Healthy soil and sustainable growing

["Tradingpost" <tradingpost@lobo.net>]

Spending time outdoors is good for you, from the Harvard Health Letter
http://www.health.harvard.edu/press_releases/spending-time-outdoors-is-good-for-you

Summer is here. The outdoors beckons. Heed that call and you’ll reap physical 
and mental health benefits, reports the July 2010 issue of the Harvard Health 
Letter. Here are five good reasons to get outdoors:

Your vitamin D levels rise. Sunlight hitting the skin begins a process that 
leads to the creation and activation of vitamin D. Studies suggest that this 
vitamin helps fight certain conditions, from osteoporosis and cancer to 
depression and heart attacks. Limited sun exposure (don’t overdo it), 
supplemented with vitamin D pills if necessary, is a good regimen.

You’ll get more exercise. If you make getting outside a goal, that should 
mean less time in front of the television and computer and more time walking 
and doing other things that put the body in motion.

You’ll be happier. Light tends to elevate people’s mood, and there’s usually 
more light available outside than in. Physical activity has been shown to 
help people relax and cheer up, so if being outside replaces inactive 
pursuits with active ones, it might also mean more smiles.

Your concentration will improve. Children with ADHD seem to focus better 
after being outdoors. It might be a stretch to say that applies to adults, 
but if you have trouble concentrating, outdoor activity may help.

You may heal faster. In one study, people recovering from spinal surgery 
experienced less pain and stress and took fewer pain medications when they 
were exposed to natural light. An older study showed that the view out the 
window (trees vs. a brick wall) helped recovery in the hospital.