Our family has been exploring the outdoors since our daughter was just over a year old. Our first REAL camping trip was in Sirao Peak and we fell in love with it. We’ve camped by the beaches before that and learned to rough it out when she was only six months old. It wasn’t easy but totally worth it.

Also read: How We Got Started as An Outdoor-Loving Family

We’ve continued this outdoorsy lifestyle in our family and here are the reasons why we think you should convince your family and friends to spend time in the outdoors, too:

A breath of fresh air

Living in the city is awesome because everything is just super accessible. However, it also means being constantly exposed to pollution in all forms: noise, air, water and more. Spending some time in the outdoors, even if it means simply strolling around parks (unfortunately not a lot of them available in the Philippines) and playgrounds.

Of course, if you are adventurous enough to try it, you can also go hiking and camping at nearby beautiful mountains. In Cebu, mountains do not usually go beyond the 1,000 MASL range and even the one that goes beyond it (Osmeña Peak) is a rather easy climb even for beginners. Trust me, you will love the experience even if it’s only your first time.

Also read: 13 Must-Visit Mountain Peaks and Camp Sites in Cebu

It’s a great way to destress

The monotony of life can be boring if you don’t break it. Our own routine has been one such and we realized how unhealthy it is in many aspects of our life (physical, mental, emotional, etc). Being cooped at home or even having a work-home routine can contribute to the decline of your overall happy disposition.

Spending some time outdoors helps change that. They say that nature is the best therapy and it’s also much cheaper, too.

Good exercise for your eyes

What we love most about being in the mountains and the beaches is that it provides great exercise for our eyes. Even long bus rides in the countryside is welcomed! I work on the laptop nearly all days of the week and am also short-sighted. The partner encourages me to look into the horizon to help exercise my eye muscles to look at great distances. My favorite sights are the greens of the mountains and blues of the skies and seas.

Good exercise for the whole body

It isn’t just the eyes that gets exercised when you spend time outdoors. One of the things we love about hiking and camping on mountains is that it provides a full body workout that we would otherwise not go through on regular days. I love the feeling of sweating it out on the trail; I feel like I am losing a lot of pounds in the process even though I’m probably not.

I also have VSD so constant walks and hikes provide an awesome exercise for my heart and lungs.

You’ll need the sun exposure

Not all sun exposure is bad for your health. Although the sun has been extremely unforgiving the past few years (YES, climate change is REAL, people), there are actually times in the day when it is still healthy for us.

Working from home means staying inside the house for a majority of the day and not getting the right amount Vitamin D or sunshine vitamin. Instead of relying solely on supplements, why not get it from natural sources such as in your food and the sun? The latter will obviously keep you from shelling out even more money which is awesome.

Gives your immune system a boost

Last week, the daughter got hospitalized due to pneumonia. We were surprised. During our trip to Aliwagwag Falls, we got soaked in the rain on our way there and we stayed in the cold for about 2-3 hours. The day after that, we had to wake up really early to prepare for a long bus ride and yet she never caught a cold or cough (not even us). However, when we went home and stayed inside for about two weeks, she easily caught my niece’s cough which soon developed into pneumonia.

Also read: 22 Days in Eastern Mindanao: How Much Does Long Term Travel Cost?

We definitely approve of hiking at least once a month, if not once a week, to help boost our immune system. It’s cheaper and more enjoyable way to spend quality time than being trapped in the hospital for three days.

Over to you. Do you love being in the outdoors? Why?

This post is a part of a new weekly series called Inspiring Outdoors. The series, which comes out every Wednesday, aims to inspire and motivate readers to get out of their office cubicles, ditch the gadgets and explore the beauty of life outside. Go and explore the outdoors!

Want more inspiration? You can also check out #FamiliesOutside, an interview series to help encourage families to go out and explore places, near or far.

About the Author

Pam is an outdoors-loving millennial momma who loves to hike, trek and camp in the beaches and mountains with her partner and their 3-year-old daughter. When not exploring the great outdoors, she moonlights as a freelance writer specializing in the travel, parenting, personal finance and digital marketing niches. You can also follow her via social media: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest!