Outdoor recreation is enjoyable for men, women and children of all ages. Performing physical exercise while outdoors provides a way to get outside and enjoy your natural surroundings. Aside from breathing fresh air and discovering nature’s many wonders, the outdoors provides various activities to keep you wanting to go back outside for more. It provides a way to get outside and enjoy the natural surroundings.

With the children at home for long holiday, you can take advantage of the favorable weather to incorporate fun activities. These include; gardening, picnic, cycling, nature walk, jogging, hiking, mountain biking, paintball game, scavenger hunt.

Here are some of the health benefits:

1. Strengthen family bond and build relationships. Participating in sports and recreation provides everyone from young kids to seniors with an opportunity to bond with the family members and to meet and build relationships with others. Participating on a team will help you to form lasting friendships with people who share your passion for outdoor recreation.
2. Improves mood and good feeling. Spending time in nature and the natural light can improve your mood and reduce stress and depression. Engaging in physical activity produces similar benefits and often times relaxes and cheers people up.
3. Absorbs vitamin D. Vitamin D is also known as the “sunshine vitamin” because it is made in the skin when it’s exposed to sunlight. You only need about 10-15 minutes of sun several days a week during the warm weather.
4. Good cardiovascular exercise. Walking, jogging, running, cycling, hiking are good cardio exercises. Research shows that those who exercise outdoors burn 10% more calories when they walk or run than they do when they work out on a treadmill at the same speed. Children are twice as active when they play outside.
5. Best way to have fun. While outdoor you enjoy the beautiful flora and fauna. The chirping of the birds, the whistling of the wind as it blows on the trees, the sound of flowing water and waterfalls, the joy of overcoming the terrain challenges (up and down the hills, slippery soils, muddy).

6. Boosts self-esteem. Walking along nature trails, fishing, and gardening, among other moderate-intensity physical activities, are important for esteem as well. Playing with paintball guns or laser guns is another worthy activity as it gives you a renewed sense of accomplishment, which is a major confidence boost.
7. Boost creativity. Breathing fresh air in a natural, serene environment helps many people to relax and reduce stress and anxiety, and clears mental fog. The changing terrain and weathers can boost creativity and improve self-confidence.
8. Good for the mind. Outdoor recreation has psychological benefits, including the prevention or reduction of stress, anxiety, depression and an increased sense of exhilaration, adventure and challenge from life.