Health Image

Back in the day, most people spent a lot of time outdoors being active in many different ways and there wasn’t a problem with obesity or many of the health problems that beset people today. That’s not because health care was any better, in fact it was a whole lot worse. Many of the modern medicines and healthy foods we enjoy today simply weren’t even heard of 50 years ago or so. So why were people healthier and generally slimmer back then and not now?

A lot of it has to do with the amount of outdoor time we get these days when compared to 50 years ago. Modern living means we spend a lot more time indoors watching TV, playing computer games and surfing the Internet. This is because we have these marvelous technological toys that were not around 50 years ago, except for the TV which was not as advanced as it is today, but more especially people didn’t spend so much time watching it.

The upshot of all this is that today, because we spend so much more time indoors, we get less exercise but even more importantly, we get less fresh air! Okay, if you live in the center of a polluted city, that probably doesn’t count for much, but its not just the fresh air that we need to keep our health in the best possible manner. Its the daylight and in particular, sunlight.

Natural daylight has a big affect on our mood, because it triggers more of the feelgood hormone, serotonin to be produced. When we are in a good mood, our health actually improves thanks to a more positive attitude to things. Not only that, but the added exposure to sunlight means our bodies are able to manufacture more vitamin D, which has recently been linked with helping to maintain a healthy body weight. The fresh air also helps our bodies to better metabolize, because we are getting more oxygen, further assisting in the weight management process. On top of all that, when we are outdoors, we generally tend to be more active, again boosting the metabolism and affecting our bodies ability to maintain a healthy weight, which is actually one of the great weight loss tips and better overall health in general.

The result of modern living spent indoors means we get less daylight, less fresh air and less exercise, which adds up to a lowered metabolism, darker mood and less vitamin D manufactured naturally. Sure we can supplement that vitamin, but it has also been discovered that the stuff we make ourselves is superior to what we can pop in a pill! What we can’t do is improve a dark mood while getting little or no natural daylight, which can result in depression. Depression is another modern day illness that affects far more people than it did 50 years ago. Can you see the obvious link?

The remedy is so simple and available freely that if more people would only take advantage of what is there outside their front doors, instances of depression, lethargy, de-motivation and ultimately, obesity could be reduced or even eradicated altogether from our modern society. The only person who can make you go outside and enjoy the sunshine and fresh air is you, so wouldn’t it be a great favor you could do for yourself by reserving the technological toys for the hours of darkness and getting full value from the sun that lights they day?

Health Image

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