Little Activities Reap Big Health Rewards

Being active needn’t be complex. Studies show there are whopping health benefits associated with simple activities like sitting outside on the porch, taking a walk, being neighborly and helping out a friend.

Soak up sunlight

Sunlight is a natural mood booster. Your body needs to soak in natural sunlight in order to produce enough Vitamin D to sustain a healthy immune system and strong bones. Vitamin D plays an important role in the functioning of the adrenal gland. The adrenal gland dispenses hormones like dopamine and adrenaline to help the body cope with stress. Letting your skin come into contact with direct sunlight helps stave off chronic fatigue and depression.

Vitamin D is understood to regulate nearly every tissue in your body, and it even plays a role in calcium metabolism and neuromuscular and immune system function. Vitamin D helps prevent bone density loss, lowering the risks of fractures and developing osteoporosis. Since most Vitamin D deficiency is caused by lack of exposure to natural sunlight, spending time in the sun is a worthwhile activity.

Help a neighbor

Give somebody a hand any way you can. It doesn’t have to be physically arduous to benefit the recipient or yourself. Whether you’re keeping someone company or helping them with errands, shopping or household chores, studies reveal you’re raising your life expectancy.

Research shows that generosity lowers the risk of dying for people who went through traumatic life events. The mental and physical health benefits of helping others canceled out the higher risk of death associated with the experience of the stressful event.

Go for a walk

Walking is a gentle low-impact one-size-fits-all form of fitness with many health benefits. It elevates the mood, lowers bad cholesterol and raises the good cholesterol. It’s just as good for the heart as heavier-impact jogging or running, safer than other types of exercise and because it’s adaptable to almost any ability level, almost anyone can do it.

People that have trouble with balance and endurance can gain a lot of mileage using the correct walking aid properly, such a cane, pick-up walker or rolling walker. Take a walk outside in the sunshine and invite a friend that can use the company and you’ve tripled the benefits instantaneously!