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Health Benefits of Playing Outdoors

We have reached that time of year again, where huddling inside with the heat pump full blast is a love for most. It might be tempting to stay exactly there, but what are the benefits of us getting outside during the colder months of the year?

Many of us have no doubt heard the phrase we would ‘catch our death’ if we went out to play as children in the Winter, but in fact, physical activity outside in Winter can have some great health benefits.

Through outdoor experiences such as running, jumping, riding bicycles, children are using and developing their gross motor skills. Using the muscles in the body needs to be continued right through the year to ensure that their development continues to progress as the child grows. The body also requires more energy and works harder in the cold temperatures to regulate warmth, so demands more from the body to do this. Even during the cold months we do get glimpses of the sunshine, which can provide a nice dose of Vitamin D, which helps to promote healthy moods and energy levels, and it only takes fifteen minutes of exposure to have a beneficial effect.

And lastly on the health points is the fact that germs love the warmth! We are actually more likely to catch a cold or the flu from being cooped up inside without good ventilation, where viruses and bacteria breed, rather than taking some time out to get some fresh air and catch those few rays of sunshine.