Nature: A natural stress buster. Hear the call – it’s time to unleash our inner nature addicts. If you are not one of these addicts, here’s how to make healthier and happier choices. 

Depending on where you live, you may feel a safari lifestyle is a far far away dream in the summer of 2021. Last month, we looked at the tools required to help you let go and at how exercise can help you get that energy for the summer. In this newsletter, we look at how to make the most of these country-bound summer holidays and provide you with some tips on what to do, no matter where you live.

Tip No 1. Enjoy nature’s fantastic show of colour

Head to your local park or nearest woodland and delight in the spectacular seasonal display as the leaves on the trees turn lush green with a wonderful display of flowers. Or, why not bring along a bike to enjoy the woods from a different perspective.

Tip No2 . Take a day trip and head for the coast

Beaches aren’t just for the summer hot weather, beaches offer beautiful walks and local nature. Walk through sand dunes or along the lake shores, collect shells, fly a kite, skim stones into the water, build sandcastles, enjoy a game of footie, admire the shores from a paddle or a kayak, or simply take your shoes off, roll up your trousers and enjoy the refreshing feeling of water.

Tip No 3. Become an amateur tree sleuth

12.5 million working days were lost due to work-related stress, depression or anxiety in 2017. Excessive workloads and lack of support are obvious contributors towards this staggering figure. So, do unpleasant environments belong on that list too?

The Central Institute of Mental Health in Mannheim recently studied the brain activity of healthy city and rural dwellers to give us some perspective. “In a series of functional magnetic resonance experiments […[ they showed that city living was associated with greater stress responses in the amygdala, an area of the brain involved with emotional regulation and mood.” (source).

If remote or rotation work doesn’t allow you to go far, use one of the many free plant and tree identifying apps to discover the names and characteristics of the trees and plants around where you live and learn to identify them by sight.

Tip No 4: River love

Rivers are not just for couples outings. Rivers and trees can give you a refreshed look forward. Whether for meandering along the shores, hiring a boat, paddle or Kayak, rafting down some rocky river, or just going for a dip and making friends with local ducks, rivers offer a refreshing change to the status quo. 

Tip No 5: Getting your much needed vitamin D

Getting to the great outdoors keeps our sunlight exposure healthy. Vitamin D deficiency is a real thing. So get out there and fill up on some much needed sunlight. No matter what country, grab a rain jacket or a hat; it’s all about how you dress, not the weather. 

Positive action leads to positive outcomes. The bottom line is: take advantage of the outdoors whenever you can! 

The benefits are proven. The outdoors are free of charge. Really, there’s no reason not to enjoy our beautiful earth and reap the rewards of doing so.

New to our newsletters? Sign-up to our newsletter below or via DM on Instagram @bluetigereye_wellness and get our bi-weekly gratitude tips and tricks to keep you on course. 

We would love for you to get involved in one of our challenges. Here’s to rocking ahead in 2021!!

What we have in store for you – Grab a partner and join one of our challenges. Delivered through our app, our personal trainer will keep you motivated and tailor the programmes to suit you.

• Skip and Jump into Spring – Getting that lower body ready for your summer activities
• The Thor Strength Power Challenge – for the upper body strength
• Koala Challenge – for a tailored full body energising routines
• Chocolate Abs challenge – lots of love for your abs