Seven Reasons To Love Nature

February is the season of love.  As cupid shoots his arrow into our hearts, let’s take a moment to celebrate something we all love for different reasons-nature.  Here are seven reasons we may love nature.  I would love to hear what you would add to this list.

#1 Nature Accepts Everyone
No matter what color you are, how many years you have tucked under your belt, where you live, what gender you call yourself, nature welcomes all.

#2 Nature is Free
Engaging in nature can be as simple as stepping outside and breathing in a deep, cleansing breath of fresh air (assuming you live where the air is clean), dipping your toes in the ocean, or planting a seed in the soil.

#3 Nature Is Fun
Think back to your childhood days.  Does a smile creep onto your face remembering raking leaves into a giant pile and then jumping in them?  Playing flashlight tag under the stars on a warm summer night with friends?  As an adult do you enjoy living through a child’s eyes as they toss a stone in a pond and jump for joy as it splashes sending rippling circles from the epicenter?  Maybe you just enjoyed a long bike ride through the country with friends.  It doesn’t take much to have fun outside.

#4 Nature Calms Our Brains
Whether it is the lure of a gushing waterfall, the mesmerizing effect of watching birds visit the birdfeeder or leaving our cares behind to focus on finding the perfect shell on miles of sand, nature has a way of putting our busy, overactive minds at ease.

#5 ​Nature Is A Free Gym
We can leave our excuses on the couch and burn away unneeded pounds simply by engaging in nature. 
For example:
Lawn Mowing: On average we burn about fifty calories every eight minutes of walking with the lawnmower.
Hiking: You can burn fifty calories in just six minutes of intense hiking.
Play fetch with Fido: Your pets love the outdoors too! Fifteen minutes of playing fetch burns an average of fifty calories.

#6 Nature Inspires Our Creativity
Feeling stuck, in a rut?  New research shows that a walk in nature can help break our ruminating thoughts, the ones that swirl around and around like a cow chewing on grass.  This opens the mind to new thoughts and ideas.

#7 Nature Gives Us Food
Deep blue berries, juicy strawberries, crunchy celery, tart apples-the list are endless and it all comes from nature.  What’s not to love about that?

What reasons would you add to love nature?
Happy Valentine's Day!