March 25, 2020
The Beauty of the Outdoors
For generations, mothers have told their kids to “get some fresh air,” to “go outside” and to “go play.” We’ve all heard it at some point. Or, at multiple points.
It is entirely likely those mothers were tired of hearing from bickering, bored children. But, at the same time, they were on to something whether they knew it or not.
Outside, experts have said, is good for us. Not only was it good for our parents who needed a breather from grouchy kids, but it is good for those of us who venture out now.
And at Talking Rock, outside is in abundant supply.
Our outdoors, a landscape of high desert vistas complemented by lakes and picturesque trails, provide more than recreation. The outdoors, simply put, is healthy.
Experts have long noted the emotional and physical health benefits of engaging with nature, crediting the practice with reducing anger, stress, and fear, and improving blood pressure, heart rate and muscle tension.
One researcher even goes so far as to suggest that humans are innately drawn to connections with nature and other forms of life. That theory, known as the biophilia hypothesis, takes aim at explaining why being outside feels so good. It suggests, in essence, that by getting our hands dirty and breaking a sweat outdoors, we are quenching a primal craving.
From gardening to exercising, outdoor activities reduce the production of stress hormones and have the ability to improve cognitive function. Some experts have even reported that some of those benefits can be experienced by simply viewing scenes of a natural landscape.
Talking Rock, with its outdoor-anchored lifestyle, speaks to our human need to engage with the landscape around us. Here, we ride, we hike, we pedal and we explore. We plant and prune gardens and we toss tennis balls for our favorite four-legged family members. We take our coffee outside to catch the sunrise and we finish our days outside as the sun dips below the horizon.
Our homes are built to foster that connection, and the active lifestyles we live cater to it. It’s one of the reasons it feels so good up here.