How to spend more time outdoors this year

Women practising yoga outdoors on non-slip timber decking

The health benefits of being outside are well known: being outdoors makes us fitter, happier and healthier; aspects we are all aware are more important now than ever before. With many of us restricted to our houses for most of the day, it is vital that we embrace the time we are allowed to spend outside, whatever the weather. At Gripsure we are passionate about people making the most of their gardens all year round, so, how can you make this the year you spend more time enjoying the benefits of outdoor living? The answer could be to think differently and step outside to do some of the things that you usually do indoors….

Make your garden your gym

Gym memberships typically soar in January, as many of us make New Year’s resolutions to get fit and lose weight. As the weeks go on, more and more people find reasons not to go and end up paying expensive monthly fees without getting any of the benefits. Given the current pandemic has seen us enter 2021 in a national lockdown, this offers us the perfect opportunity to try something different this year, so why not have a go at making your garden your gym? Using some of the things already in your garden – a bench and a wall plus a few bits of inexpensive kit, like a skipping rope and some weights – you could create your own workout. If you need ideas there are many exercise apps out there for anything from yoga to circuits. Joe Wicks, aka The Body Coach, has a great 7-day workout series for beginners, which can be done at home with no equipment necessary. To stay safe, make sure you are on a non-slip surface, especially if you’re doing any aerobic exercises.

Dine al fresco

We don’t think al fresco eating should be limited to the occasional summer barbecue. Even on a chilly day, it can feel warm in the sunshine and eating outside can really lift the spirits. From wood-fired brick pizza ovens to built-in gas grills, there are more and more options to help you be as adventurous as you like with outdoor cooking. If you’re working from home at the moment, just taking your sandwich outside at lunchtime and spending a few minutes enjoying your surroundings can turn a mundane meal into something special.

Help your children play outside

The average child spends half the amount of time their parents spent playing out. There are many benefits of playing outside – from physical fitness to connecting with nature. Of course there are advantages for parents too – messy play is much less stressful outside than in the front room and all that fresh air and exercise tends to make for a better night’s sleep.

While it is less common now for children to play in the streets, gardens give children the experience of being outdoors while you keep an eye on them. Kids @ Homebase has some great ideas for low-cost but high-fun outdoor activities.
Make sure your children understand if there are any unsafe areas of the garden, such as sheds, that they should keep away from. Educate them about poisonous plants. Wet, slippery decking often means that gardens are off-limits for the winter months. Installing anti-slip decking is a great way of ensuring your children can tear around in the garden whatever the weather. Gripsure decking has achieved the highest non-slip ratings and is now available online and from a range of stockists across the UK.

Relax

Your garden should be a haven for you to relax and unwind. You might even want to set aside a corner of your garden specifically for this purpose. If you have the space, you could install a summer house as a quiet haven away from the hustle and bustle of daily life. Even if your garden is small, think about how you can make it as peaceful and relaxing as possible, perhaps using a trellis to provide some privacy or planting some beautiful pots of scented flowers. The garden is the perfect place for many of the relaxing activities that are becoming increasingly popular, such as meditation, yoga or mindful colouring.

However busy you are, finding those moments when you can take yourself outside to enjoy the garden will help make you happier and healthier in 2021.