As we grow older, we may tend to spend more time indoors. You may notice that your loved ones are more inclined to sit and watch television or read during their free time, however, taking a stroll through the park may be exactly what they need. Whether you’re living alone or in a retirement community, a frequent walk in the park can be beneficial for your health. Here are some benefits of visiting the park!
Increase Vitamin D Levels
It’s important to increase your Vitamin D levels, especially for your elderly loved ones. By spending more time in the sun, it will help to stimulate the body’s production and absorption of nutrients. If your loved one is struggling with insufficient Vitamin D, it may increase their risk of cancer, diabetes, and other diseases. Vitamin D is important in the battle against infections and viruses like the common cold.
Improves Emotional Health
If you find yourself staying inside all day and isolating yourself, it may raise your chances of developing depression. Isolation and depression are major issues that may occur as you age. Movement stimulates the flow of blood throughout the body and to the brain. At the park, you can interact and socialize with others while being surrounded by nature. Nature provides a relaxing effect and aids with stress reduction. It activates the area of your brain associated with love, emotional balance, and empathy.
Better Sleep
It’s important for all of us, no matter our age, to get a good night’s sleep regularly. Giving your body the rest it needs to renew and revitalize is crucial to enhancing your physical and mental wellness. Spending too much time inside may disrupt your circadian rhythms, which is your body’s regulatory clock.
Keep Your Eyes Healthy
Whenever we spend time indoors, we usually rely on television or our phones to keep us entertained. Excessively watching a screen can have side effects such as dry, fatigued eyes which can be painful. Hence, it’s beneficial to your eye health to spend a few hours each week in a park or just being outdoors.
Improves Immune System
There have been studies that reported that time spent being exposed to nature appears to be associated with a better immune system. While spending time in the park, our stress levels, and blood pressure drop, and our white blood cells increase. White blood cells are important when it comes to protecting our bodies against infectious diseases. It’s also beneficial to your cardiovascular and metabolic health.
Improves Memory
It has been shown that interacting and spending time in nature can improve attention span and memory. The stimulus pattern in an urban environment is often more complicated and often perplexing. Understanding and interpreting it takes time and effort. Nature’s simple and restorative influence is beneficial to mental health.
Enjoy Healthy Living at Discovery Village At Boynton Beach
Looking for a retirement community where you can live an enriched lifestyle while staying healthy? Look no further. At Discovery Village At Boynton Beach, we offer you resort-style amenities and various senior living options as well as exclusive senior living programs where you can enjoy living life to the fullest! To find out more about our community, contact us today.
