A Walk in the Park

We take our daughter to the parks twice a day, rain, wind, snow, or shine.  She has a suitable outfit for all the different weathers.  It always surprises me to see how few children are actually out playing.  Where are all the children?  The optimist in me thinks there is an awesome park hidden somewhere and that’s where all the children and their parents are.

Physical activities in young children help develop the neuron connections in the cerebellum.  How coordinated we are for the rest of our life is determined early on in life.  The more coordinated you are, the better you may be in sports; the more sports you are involved in, the more active lifestyle you may have; the more active you are, the less likely you will experience issues with weight, blood sugar, blood pressure, anxiety, depression, bone density, etc when you get older….or so I would like to think.

Playing outdoors has greater benefit than exercising indoors.  Being exposed to moderate UV light allows the human body to produce vitamin D, an essential nutrient for healthy bones, digestive system, immune function and so much more.  Vitamin D deficiency has been suspected as one of the contributing factors for multiple sclerosis.  As long as you take appropriate precautions by wearing hats and long sleeves and using natural (Zinc or Titanium) sunscreen on high UV days, there is little risk of skin damage.

Numerous studies have shown that the sight of natural environment and greeneries immediately reduces a person’s stress markers. A record number of school age children are being diagnosed with ADHD, autism, anxiety, and other psychological/behavioural conditions.  These children would benefit greatly from taking daily trips to the park.  Indoor playgrounds/ gyms, although weather proof, the loud music and bright colors may hyper-stimulate children’s senses and contribute to some of the behaviour issues.

So take your children to the parks to play.  We all could use a little bit of natural therapy.