The sound of waves slowly crashing along the shore, while the sun is shining from the clear sky. The seemingly-endless sand joins the horizon and contributes to the perfect view that brings peacefulness to the whole body and mind.
Most of the people, who spend most of their free time indoors, don’t need much persuasion to take their bathing suit, go to the beach and catch some sun.
But if you are looking for more reasons why you should hit the beach, continue reading this article and discover how sun, sand and surf can improve tour physical and mental health!
Health Benefits of the Beach
Nobody knows better than the experts. J. Aaron Hipp, PhD., one of the greatest health experts and professor at Brown School, published his study in which he emphasized all the benefits of the beach as an environment.
According to Hipp, there are more restorative benefits from environments like waterfront parks and beaches to people than from environment venues, gyms and built urban environments. He adds that in order to achieve the fully desired health benefits from the beach, we need to pay attention to some specific conditions in the beachside environment. For example, the best time to visit the beach is during the days when the temperatures are mild and the tides are low.
The results of his study showed that people who visit the beach on cooler than average or average days are 30 percent more likely to perceive the coastal park or beach as restorative compared to those beachgoers who visit the beach on days that are nearly 3-4 degrees (F) warmer than average.
SUN
We’ve all heard about the risks of exposing the skin on sun for too long. But getting some rays can bring a lot of benefits too.
Direct explosion to the sun, helps our bodies to produce vitamin D – very important tool that stimulates the calcium absorption and building strong bones. Part of it is found in some fruits and vegetables and we can consume it in that way, but a great portion comes from the sun too.
Mayo Clinic has made a research and proved that we don’t need to be exposed to the sun more than 10 minutes in order to get our daily dose of vitamin D.
Despite the production of vitamin D, there are so many other benefits from the sun – such as prevention of autoimmune diseases and endorphins increase.
However, the experts advise us to limit our sun exposure to half an hour in order to avoid the risks of getting skin cancer. If you decide to spend more time out in the sun, don’t forget to apply sunscreen with an SPF 15 or even higher and you should wear protective clothing too.
SAND
It’s scientifically proven that there are more nerve-endings and sweat glands per square centimeter on the soles of our feet than any other part of our body. They can be stimulated by walking barefoot much more than by walking in shoes. What is more, walking on the sand activates more muscles on your feet than walking in shoes, which leads to greater muscle strengthening.
According to Martin Zucker, when we are walking barefoot we connect to the energy of the earth, which results in vital mood-boosting benefits.
In another research concentrated on walking and running on the sand, it was discovered that walking on sand requires more energy than walking on a hard surface. This is due to the fact that our muscles perform more mechanical work thanks to the structure of the sand.
SURF
Sea water is consisted of a variety of minerals present in high levels, like iodine, magnesium and potassium – which may help in prevention and healing different types of infection, detoxify the body and offer therapeutic effects.
Swimming is believed to decrease stress, anxiety and depression and increase our sense of well-being.
Despite its therapeutic effects, swimming offers great physical exercise, activating most of your major muscle groups, especially when there are gentle waves. Studies show that people who swim for as little as three hours a week – reduce the risk of chronic diseases and seemingly improve their heart health. What is more, swimming is proved to be the best exercise for people with injuries and it also improves the joint pain symptoms of people who suffer from arthritis.
