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Here Are Some of the Benefits of Going On a Nature Adventure
We don’t need science to tell us that traveling is good for our mental health, or that nature makes us feel better. If you travel or spend time outdoors, you probably already know this to be true. But science does confirm this. The health benefits of traveling are well documented. Travel has been shown to boost creativity, mood, and physical activity. Numerous studies show that nature has a highly beneficial effect on the brain, too. It promotes greater well-being by helping to alleviate stress, anger, and fear, and it makes us more caring and empathetic. Physically, time in nature (or even looking at images of nature), helps to support healthy blood pressure and heart health, as well as lessen muscle tension and the production of stress hormones, which can boost immune function. Going on a nature adventure can be a powerful and enjoyable combination for greater well-being. A few years back, I took a nature adventure of my own. It wasn’t without challenges. But I continue to reap benefits from the experience, even to this day. To the Amazon? When I agreed to lead a writing workshop in the Peruvian Amazon, I wasn’t exactly thinking about the health benefits of forest bathing or being away from electromagnetic frequencies (EMFs), or the brain health benefits of traveling to foreign country. To be honest, I wasn’t entirely sure I wanted to go. Leaving my 12-year-old daughter to travel somewhere so wild, untamed, and remote with no roads, cities, or electrical transmission or cell phone towers, made me nervous. Add to that the real dangers that exist in the Amazon rainforest – such as exposure to infectious diseases, poisonous insects, and predators like giant snakes and jaguar – and I wondered if going was being downright irresponsible. What if something happened to me? There are times when measured risks are worth taking. In this case, the rewards far outweighed the risks. At Home in the Jungle So off I went with a small group of writers and climate scientists on our nature adventure, sponsored by the Amazon Center for Environmental Education and Research, to a foreign land and the oldest and most biodiverse ecosystem on earth. After two flights, an overnight stay in Lima, a bumpy bus ride, and a riverboat ride, we arrived at Posado Amazonas, our eco-lodge, located in the Madre De Dios region of the Peruvian Amazon. We stowed our belongings in our rooms and headed out to the nearby watchtower, where we could get a sunset view of the majestic Amazon. Single file, we made our way for our first walk in the forest. A trail of leaf cutter ants greeted us and continued to zig zag across our path throughout our trek. I noticed how our guide asked us to tread carefully so as not to step on them. A native to the area, he held a healthy reverence for forest life, both great and small. His deep knowledge and understanding of the plant and animal life commanded our trust and respect We climbed to the top of the watchtower just in time to catch the last bit of sunlight as we looked out at the Amazon and the Tambopata River in all its glory. For as far as the eye could see, there was a blanket of forest treetops, punctuated on one side with the winding curves of the Tambopata. There were no buildings, no lights, no roads, and no dwellings – just deep, green forest illuminated by the light of the setting sun. In this first hour in the Amazon, surprisingly, I felt safe and very much at home. Nature’s Energy The next morning, a colleague and I returned to the watchtower. This time, it was just the two of us and our guide. It wasn’t long after sunrise when we finally reached the top of the tower. The sun quickly rose and bathed the steaming Amazon in its golden rays. The view was breathtaking. In the darkness the previous evening, I had missed the most glorious Brazil nut tree. Confidently standing before us at approximately 160 feet high, it took center stage in the forest canopy. Hosting a variety of tropical birds, it looked like the very tree of life itself! I observed the Brazil nut tree for a long time, absorbing its quiet strength and mature beauty. While I’d left my electric-powered world behind, here in the lap of nature, I felt a different power. The entire rainforest was abuzz with energy, the life energy pumping through all the biodiversity surrounding me. In a flash, a flock of scarlet Macaws flew before me. I’d never seen such a magnificent bird outside of captivity, flying free in its natural environment. It was truly a wondrous sight. Again, I was surprised at how comfortable, whole, and relaxed I felt among the trees, birds, and many other creatures. There’s something primal, positive, and life-giving about the rainforest. That was just the beginning. A Nature Adventure Awaits Nature restores us in ways that are unquantifiable. Since returning from that trip, our writer’s group has continued to meet online every month. We even united once to meditate and write atop a building in Venice, California. Traveling to the Amazon together bonded us, provided us with a new perspective, fueled our creativity, and deepened our spirituality and well-being. Is there a nature adventure you’re considering? Maybe now is the time to book it! (If you’re unable to travel to the Amazon at this time, you still can help protect it every day by applying the practical principles in Kim’s book, 50 Simple Steps to Save the World’s Rainforests.)  At BrainMD, we’re dedicated to providing the highest purity nutrients to improve your physical health and overall well-being. For more information about our full list of brain healthy supplements, please visit us at BrainMD.
