More on outside

Perhaps this is obvious, but in order to write book reports for Fridays, I have to read the books beforehand.  If all goes well, I will be posting a report on Friday about the book I have been reading that will talk about the whole thing and why it is good and why it applies to fitness.

But right now, I’m only halfway through the book.  I am too excited to wait to post two new reasons to get outside and exercise, as articulated in this book (tune in Friday to find out what it is!).

One:  nature makes us happy.  Studies show that being outside in nature improves our mood and our health.  We live longer, have fewer health problems, and generally improve when we visit the trees and rocks and waterfalls of our world.

Two:  walking (and to some extent biking) can increase our sense of connection to our community.  When we are out in our town, we notice things we don’t have time to see in our cars.  We get a sense of the terrain, like where the biggest hill is and where the restaurant aromas are most enticing.  We improve our brains by mapping our immediate world in more detail.  We meet the neighbors and learn, if not their names, the names of their dogs.

Go play!