Teresa Holland: Make time to be outdoors

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Bird-watching and photography make for a good outdoor combo of activities. With a telephoto lens and a little patience, it's easy to capture images of backyard visitors.

Now is a great time to try to get into that habit of getting outside every day. No time? How about a lunchtime walk?

I am hopeful that I can get into this habit myself and make it last even when it gets chilly again.

How much time do you spend outdoors every day? Unless you work outside — as farmers or construction workers do — you probably spend most of your time indoors. Should we be concerned about not getting outside? Does it really matter?

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the average American spends 87 percent of this time indoors and 6 percent in cars, leaving only 7 percent of our time that is spent outdoors. This is only about a half day per week. Children today spend less time outdoors in unstructured play than their parents did for various reasons, including safety concerns.

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Not to guilt anyone, because we all have other things that take our time, but there are some real benefits to being outside. Whether that is in a “green space,” gardening, or just being in our yard, being outside can help lower blood pressure, improve immunity, help us focus better and think more creatively even if only for five minutes.

Some other benefits include:

Improved mood

A better outlook on life

Better physical and mental health

Enhanced natural senses

A connection with nature to help us better value the environment

Strengthened social relationships while being outside with others

No, I am not a tree-hugger. It would probably be quite entertaining if you watched me try to climb a tree. If I had a child or grandchild with that kind of passion about nature, however, that would be a good thing. After all, passion can be good, especially if it helps protect those natural places that benefit all of us.

Most of our national parks no doubt came into being because someone was passionate about protecting that corner of the Earth and shared their vision with others.

The Grand Canyon comes to mind. Closer to home is our Indiana Dunes, which was protected as a national lake shore, but recently became Indiana’s first national park.

Research has shown the primary reason for children spending less time outdoors is directly related to their use of electronic devices. A study done in 2009 showed these activities had increased to more than seven hours a day.

So what are some activities that can help us get outside more? What activities do you think your family members might like? Can some of these be done right in your own back yard or neighborhood? I have found mine is photography.

I will do almost anything if it means getting that great image. Yes, including hiking, though my husband really had a great laugh about the hiking part. We all know the great photographer Ansel Adams got outside, but did you know he took many of his images standing on top of his car?

Some other ideas are:

Walking or hiking in a park, woods or trail

Camping (can even be in the back yard)

Kayaking, swimming or fishing

Gardening (or visiting a u-pick farm or orchard)

Stargazing

Birdwatching (learn to identify how many visit your yard)

Rock hunting

Biking, jogging or running

There are many good books or internet sites to help you identify and learn more about what you find outside. Some of my favorites are:

The National Wildlife Federation (www.nwf.org)

Ranger Rick (www.rangerrick.org)

The Cornell Lab of Orthinology (www.birds.cornell.edu)

Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR). (www.in.gov/dnr/parklake)

I have found it better if I learn more about the natural world. For example, I once was terrified of bats, but learned more about them when we had a colony move into our neighborhood. I shared this information with my neighbors, who also were less than thrilled. But as we learned more about them and saw our mosquito population dwindle, we became very protective of our bats. While we respected their space, we — including our children — were no longer afraid of them.

I have been trying this same approach for snakes, but so far it has not worked for me. Making time to get outside to play, no matter our age or abilities, is good for all of us, even if for only five minutes a day. Have fun!