Traveling and enjoying nature are truly inspiring events. Why not combine the two and double your vacation experience? Connecting with nature is a proven way to reduce your stress and lead to more helpful emotions that improve your health.
ScienceDaily’s June 27, 2008 news report documented that “working hard when tired may be admired by many Americans, but it’s a virtue that could be detrimental to your health, according to new research by psychologists at the University of of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Research supports a theory suggesting that exhausted people’s cardiovascular systems are forced to work harder when trying to complete tasks, such as those found at work or school.”
Research by psychologist Rex Wright, Ph.D, found that fatigued people had greater increases in blood pressure than rested people under certain conditions, which can eventually lead to hypertension and heart disease.
This research and many others find that relaxation is the key to helping you stay healthier. Try this, for example, if you find yourself drifting into negativity or allowing stress to creep into your happy disposition, take a break and fully engage in nature observation. Take a full minute to fully notice the leaves on a tree and watch them rustle in the wind. Either choose to hypnotize yourself by watching the clouds and their movements, or if you are near the water, enjoy the water and the waves. This strategy is designed to help you overcome toxic energy by connecting with nature. Wow, it’s so simple and so nice.
After experiencing this strategy as helpful, can you imagine what a full weekend or weeklong vacation enjoying nature would do for you?
Ecotourism is a recent term that naturalists may use. Some define ecotourism as “Responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and improves the well-being of local people.” It can be extreme or simple. Here are some “natural” options for those who love our environment.
1. Climb the Grand Tetons in Wyoming.
2. An exciting safari in the South African jungle
3. Travel to the Red Rocks of Sedona, AZ, and explore the metaphysical dimensions there. Sedona is known to have highly concentrated energies that are conducive to prayer, meditation, and healing.
4. Grand Canyon Hiking: It can be a day trip or you can spend a week there. The magnificence is impressive.
5. Enjoy the mountains of Colorado: mountain climbs, waterfall hikes, lots of lakes, creeks and streams to enjoy.
6. Visit the Polar Bear Capital of the World in Churchill, Manitoba, Canada
7. See the Northern Lights or Northern Lights.
8. Whale Watching: There are actually many places for this. This is a spectacular sight to witness: a six-ton animal leaping gracefully out of the water. It’s just awesome.
9. Discover a 500-year-old Inca city in Peru
10. Visit Venezuela, which has the Caribbean coast, the Amazon rainforest, the vast savannahs of Los Llanos and the great mountains of the Andes.
11. Evaluate the large Sequoia trees in California.
The possibilities are endless. We have a beautiful world to explore. Enjoy the possibilities and enjoy the benefits of better health.