A healthy lifestyle can be the key to your overall well-being. Living healthfully can give you confidence, renewed energy, a longer life, and improved social interactions. How you choose to live on a daily basis can dictate the amount of fulfillment you get out of your life. One area that many people fail to consider when looking at a home is the area of health. Does your home encourage health?
A healthful home can be accomplished in numerous different ways. For example, it could be as simple as stocking the fridge with fresh fruits and veggies, or it may be that your family doesn’t own a television. Aside from how you live within the home, how does your home interact with your personal health? Included here are a few tips for designing a home that encourages health.
Location
As with any homebuying mission, location is critically important. Aside from local schools and restaurants, have you considered the health options? How is the air quality around your new home? Are you within walking distance to parks, natural areas, and bodies of water? Do you feel safe encouraging your children to play outside or ride their bikes in the street? The location of your home can do a lot to dictate how active and healthy your family is.
Access to the Outdoors
Aside from your interaction with the outdoors away from home, how does your home give you access to your backyard? Are there windows that allow natural sunlight in, to boost your mood and vitamin D levels? Do you have French doors that encourage heading outside for drinking coffee in the morning? Are there trees that offer calming greenery around your windows?
Room for Greenery
A recent study showed that women who live in areas with more greenery tend to be healthier, and live longer lives, than those who live without. A simple study analyzing satellite images showed that greener neighborhoods and yards promote health. How is your natural environment helping you? Buying a home in a very urban area could help cut down your commute time, but is it shortening your life?
Additionally, families who have easy access to getting outside tend to be more active and healthier than those who live in urban areas. Installing a deck can promote outdoor family time, from breakfast and dinner, to evening bouts of frisbee and croquet. Being outside can help boost the mood of the family as they absorb vitamin D, breathe fresh air, and reconnect with nature.
For those especially concerned about familial health, having space for a family garden is extremely important. Many children are more likely to consume fruits and veggies if they have a part in growing and preparing the food. Be sure your new home has space for a few raised beds, as well as ample sunlight for plant growth.