Weekend getaways Ontario have an assortment of activities that benefit children of all ages. Among the activities, there are a variety of other benefits that come along with weekend getaways in Ontario.
Living in the future can be rough. For every new innovation that increases our comfort or fulfills our hunger for luxury we sacrifice some of the things in life that keep us healthy. One of the biggest hurdles that parents have to deal with in regards to raising their kids is simply getting them outside. Weekend getaways Ontario are filled with video games and mobile devices, vacations are TV and movies, and nobody knows what to do when they’re camping. With every new piece of technology that comes out it gets harder to stress the benefits of outdoor activities. The benefits, however, are very real and you won’t find anybody that says they should be ignored. One of the benefits of weekend getaways Ontario is that everyone is in a new environment so the sense of exploration is a lot stronger. The following is a brief list on how you can utilize weekend getaways to improve familiarity with the outdoors and work towards a healthier lifestyle.
Vitamin D
The most obvious benefits to outdoor activities are the physical benefits. Not only can you rely on exercise to encourage weight loss, but you can also look towards all sorts of peripheral benefits. A report released by the Canadian Council for Food and Nutrition states:
“Vitamin D is considered an essential nutrient, with the main function widely accepted as being vital to maintain calcium homeostasis and bone health. Emerging roles for vitamin D point to prevention of not only osteoporosis, but also other chronic diseases including cancer, multiple sclerosis, diabetes and schizophrenia.”
Because very few foods naturally contain vitamin D, sunlight supplies most of our vitamin D requirement, although A new dietary source of vitamin D is orange juice fortified with vitamin D. While exposure to excessive amount of sunlight can be hazardous to skin health, moderate exposure in non-tanning situations has way more benefits than avoiding it entirely. It stands to reason that a decrease in outdoor activity across the board in both children and adults is leading towards a rise of illness.
Eye Health
Another key consideration for outdoor play is eye health. Myopia (nearsightedness) has been proven to be prevented by outdoor play. Myopia is an eye condition that poses significant costs for optical correction, and is the most common cause of visual impairment worldwide. It is well established that the prevalence of myopia in children is greater if their parents are myopic. It has also been advised that children under the age of 2 should limit their exposure to TV as much as possible.
Studies show that spending too much time focusing on close objects has long-term negative effects, and exposure to situation where the eyes are used more dynamically leads to better long-term health.
Mental Health
One study found that outdoor activities improved the mental well-being of children compared to another where the opposite was tested. “Compared with exercising indoors, exercising in natural environments was associated with greater feelings of revitalization increased energy and positive engagement, together with decreases in tension, confusion, anger and depression. Participants also reported greater enjoyment and satisfaction with outdoor activity and stated that they were more likely to repeat the activity at a later date.”
Other studies have argued that outside of enjoyment, satisfaction, and happiness, outdoor play with other children is necessary for the development of empathy, reduction of stress (affecting sleep,) and ability to thrive in a structure-less environment. While that last part might not sound important, allowing children free play where they can experiment with their own rules trains them to thrive when situations get complicated or things don’t go strictly according to plan.
As stated earlier, you’re not likely to find any parent who says kids shouldn’t get more experience with outdoor play, but for those on the fence about it, there is a universe of research, material, and testimonies out there to help you come to your own conclusions. Sometimes the easiest way to break the cycle is with vacations, play dates or weekend getaways Ontario.
