside? If not, maybe you could try planting a few flowers or vegetables this spring. Maybe walking several times a week could get you outside more. If you are really feeling courageous, you could cook and eat one or two meals a week outside utilizing a campfire, grill, or small camping stove.
We have become so comfortable in our homes and businesses, that for many of us it is quite a chore to spend much time outside. We, as Christians should cherish this world that the Lord has given us, never losing sight of how it points us to our Creator. I hope you can take some of these ideas and spend more time outside this spring, and that you will experience the joy that comes from being in God’s beautiful creation.