10 Reasons to Add an Outdoor Living Space in 2018

Looking for an excuse to splurge on an outdoor living space this year? How about because it’s good for you? Cheaper than prescriptions and with no negative side effects, spending time in your outdoor living space is proven to boost your mental and physical health.

Because Harvard Says So

According to Harvard Medical School spending time outdoors, whether grabbing a bite to eat, working, or kicking back and relaxing, offers significant health benefits…

1. Spending Time Outdoors Boosts Vitamin D
   Vitamin D, ‘the sunshine vitamin,’ is essential to overall health. The form gained outdoors is more bioavailable (more easily used by your body), with known protective effects against an impressive variety of serious illnesses: Cancer, heart attacks, stroke, depression, osteoporosis, and more. However, the vast majority of Americans don’t get enough, leading some doctors to write prescriptions for this essential nutrient in the form of time outdoors.
2. Going Outdoors Makes You Happy
   Natural light elevates your mood. A known and effective treatment for seasonal affective disorder or winter depression, it can also boost workout benefits. Studies show just 5 minutes of ‘green exercise’ offers mood and self-esteem boosting benefits. As an added bonus, the refreshing, invigorating surroundings of an outdoor workout space help motivate workout intensity and length.
3. Being Outdoors Reduces Stress
   Being outdoors alters physical manifestations of stress, decreasing heart rate, lowering blood pressure, and reducing cortisol levels, the hormone marker used to identify a body under extreme stress.
4. Enjoying Time Outdoors Helps Fight Fatigue
   Eliciting feelings of awe, the amazing sights of nature can inspire you to get your mind back into gear and bounce back from mental fatigue.
5. Outdoor Interaction = Exercise; Exercise = Good
   Being indoors is associated with a sedentary lifestyle, especially in children. American children spend 6 hours a day on electronic media, on average. Time spent outdoors, on the other hand, is associated with activity, with studies showing children are more than doubly-active when outdoors.
6. Spending Time Outdoors Improves Concentration
   Research has shown children with ADHD perform better on tests of concentration following exposure to nature (a walk in the park versus one through urban settings). Similar walks have likewise been proven to aid the working memory of those suffering from depression.
7. ‘Nature Therapy’ Boosts Performance
   In studies, those immersed in nature for 4-days experienced a 50% improvement in performance on creative problem solving tests. Unlike caffeine or side-effect laden pharmaceuticals, ‘nature therapy’ improves cognitive function at zero cost.
8. Outdoor Experiences Support a Healthy Mood
   Studies have found time outdoors an ideal supplement to existing treatment modalities for anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues. Exposure to green environments offers relief, boosting self-esteem and mood. These effects can be increased in combination with exercise and the addition of outdoor water features.
9. Natural Light Exposure Aids Healing
   University of Pittsburgh studies indicated views of nature improve patient recoveries post-surgery, with those exposed to natural light experiencing less pain and post-op stress, and requiring fewer medications. Overall, time in nature has been shown to keep the inflammatory processes seen in connection with depression, inflammatory bowel disease, autoimmune disorders, and cancers in check.
10. Indulging in the Outdoors Safeguards Health
    Studies have shown a strong, positive association between exposure to green space and health. A wide variety of diseases are less prevalent among those living close to green spaces compared to those residing in urban environments. Studies also show the higher the residential green vegetation exposure, the lower mortality rates, citing a 12% lower mortality for those with the most exposure.

Because You Deserve It

Longing to spend more time outdoors, but weather keeps getting in the way? Design a space that is comfortable and functional year-round with the addition of an Arcadia adjustable aluminum pergola. Dial-in the perfect amount of sun or shade, or seal out the rain with the touch of a button, taking advantage of all the health-boosting benefits the outdoors has to offer no matter the weather. Incorporate built-in ceiling fans, infrared heaters, and motorized screens for improved comfort and protection against pests, with a flexible, custom-designed patio shelter solution built to blend seamlessly into your home and lifestyle.

Got the outdoor itch? We’ve got the cure. Schedule your complimentary outdoor living space design consultation with Denver Pergola Systems today.

This post was originally published at http://www.denverpergolas.com/10-ways-an-outdoor-living-space-boosts-health/