It is a new year and yet again I am determined to make myself, and my family healthier. We are eating more fruit and vegetables, I have joined a gym, I have stopped buying crisps and chocolate snacks for the lunchboxes, and I am now wondering, one week in, how long it will last!
I know as a physiotherapist, the huge importance of regular exercise and a healthy diet, but practicing it in the real world with all its temptations, and claims on my time is another story. It has led me to think, how healthy is glamping, and can I do anything to make it healthier?
Eureka do a great blog post :the ten health benefits of camping, so I will go through them for all of you who haven’t seen it:
- Fresh air – research shows that some time spent outdoors can lower blood pressure, improve digestion, and give your immune system an extra boost.
- Socialization – research shows socializing can delay memory problems and extend your life span.
- Improved mood – research shows – spending time outside in the sun can even out levels of melatonin in the brain.
- Reduced stress – this is related to higher levels of serotonin and increased oxygen, but I think that not having to put the tent up and make the bed helps enormously with this!
- Exercise – like it or not it is good for you and the endorphins it produces make you feel good. You may complain about trekking across a field to get to the toilet or fetch the wood, but you will feel better for it.
- Sunshine – if you are lucky enough to get some, it is great for vitamin D production which is really good for our health.
- Improve your sleep – many of our glampers report a really great nights sleep on the double beds, which makes you feel really refreshed.
- Good food – Our local butcher produces great quality burgers and sausages, and we have some local farm shops that do great fruit and veg – a perfect combination (obviously there is the toasted marshmallows for an unhealthy treat!)
- New experiences – studies show that new experiences help to keep our brains healthy, whether that be making a fire, or balancing on a barrel!
- Meditation – there are many physical and social benefits to being free of TV, tablets, wifi, xbox etc. If only for a few days chatting, singing, playing charades, engaging with nature, and each other
All we need is the sun, and a healthy happy holiday is assured!
