When I was a kid, the schoolyear mercifully came to an end in June. While it certainly meant an end to pencils, textbooks, and teachers’ dirty looks, what it truly meant to me was no more sitting inside at a desk for seven hours per day while the outside tantalizingly beckoned through the classroom window.
The following three summer months were never anything short of memory-making. The shining sun, warm breezes, and fresh air were usually enough to coax me out of bed every day even earlier in the morning than during the schoolyear.
Although my free time has definitely diminished in my adult years, I still strive to hold on to that excitement of my schoolyears and spend as many hours outside as possible. In the month of June, National Great Outdoors Month, that drive is doubled.
Great Outdoors Month is the perfect time to satisfy the pent-up schoolkid in you as well but recapturing the excitement of youth is far from the only reason to head outside.
Tick the Health Boxes
If anybody learned anything during the cooped-up months of 2020 it was that being inside for too long can wear on you physically, mentally, and emotionally. Conversely, heading outdoors can provide tremendous benefits for every aspect of your health.
Spending time outside can actually help people who suffer from allergies, asthma, or other respiratory diseases. You might wonder: But what about the pollen count, smoke, and other air pollutants? The fact is, indoor concentrations of air pollutants tend to be two to five times higher than outside concentrations. Unless you have an in-home air-filtration system, getting outside is still the best way to get fresh air.
Very little on this earth can exist without direct exposure to the sun and we are certainly no exception. Sun exposure helps your body process vitamin D; improves your circadian rhythms, which in turn improves your ability to sleep at night and improves the quality of your sleep; and sunlight exposure can help fight depression.
Being in natural surroundings also has restorative powers. Being away from the excessive stimuli of an indoor world, combined with the soothing sounds, sights, and smells of nature can calm you mentally and improve your emotional well-being.
Just as success breeds success, moving around outdoors can motivate you to move around outdoors even more. Plus, the never-ending variety of the outdoors versus the very monotonous setting of a gym makes exercising in nature that much more appealing.
Lastly, time outside can help your immune system. Like a boxer sparring or working the heavy bag at the gym, being in nature keeps your immune system active on a lower level, so it’s better equipped to deal with an actual fight down the line.
Nature Amidst the Concrete
While it’s true that spending time outside while living in a city may not seem like the most enticing prospect, the park systems are specifically designed as a way to escape the hustle of urban living and get in touch with nature while not venturing too far from home.
Whether you live on the outskirts of Peoria, in the city, or in a nearby community, there are dozens of parks maintained by park districts in Central Illinois. The variety of parks can easily be found online by searching the community you are interested in and they offer an equally wide variety of potential outdoor activities. Walking, running, cycling, skateboarding, basketball, soccer, or just plain picnicking can all be enjoyed at any number of these parks. Or, if a longer communion with nature is in order, 300-acre Camp Wokanda in Chillicothe offers hiking, fishing, and sites for camping.
There is no shortage of space for the outdoor lover. According to the Peoria Park District, there are 66 acres of parkland for every 1000 residents. Because I’m a nerd, I did the math to find that translates to 2,875 square feet of park space per person. That’s like having your very own house-sized chunk of nature.
More opportunities exist just west of Peoria in Hanna City, where Wildlife Prairie Park is situated. There, you, your friends, or your family can enjoy fishing, kayaking, laser tag, bicycling disc golf, hiking, or even a train ride on the Prairie Zephyr Train. There’s also a chance to learn about, observe, and engage with prairie animals there, like bison and bears, to cougars and wolves. For more information, visit www.wildlifeprairiepark.org.
Furthermore, the advantage of living in Central Illinois is that the countryside is never very far away. Escaping the noise and pollution of urban surroundings just means traveling not very far in any direction.
Back in Touch
Getting in touch with nature may provide many health benefits for you on a personal level, but nature can actually act as the perfect setting to improve or build new relationships with others. For instance, engaging in team sports at a park can cement lifelong friendships.
Many years ago, I played a game of beach volleyball with quite a few absolute strangers along the river in Rockford. Even though an overeager teammate of mine accidentally clobbered me in the eye trying to get to the ball, I still had a positive overall experience. That black eye only lasted about a week, but the friendship we formed that day has lasted for years.
Engaging in outdoor activities is a wonderful way to meet people with similar interests in a safe (apart from a possible black eye), neutral environment. You might make a friend you might have otherwise never met.
If you’re perfectly content with the friends you have, of course, being outside with them can strengthen those bonds and build lifelong memories. I’ve spent many days camping with my family, playing paintball with my friends, or enjoying the beach with my wife. Many of those days remain among my strongest memories and, when I’m cooped up in my office and should be working, I often find myself recalling those moments in the forest, on the lake, or gathered around a campfire under the stars.
Socialization again ticks an important health box. Because we humans are social creatures, building relationships fights off feelings of loneliness and isolation, relieving and staving off depression and anxiety.
Be One
Growing up on the shores of Lake Michigan meant no shortage of outdoor activities. Furthermore, enrollment in Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts provided even more opportunities to learn about and engage with the natural world around me while also exercising the appropriate amount of respect for our natural world.
It is important to venture into nature safely and responsibly. Wear sunscreen when out during the day, especially if you’re spending your day in direct sunlight or on the water. Utilizing bug repellant is also a must in certain areas and especially in the evening. Wearing the appropriate clothing for an activity is also encouraged. A little bit of poison ivy can ruin your day and many days thereafter (and I speak from experience).
But also, consider how your actions outdoors may harm the environment or ruin someone else’s experience. Be a steward of nature, not an abuser of it. The words on a sign that hung outside a forest preserve near my childhood home have never left me: Take only pictures. Leave only footprints.
For this National Great Outdoors Month and the many to follow, look for the ways you may be able to connect to nature, connect to others through your sharing of it, and maybe even better reconnect to that adventure-seeking child inside you.
