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Three days have gone by and the sun has not touched my skin if not filtered through the glass of the windows of our home. The last time I got direct sunshine I was walking from my house to the car then from the car to the grocery store. Sounds alarming right?!

This is what M-F week may be like for me (we usually try to do family things outside of the house on the weekend). During the week, especially in the dreaded hot summers of Phoenix, AZ, the kiddos and I are indoors caught doing whatever we can till it’s rational to be outdoors again. If you’re a stay at home mom that still doesn’t have school aged kids and are also a homebody, you may be able to relate…but, We should make more of an effort to spend time outdoors because going outside can be helpful for your overall health and that of your kiddos! There are scientifically proven benefits outlined in many scientific studies and simplified in many online articles for spending some time in nature.

Spending dedicated time outside can have some wellness advantages like:

…improve your brain concentration, short term memory and help your mental fatigue. According to a study from the University of Michigan, being out in nature (even your neighborhood park) increased concentration of participants by 20%, as opposed to those spending their outdoor time in a city scape. In a different study, children’s concentration and focus who have ADHD improved after spending time outdoors compared to kids who have ADHD and spent their time indoors doing the same activities.

…help raise your vitamin D levels. One of the ways our bodies make vitamin D is it uses UV rays to kick start the process of turning the ingredients already in your body, used for the production of vitamin D, to usable vitamin D. Good vitamin D levels are necessary for calcium absorption and a strong immune system.

…decrease stress levels and anxiety. It’s not completely understood exactly how spending time in nature lowers stress and anxiety, but it has been noted that taking in the sights and scents of nature can lower your heart rate and make you feel more serene.

Now that you know and the season has shifted it’s a perfect time to take advantage and make a plan to go outside daily. If we are purposeful in scheduling our time out of the house for outdoor activities, we won’t be caught in a rut of indoor activity with the kids and the ongoing list of chores.

Here are some ideas of what I will be implementing during the week to help me get out. Please feel free to use these suggestions.

Go on a run/walk at least three times a week- you can do this early in the morning by yourself before your hubby goes to work. This is a wonderful way to start your day and have quiet time…or you can put your kids in a wagon or stroller for a walk or jogging stroller for a run.
Take the kids to the neighborhood park once a day- I plan to do it after breakfast on the days we don’t have errands to run. It doesn’t have to be for hours. 30-45 min should suffice.
Plan a family picnic once a week- when you put the word picnic in the mix it already sounds tedious, but it doesn’t have to be. Seriously pack whatever you normally make or buy for Lunch (even something as simple as PB&J) and a blanket and go sit in the grass somewhere. You can also cook dinner normally and opt to eat as a family in the backyard.
Spend time in our backyard. This one is pretty straight forward but with technology and all we have going on we forget that it’s perfectly ok to just let the kids play outside!