Wednesday, April 22, 2015

Earth Day Celebration: Time Spent in Nature Improves Human Health

"The Earth, rotating on its course outlined in the depths of space, 
is a precious miracle of life. 
It has been a bountiful provider for its inhabitants 
for generations and generations of countless species."
-Day After Disaster

Earth Day Celebration

Earth Day is a special day here at The Changing Earth Newsletter. As a child I was always outside. I loved playing the soft pine needles of our evergreens, running through the woods at full speed on my horse and taking the quiet moments to reflect into the murky water of a Michigan pond. My book, Day After Disaster, has a special connection with the earth and a message to us all that this planet is not stagnate. It is an evolving place, filled with dynamic changes that can take place at any time. We call this great planet home and to date we know of no other that could sustain us in the same way that we enjoy life here. Yet often times we forget the connection that we have with nature. We spend too much time in fast paced lives, staring at technology and hiding inside our homes.

Benefits to Walking in Nature

Sometimes when I step out my door and begin my hike in nature my brain is still cluttered with things I need to accomplish with work and the details of taking care of my children. As I walk, start to get my muscles pumping, and begin to appreciate all of the wonderful sights and sounds tantalizing my senses, my body calms, relaxes and my mind clears. It is a beautiful feeling of existence in a peaceful world without the pressures and noises of society. 

Don't just take my word for it Americanscientist.org reports that the psychological benefits people experience by walking in nature are measurable and translate to an improvement in human health. Anna Lena Phillips reports in her article that there are definite changes that happen in the body when time is spent in nature:
  1. Lower blood pressure - many case studies have shown that individuals spending time in nature experience a drop in blood pressure following their walk.
  2. Levels of the stress hormone dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-S) increase - this hormone contributes to heart health among other benefits.
  3. Levels of andiponectin increase - this is a hormone secreted by the fat cells that aid in reducing obesity and type 2 diabetes.

Get to Know Nature While Your Out There

When you are out walking in nature take the opportunity to really get to know your environment. Purchase your local Audubon Society Manual for your area and take it with you. When you are out on the trail and you see a bird, try to identify it. When you see a beautiful tree in full bloom, filling the air with wonderful aromas, try to identify it. Collect rocks and plant fragments (make sure it safe to touch) to put in a collection container and take it home to identify later. Learn what areas would be appropriate to set up a camp if you had to survive out there. Would you be sheltered? Could you capture the heat from your fire? Could you have a fire? Would you be subject to flooding?

Make your walk into an educational experience for you and your group or family. Have fun with it! Enjoy it!

Earth Day Special Event 

This year's Earth Day kicks off a very special event, The Day After Disaster Earth Day Virtual Podcast Tour. Along this tour you are going to get an inside look into the ideas behind this unique novel and how reading it can change your life for the better. We will be exploring survival ideas, business ideas and strategies and how you can follow your passion to achieve your dreams. In the first episode I had the special honor of being hosted on Dr. Prepper's Preparedness Radio Network. I invite you to come and have a listen and learn why you should be prepared for whatever comes your way.
www.preparednessradio.com/2015/04/15/day-after-disaster-author-sara-hathaway

Similar Articles:

A Daily Survival Essential: Doctor Prepper's Making the Best of Basics, Family Preparedness Handbook
Survival Practice: Get Out There!
Survival Training: 3-Day Course With Doug Huffman from Sierra School of Survival


Sara F. Hathaway
Sara F. Hathaway is the author of the The Changing Earth Series: Day After Disaster and Without Land. She also hosts The Changing Earth Podcast which blends her fictional stories with educational survival tips. Sara grew up in the country where she developed a profound interest in the natural world around her. After graduating with honors from The California State University of Sacramento with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, she launched into a career in business management. In her fictional novels her research and experience with survival techniques and forgotten life-sustaining methods of the generations past come to the forefront in a action packed adventures. She has used her background in business management to pave new roads for fictional authors to follow and she delights in helping other achieve the same success. She currently lives with her husband and two sons in California where she is at work on the sequel to her first two novels. For more information and a free copy of “The Go-Bag Essentials” featuring everything you need to have to leave your home in a disaster visit: www.authorsarafhathaway.com
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