The Benefits of Daily Fresh Air and Exercise

I had decided that one thing I want to add to my New Year's goals was to get outside with my boys for some fresh air and exercise everyday.  I made this same resolution before and we had kept it up for quite some time but, like most new routines, I eventually slacked off and we fell back into our old ways.  We see so many benefits from heading outside each day for fresh air and exercise that it is once again becoming a priority for me.



I read this book called 15 minutes outside: 365 ways to get out of the house and connect with your kids, a few years ago and  I just loved a bunch of her ideas.  So much so that I've recently checked the book out from our library again.



I'm so good about going out with the boys when it's "nice" out but hate those cold, snowy, or rainy days.  This book has suggestions for every season and all temperatures of weather that I'm hoping will re- motivate me and the boys to get up and get moving more.

So far it seems to be working!

We did head out with a group of homeschoolers Thursday to hike and ended up spending two hours outside exploring a new park!  Sure it was cold-- the sun was out but the thermometer said it was only 29!  We wore hats, gloves, scarves, and winter coats.



The boys played with sticks, had fun jumping off logs, and tried to break through the ice on the pond.  In fact I think the best part of their day was playing with the ice near and under the bridge.  Funny enough it was also coldest near the water with the wind whipping around.



The ice was thinner where the water was running and they had so much fun throwing huge rocks and breaking off pieces of ice.




Alec made a new friend too.
 
It was so nice to get back outside; we had been staying inside a lot lately since it's been pretty cloudy, cold and rainy.

These are just some of the benefits to playing outside everyday:

  • Being outside allows kids to have unstructured playtime.
  • Playing outdoors increases concentration.
  • It lessens aggression
  • Being in sunlight increases levels of vitamin D
  • Fresh air cleans the lungs, brings more oxygen to the cells, and help the body perform better.
  • Improves heart rate and blood pressure
  • Aids in digestion and increases your metabolism.
  • Improves mood. 
  • Helps the body's immune system
  • Leads to better sleep

I love listening to them making up games and following through on experiments like how many large rocks it will take to break through the ice or trying to determine how thick the ice is.

Friday and Saturday it snowed so the boys and I spent some time outside shoveling, playing in the snow, and I had a great time looking for interesting things to photograph.





I was fascinated with the patters of ice forming alongside the running brook

We went sledding for a little bit on Sunday but with temperatures in the single digits for the day we didn't last very long in the cold.







Linking Up With:



Oh My Heartsie Girl

Comments

  1. Amen! Fresh air in any type of weather is good for the soul! Happy Monday! Visiting from the Over the Moon linkup!!!! Megs
    Http://sunnyand80.org

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  2. We are totally outdoor people! We love to be outside, but like you, I don't like the cold! Luckily we live in Louisiana so we don't get too much of it. Being outdoors can improve my mood and make my day go from bad to wonderful. My kids love going outside.

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    1. Hm... not sure why my reply posted as it's own comment. But that's OK. I'll just re-post it here and delete the duplicate. Just to give you an idea-- it was a -7 here today. It's finally warmed up to 18 now so we might go out for a couple of minutes.

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  4. I love your snowy pics! Beautiful :) It looks like you all had great fun!

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    Replies
    1. Thank you! We really did. Today we went back to that same brook and it was frozen solid!

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  5. With winter it's so easy to consume and stay indoors because of the cold but it's definitely worth getting in fresh air. #DreamTeam

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  6. Your photos are stunning! I love getting outside for a bit each day even if the weather isn't great. One of my favourite sayings is that there is no such thing as bad weather, just inadequate clothing! We've just returned from a little walk to feed the ducks in the cold and the rain and we all feel so much better for it - although we don't have temperatures anywhere near as cold as you do by the looks of it? Thanks for sharing with us at #DreamTeam. I've shared your post on twitter too but I couldn't find your handle to link to you. Hope to see you next week too. Dawn x

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    Replies
    1. Well, thank you!... Our temps vary a lot-- this week they ranged from -7 to 50. Usually I won't force them outside unless it's near 20 and then we only stay out until our faces go numb.

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  7. I just read that book last weekend and it helped me decide for certain to include that goal on my list on Saturday! How fun!

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    Replies
    1. It is such a fun book but I have to admit that the last week and half were just waaaay to cold for us to even venture outside for 5 minutes.

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