Women fall out of love with the great outdoors
Our love affair with the great outdoors seems to have fizzled out, as the average person confesses to spending a mere 17 minutes a day outside.
That’s just 301 days (or under one year) in a lifetime spent outdoors – or a massive 25,249 days a lifetime spent indoors (69 years).
And one in 10 spend even less time outside - just four minutes a day, according to a survey of 3,000 men and women by Original Source.
Fresh air is a a good stress reliever and decreases symptoms of anxiety and depression. In the survey, 42% said staying indoors so much makes them depressed, while 70% confessed to spending much more time outdoors as a child.
Sunlight is also an essential source of vitamin D, and more than half of the UK population have insufficient levels of the vitamin, which is essential for growth, especially for pregnant women.
Recycled air in the home is full of chemicals and odours, while fresh air helps the cell renewal, giving you healthy skin and hair.
Reasons cited for not spending time outside, included poor weather (44%), having a car and therefore no need to be outside (20%) and feeling unsafe (11%).
Psychologist Donna Dawson, said: “The combination of fresh air and beautiful scenery uplifts our mood and makes us feel good.
“The more time spent indoors, the more likely we our to suffer with depression, anxiety and mood swings.”
