Make Time To Spend Outdoors – Your Health Depends On It
After sitting all day in an office, laboring under fluorescent lights and stressing about work that needs to get done, spending time outdoors once home is important to help you unwind and relax. Research suggests that spending time outside is not only beneficial, but it may also be essential to your health. It can help eliminate fatigue, lower blood pressure, and can even have a protective effect on your eyes. Because of this, it can also help to improve your ability to focus and to be more creative in your work.
And it’s true what they say – fresh air will do you good! Spending too much time indoors can increase your exposure to chemicals that are used in furnishings and office products, as well as mold, dirt and dust. Believe it or not, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has conducted studies that have found that the concentration of certain pollutants is often 2 to 5 times higher indoors than outdoors!
But it’s not only the fresh air that will do you good – research has found that many of us are not getting enough vitamin D, most likely because we spend too much time indoors. In the same EPA study cited above, it was also found that Americans, on average, spend approximately 90 percent of their time indoors! Low levels of vitamin D have been tied to increased risk of disease, depression, and fractures, among other ailments. The best source of vitamin D is the sun, so carving out at least 15 minutes a day to spend outdoors can help you to get the essential vitamin D you could be lacking.
It’s of course known though that getting too much sun can be problematic, and that the elements can infringe upon your allotted stress-relief time as well.. but don’t worry – we have a solution! Once you get your daily allotment of vitamin D, or if the weather is not cooperating, you can still get your much needed outdoor time with the use of a retractable awning. A retractable awning is the perfect solution to take back control of your outdoor space. It can protect you from the elements, and can help you to stay up to 20 degrees cooler in the summer months. If you are enjoying the sun’s rays but have decided you have had enough, simply push a button to open the awning for instant protection!
Even when you have your retractable awning in place and you don’t have to worry about the elements cutting into your “me” time, it can still be hard to carve out enough minutes in the day for yourself. But studies have shown there are many reasons to make sure you do – and do so outdoors – so make yourself a priority, and get outside and relax!
If you are in Massachusetts or New Hampshire and would like to learn more about retractable awnings, contact us at 978-705-4292, or schedule a free appointment. We’d be happy to help!
