Science Explains Why Spending Time Outside Is Important to Your Health

Another great post from Lifehacker

Most of us spend huge amounts of time indoors and barely get outside at all, much less in the daytime. Unfortunately, staying indoors can have serious effects on our health, both physical and mental. This video from ASAPScience explains why it’s so important to get out every once in awhile.P

If your job keeps you in a cubicle every day, or you work in IT and you have the requisite IT cave with no windows and one entry and exit, sunlight is that thing you hear about from other people with windows. You get to work when the sun’s coming up, and you leave when the sun is setting (or already gone). Well, according to ASAPScience, you may be doing your body a disservice.P

For starters, you need the Vitamin D that your body produces from direct sunlight to keep your bones healthy and stave off diseases like osteoporosis. Similarly, a number of studies have shown that just spending time with nature—not just outdoors, but in a park or on a hike—can boost your creativity and cognitive function. It may sound strange, but we’ve mentioned this research in the past. So if you have the opportunity, take your lunch outside, preferably in the park, and get some sun.