The benefits of being in nature are manyfold. And now is the time to soak them in. Father Winter has been pretty hard on us lately, but longer days and sunny skies are just around the corner.
Be it RVing adventures, tent camping, luxury glamping, or any other form of outdoor plugging-in, we want to help you restore your connection with momma nature. And that’s why we wanted to write this one up — to help you build in the benefits of nature before the season heats up. That way, you’ll be ready to make the most of the warmer, longer days ahead.
Benefits of being in nature: Add the outdoors to your wellness routine
We exist at Outdoorsy to restore people’s relationship with the outdoors and each other by helping folks like you bring the outdoors in.
We do that because we’ve personally experienced the restorative and healing powers of nature. But don’t just take our word for it — here are a few of the benefits of nature that scientists have proven…
An outdoor wellness routine is known to:
- Reduce anxiety — Anxiety is a persistent problem in today’s noisy world. And it can have serious impacts on your health like high blood pressure and heart disease. Even short bits of regular outdoor time are known to significantly reduce anxiety.
- Create mental clarity — Anytime you’re feeling brain fog at your desk, a healthy outdoor bath can help clear it up.
- Provide vitamin D — Getting sun for 5 to 15 minutes, 2 to 3 times per week is all you need to get enough of this vitamin that’s vital for bones, blood cells, and your immune system.
- Improve your sleep — Cells in your eyes need light to get your internal clock set right. Early morning sunlight gets your body’s clock wound like it should be, leading to better sleep.
- Boost creativity — Stuck on a project? Short bursts of outdoor time help create rushes of creative juices.
That’s why we make it easy for you to get these benefits of nature by offering all kinds of ways to do it — from RV rentals to campgrounds to glamping opportunities.
How is your outdoor wellness?
We’re gonna be your nature doctor here for a sec and ask you to ask yourself how much outdoor medicine you’ve been getting. The answer for far too many is not enough.
We’d wager that the winter has probably taken its toll on you. From shorter days to long, dark nights to cold weather patterns — you’ve probably had enough of it.
That’s all the more reason to take an inventory of your outdoor wellness and figure out ways to get the benefits of being in nature.
Benefits of being in nature: Ways to bring the outdoors into your wellness routine
Okay, so you get the importance of outdoor wellness. You also did your own outdoor wellness assessment and figured out that yours ain’t so good right now. How do you fix this?
Here are some of the best ways we know of:
- RVing — Whether you rent an RV or roll in one of your own, camper caravaning opens the door to road trips that are filled with fresh air and plenty of opportunities to connect with Pachamama.
Even a recipe as simple as a remote campsite in a national forest, with loved ones around you, and a good campfire in between is all you need to breathe in natural healing. - Glamping — Love nature and amenities? Glamping — aka luxury camping — happens when you soak in nature and come home to all the things. Things like a comfy bed, air-conditioning, and a private bathroom. We’re talking ‘camping’ in yurts, tiny homes, geodesic domes, and more for some ultra-lux outdoor wellness.
You can even try glamping in the Outdoorsy network. Outdoorsy-owned campgrounds like Bass Lake at Yosemite and Bayfield Riverside RV Park in Southern Colorado both feature glamping-style stays for you to check out.
- Bike adventuring — When you rent an RV with us, you rent from an individual owner who wants to share their love of the outdoors with you. Many of these owners also offer add-ons to their rentals, like bikes and bike racks so you can bring them on your camp-venture with you.
And RVing meccas like these are spots where you can ride out straight from camp. - Hiking — Hiking can be a family affair where you can improve your emotional wellness through togetherness. Hiking is also a splendid way to fly solo and connect with your inner-self.
Hikes can happen right out your front door or at places like these hiking trails that start right from the campground. - Nature walking — The benefits of nature walks are manyfold. First, you can enjoy a quiet stillness that isn’t usually found in our day-to-day. Second, you can embark on the practice of forest bathing to soak in the healing power of trees. And finally, the benefit of nature walking is that you’ll likely get closer to the wildlife that’ll talk to you as you walk.
- Water healing — Being on or near water should be a regular part of any wellness routine. There’s something restorative about the quiet stillness of a lake, the gentle humming of a babbling brook, and the raging whisper of a river.
Our owners offer add-ons to many RV rentals so you can order up paddlebound watercraft for your trip. We’re talking things like kayaks, stand-up paddleboards, and even inflatable canoes that you can have ready for you when you pick up your rented rig. - Fire bonding — Fires connect us to something primal in our nature. Gathering around a fire as a family, especially with s’more fixins, is one of the best ways we know of to experience the benefits of nature as a family.
Whether you camp, glamp, or take a nature walk, you’ll almost always be able to find a spot to throw a spark. Be sure to take the chance whenever you have it — your mental wellness will thank you for it. - Stargazing — The cosmos reminds us of the vastness of our natural world. Camp in places like these dark sky spots to soak it in the stars to the max.
The benefits of being in nature: Sample itineraries that’ll get you out there
There are so many ways to feel the benefits of being in nature that it’d be impossible to list them all here. So, here are just a few of our favorite itinerary types to restore your connection with the outdoors.
- Hot springs — Who doesn’t love a life-giving soak in a natural hot spring? The minerals in the water and heat of the pools have a healing quality that’s been known to humans for millennia.
Check out our list of the 10 best hot springs in the U.S.
- National forests — We have gobs of these scattered around the U.S. and they are perfect places to receive the benefits of nature. They’re generally less crowded than national parks and often provide the same sort of nature wellness activities.
- Wildlife viewing — One of the best benefits of being in nature is becoming one with nature. And one of the best ways to do that is by getting close to wildlife at spots like these.
- Water living — Being on or near water when you camp makes outdoor wellness easy. RV resorts like Bass Lake at Yosemite feature lake access right on property so you can paddle virtually from your front door.
The benefits of being in nature are many. With Father Winter loosening his grip over us, it’s time to consider how you’ll put the outdoors back into your wellness routine. And since our mission is to help you restore your connection to the outdoors, we have scads of options for you to choose from as you plan your nature-bonding.
