Health Benefits of the Beach
You knew it deep down inside. Going to the beach isn’t just a trip to the shore with sand and sun, it’s a retreat and rejuvenating cleanse for your body and mind. I’ll bet if you close your eyes, you can smell the salty sea air. (Breathe in — exhale!) Man, that’s fresh air. Not like the air in the city. It’s thick with salt and humidity, and as you breathe it in your mind begins to clear, and your body begins to relax. As you sink into your beach chair and lay your head back, the tightness in your neck begins to subside. This is no coincidence. Water releases negative ions into the air that we breathe. These ions enter our body and our bloodstream and begin changing our levels of serotonin — that hormone that helps dictate our moods. As our serotonin levels change, we find ourselves releasing stress and our moods elevate. Mmmm… no wonder the beach is so refreshing and rejuvenating.
As you continue to take deep breaths, your head seems to naturally tilt back against your chair and your eyes close with the shining of the sun. The warmth reaches down and almost embraces you. For all of the bad hype surrounding the sun (you SHOULD wear sunscreen), this is Vitamin D in it’s purest form. Your skin is fully exposed to it and soaks it up naturally and in a more efficient way than any supplement ever could. Vitamin D is extremely important for women as it aids in the carrying of calcium to our bones to help prevent osteoporosis. If you’re fair skinned and worry about burning, relax, you’ll get plenty of Vitamin D just by walking back and forth from under your umbrella to the water for a little cooling off.
The sound of the waves soothes our worries and the ocean breeze calms our fears. It’s a natural effect of the sounds, smells and textures of the beach. Even the sand which seems to aggravate so many people works to exfoliate and rejuvenate our skin (it’s cheaper than a day at the spa ladies, and just as effective) opening the pores in our legs and bodies. This allows the salt water to give us its fullest nourishment. You see, salt water naturally pulls toxins out of our bodies renewing our energy. Salt water is a natural cleanser of bacteria and infection. It opens and flushes our sinus cavities. And by swimming in it, we can even get a little aerobic exercise.
I’m not sure what it is about the beach that makes so many people just want to get up and walk. Whether you’re intentionally walking for exercise or you’re searching for that perfect sea shell, you are using muscles that aren’t typically worked by walking or running on a hard steady surface. You are engaging and awakening new parts of your body thereby boosting your overall health.
With all of the benefits of a trip to the beach, it’s a wonder it’s not a work requirement to provide us with the relaxation and rejuvenation we need to perform our jobs to our best ability. What do you think? Will your boss buy that?
Happy Beaching!
