How the Beach Can Improve Your Health

Does a picture or even just the thought of the beach (sand, sea, waves, blue waters and skies, salty air) immediately lead to a decrease in your blood pressure and heart rate and an increase in your levels of patience and tolerance? Well, you’re not alone – studies done by the University of Exeter in England have shown that more people would choose a beach environment over cityscapes or green fields as a calming and stress relieving choice.

They’ve also shown people who live at or near water environments tend to have overall better wellbeing and physical health. And this is not just a matter of being wealthier but more so with socioeconomically lower groups. Now, this health improvement could be that the environment encourages increased physical activity (which is NOT a bad thing). The group has started a project called “Blue Gym” to further study the effects of water environments on the health of all people and especially kids. This includes studying “doses” of exposure and perhaps the possibility of aquatic activities like surfing for use in therapy for troubled teens. One point the team emphasizes is we need to be careful because the positive effects could be moot if these beach environments become over crowded.

So if you have a beach nearby, take advantage of the health benefits for you and your family and make some wonderful memories you can reminisce about in the middle of winter or when you’re feeling a little stressed. Maybe it’s more about just getting away from the usual grind, but my own personal research has shown that my entire family’s wellbeing improves every time we go to the beach. So I’m a firm believer in its therapeutic qualities.