Camping has grown in popularity over the last decade with a recent large surge in just the past couple of years. Perhaps it’s the advancements in technology that are driving people to connect with nature, or the recent challenges we are experiencing as a planet. All we can say is that people are finding the perfect balance between remedy and leisure by getting away from it all and going camping. With friends, family, or even alone, camping is a one of the world’s favorite outdoor activities and has been for a long time and will continue to be so.
Most of the greatest gifts in life come from nature. Camping truly brings us in touch with these gifts and often helps us in so many ways, some of which have nothing to do with being outdoors. Let’s have a look at the top camping benefits so you know what to look forward to.
Health Benefits of Camping
Mental Health
Most of us just need an escape from our reality. Spending time camping can help us see there is more to our reality than we realize. Often distracted with day-to-day challenges and goals, it’s easy to forget how tiny we are in the vastness of it all. Being outside can help remind us of what’s important in life, and not to get too stressed out over things we can’t control.
There are several studies that show one can reduce mental stress from anxiety, anger, depression, and fatigue by escaping the pressures of work and modern life. These mental benefits are one of the leading motivating factors of planning a camping trip with friends and family.
Spending time with the people you admire and love also provides a massive relief of stress by releasing endorphins which is a feel-good hormone. Friends and family also know you very well, sometimes better than you know yourself. They know how and when to make you smile and they know how to keep you grounded when you need to be. Taking quality time to be with your friends may be exactly what you need to refresh your mind and body, so you remain focused, inspired, and motivated to accomplish your life goals and achieve your dreams.
Physical Health
Besides reducing stress, camping also will help you stay fit. Camping takes some physicality, and if you plan on doing popular camping activities like hiking, biking, rock climbing and kayaking, you’re going to be getting quite the workout. Just 30 minutes of leisurely hiking can burn 200 calories of the average person’s body. Always remember to be prepared with water in your canteen, a tactical flashlight, and survival bracelet to ensure you stay safe and connected to your party.
The crisp fresh air when camping also provides essential health benefits. Although this seems like a given because we need to breath air to live, it’s worth repeating why breathing in fresh air is vital to, well, your vitals!
- Promotes healthy lungs
- Improves blood pressure
- Promotes healthy blood and increases oxygen levels
- Strengthens your immune system
- Reduces stress, clears the mind, and enhances wellbeing and happiness
There is also our planets lifeline, our magnificent sun, that bestows upon us beauty and provides us enormous health benefits. A person absorbs vitamin D from sunlight which is one of the most important nutrients the body needs to maintain a healthy immune system and prevent osteoporosis and other chronic illnesses. On top of that, it’s a known fact that sunlight and vitamin D will increase your serotonin levels which will increase your happiness, focus and energy.
A Break from Electronics & Artificial Light
Radio waves, electronic signals, and artificial light are literally all around us, all day, and all night. Most people don’t realize that that these wavelengths do have a toll over time on our brains and bodies. Our brains also conduct electricity at a low .01-3.5Hz brainwave frequency. It would be naïve to think that the electric currents and waves that surround us do not cause interference.
Additionally, studies suggest that too much artificial light, especially at night, can have serious consequences by increasing the risk for obesity, depression, sleep disorders, diabetes, breast cancer and more. There is even a rapidly growing market of optical lenses and light bulbs that block out a specific frequency of blue light. If you know someone who may get frequent headaches when under florescent or strong artificial lights over a prolonged amount of time or workday, they are probably more sensitive to this light frequency.
Camping is the perfect sanctuary to become your best self, both mentally and physically.
Social Benefits of Camping
Stories around the campfire, stargazing, roasting smores. The memories we create with our best friends and loved ones while camping is everlasting. Camping is a social experience that connect people in a very special way. You’re secluded from society with nothing to distract you from each other except your surroundings, which only enhances the atmosphere and solidifies the bond being constructed between each other.
Family
Togetherness is one of the greatest benefits of camping with family. There are so many fun things to do while camping and can be an educational experience whether you’re young or old. Creating memories with your kids like birdwatching through dad’s spotting scope or smoking freshly caught fish on the BBQ while camping will leave an lifelong impression on your young ones, and yourselves. It’s also the perfect opportunity to teach them about nature, survival, and Earth’s beauty.
Friends
Camping with friends is also one of the most fun things to do as a group. If you have ever gone camping with your friends, you know it can be like a party at times. Especially when the day is winding down and you’re sitting around a campfire with some cold drinks, good food, and good friends. That’s not to mention awesome daytime activities you can do together like mountain biking, rafting, or kayaking, and hunting. My dad used to go camping with a few buddies of his when I was younger. They would be fishing, smoking cigars, and drinking for a couple days. Nothing could get in the way of this. Of course, we went on our own trips as well, but I always admired the solidarity between him and his friends.
Love
What defines a great date? Giving each other attention, fun activities, a romantic environment, and good food. These are all things you get when camping. Plus, it’s unique, which makes camping a very special one-of-a-kind dreamy experience. Taking your spouse or partner on a camping trip away from everything familiar, where you only have each other while surrounded by nature is like something out of a romance novel or film. It’s a beautiful thing. Cozying up together under the night’s sky, sharing a binocular to stargaze or to admire the beautiful wildlife with your love will melt both your hearts.
Post Camping
Camping has benefits for when you return to your normal social setting too. Besides being happier, your camping experience can provide an interesting topic of conversation. You will also naturally be more inclined to socialize with friends and coworkers because you were not around many other people, if at all as you were becoming one with nature.
For me hiking and backpacking give you an opportunity to see nature firsthand. You can’t help but notice how everything in nature is interconnected: plants grow from the ground, animals graze on them, rivers run through mountains and oceans provide nourishment. The warmth of the sun makes life comfortable on land.
It’s wonderful that you elaborate on the ways that camping both contributes to physical fitness and lower your overall stress levels. My family members have all been stressed out the past several months due to a lack of physical activity, so my wife and I want to plan a camping trip that we can take this summer. I’m going to see if I can find a good business to sell us some equipment for camping.