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7 Ways Traveling is Actually Good for Your Health & The Earth
Did you know that travel is good for you? It is! And it’s good for you in real and scientifically studied ways. In fact, research indicates that traveling can improve your brain function, boost your heart health, improve your physical activity, turn on your creativity, and help you to be happier, to name a few health benefits. And if you add eco-travel into the mix, you can experience the feel-good hormones that come from doing something positive for others. As travel begins to open up with more vaccinations rolling out, it’s a great time to contemplate the benefits of traveling and how it is good for your health. Let’s explore! 7 Benefits of Traveling for Your Health & The Earth Brain Health Traveling to new locations is good for your brain. According to adjunct professor of neurological surgery at the University of Pittsburgh, Dr. Paul Nussbaum, traveling can stimulate your brain and spur the growth of new connections within its cerebral matter. There’s a link between new experiences and the formation of dendrites, which are the branch-like extensions that grow from brain neurons. Dendrites help to transmit information between different regions of the brain. When you have a greater number of dendrites, your brain functions better, especially its memory and attention. When you come up against an obstacle or problem in traveling, and your brain is forced to focus on the situation to create a solution, that act both boosts dendritic growth and tests your problem-solving skills. The newness is key. When traveling to a new location, your brain is challenged to make sense of new stimuli. Add a foreign language and your brain cognition sharpens even more! Heart Health Travel can reduce your chances of heart health problems. A study conducted by The Global Commission on Aging and Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies, in partnership with the U.S. Travel Association found that women who vacationed every six years or more had a significantly higher risk of developing a serious heart issue compared with women who vacationed at least twice a year. And for men, if they didn’t take an annual vacation, they were shown to have a 20% higher risk of death and about a 30% greater risk of death from a heart health event. Stress Relief Travel has been shown to relieve stress, and that stress relief appears to continue even after you return home. One study showed dramatic reductions in stress for corporate middle managers who took a vacation for just four days and the stress relief lasted four to six weeks after they returned. When you consider that stress may play a role in 60-80% of primary care visits, stress relief is super important to your overall health. With that statistic in mind, travel takes on increased importance for your health. Increased Physical Activity Another factor contributing to the heart health benefits of travel may be the increase of physical activity that often goes with it. In fact, research shows that substantial physical activity may accompany active travel. Physical activity increases even more if you adventure travel. People of all ages can build trips around physical activities, whether that’s hiking, mountaineering, rock climbing, scuba diving, surfing, skiing, golfing, or a simple walking tour. The possibilities are endless. But even with simple exploration, sightseeing, and visiting local attractions, you’ll likely be walking greater distances, which is wonderful for both mental outlook, your brain, and your body. Boosts Creativity There’s a well-documented link between multicultural traveling and creativity. Exposure to other cultures presents a person with new ideas, concepts, and ways of seeing the world. This kind of exposure expands your mind and facilitates the flow of creative energy. Of course, engaging in creative pursuits helps us to feel a greater sense of well-being, and reduces stress and anxiousness. Increased Happiness With all that physical activity, better cognition, and creative thinking resulting from travel, is it any wonder that travel makes us happier? This was reflected in a survey of 500 people conducted by Washington State University earlier this year. It showed that people who regularly take trips are happier than respondents who rarely travel. Yet, it may come as surprise to learn that even thinking about travel makes us happy. A Cornell University study explored how thinking about an experience such as a trip can increase a person’s happiness even more than the anticipation of buying material goods. Another study found that people feel greater well-being and happiness in anticipation of a holiday. Eco-travel Benefits Well-Being and the Earth All the feel-good travel feelings get magnified even more if you bring eco-travel into the equation. Eco-travel allows for off-the-beaten track experiences, usually with eco-lodges that are run sustainably in environmentally sensitive areas. Often, they’re managed or staffed by local communities driving sustainable income into their economy, which helps to minimize environmentally destructive practices. For example, in the Amazon Rainforest, there are several ecolodge, adventure travel options. The income from these operations can help restore rainforest areas and support local communities, helping them to refrain from rainforest destructive practices such as gold mining, logging, and slash and burn agriculture. Knowing you’re making a difference by helping others and the earth can help boost your own mental well-being. It’s a win for all involved. Time to get planning! Better health and new adventures await.  At BrainMD, we’re dedicated to providing the highest quality supplements to improve your physical health and overall well-being. For more information about our full list of brain healthy supplements, please visit us at BrainMD.
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