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A recent article by UK camping and caravan-ing website (www.campingandcaravanning.co.uk) claims campers are much happier than non-campers.

Not just a promotional exercise, the article raises some good points about the lifestyle differences between campers and non-campers. If it’s true that campers are happier (93% of campers say they are, according to the article), perhaps it’s time for all of us to get back in touch with nature and go camping for our next holiday.

Benefits of Camping
Far too many of us feel the pressure and stress of long work hours and understand the effects this can have on our health. Unfortunately, in this day and age, long work hours, poor diet and lack of exercise all seem to go hand in hand. And most of us are pretty miserable as a result.

Taking time off and getting away from the pressures of everyday life has its benefits. A survey conducted by the website found that campers tend to be more satisfied, optimistic, happier and energised while non-campers tended to be more stressed, bored, frustrated and lonely.

Enjoying Nature
One of the biggest benefits of camping is the opportunity to get back in touch with nature.

The fresh air,  peace and quiet (or the noise of wildlife as opposed to traffic!), time away from the office… these are all wonderful reasons to go camping.

People have turned to nature for centuries as a much needed getaway.  Nature has a wonderful  ability to calm and restore mind and body. Many campers say camping creates happy memories, allowing them to recharge their batteries, appreciate nature and expand their horizons, as well as provide fun for the family.

Exercising in the Great Outdoors
When it comes to camping, the opportunity to enjoy some outdoor exercise is a big plus.

In addition, to promoting family togetherness, rest and relaxation, helping children learn, social interaction and creating memories and family traditions, camping opens up a world of exercise possibilities.

You can get some good old-fashioned exercise from hiking through the bush to rock climbing, gathering fire wood to swimming, or wading in a creek. And, unlike working out in the gym, it won’t even feel like you’re exercising!

It seems that campers may be onto something. Camping’s many benefits – from  exercise to relaxation – make it worth packing up the tent and heading bush.

But camping’s benefits don’t come from a once a year trip. To really experience these benefits, try getting away as often as you can – your mind and body will be much happier for it!

There’s nothing quite like it to chill out, relax and remove all of the noise and distractions in our lives.

Written by Andrew Talati

It’s rare to see an orchestra playing in the park, but we did and it was great!

Recently, while conducting a regular boot camp, in Edinburgh Gardens in the distance we heard what sounded like an orchestra. While all sorts of musicians and artists play in the park, from bands to DJs, I have never seen an actual orchestra. The music sounded very similar to a band called Beirut from their “The Flying Club Cup” album.

It’s great to see our beautiful parks attract a multitude of different activities, while some people may simply go for a casual walk or to exercise the dog, some people take a more creative approach.

And it was awesome to see people letting their hair down and enjoying the groove of the music without being concerned about those around them.

Even more awesome with seeing people letting their hair down and enjoying the groove of the music without being concerned about those around them.

It’s also interesting to note how good playing music is for you. There have been many studies showing that playing a musical instrument improves your mood and mental health.

In this busy world it’s easy to become distracted, letting our minds wander so we are oblivious to everything else around us. But playing a musical instrument can be very meditative by focusing the mind on producing beautiful harmonies. Due to the complexity of playing music it makes it extremely difficult to become distracted by other fractured thoughts that might be swirling around in your mind. As with yoga and other forms of meditation, playing music clears your mind and controls your breathing while you focus on a single thought.

Our daily lives are a lot more complicated and stressful than they were 50 years ago, we give ourselves very little time for the appreciation and enjoyment of those around us or participating in activities that are for ourselves.

How often do you walk down the street and find yourself in deep thought, thinking about work or something else that is causing you concern or stress? Maybe it’s time to explore playing a musical instrument, even though it may appear to be extremely complex and challenging it is well worth the rewards.

A recent Nielsen poll found that Austtralians are on average spending 17.6 hours per week on the internet with 75% of those users using social networking sites. More concerning is children spending up to 22 hours in front of the computer screen surfing the net rather than being involved in physical exercise.

With Australia’s obesity rate going out of control there needs to be a change in our technilogical behavior. More alarming is that this phenomenon is starting to lead to obsessive compulsive type behavior and stress.

Part of leading a healthy lifestyle is having downtime to switch off and disconnect. I find it concerning that people cannot resist the temptation to check emails after work hours on there new smart phones even if there is a high probability it’s work related.

As technological advances in the area of instant communication and connecting with information, we are slowly eroding any down time.

It’s interesting that people often site the lack of time or tiredness for not exercising or adopting a healthier eating regime but as a society we are prioritising gluing our eyeballs to the computer or mobile phone screen, be it looking at/sending emails, SMS messaging, instant chat and surfing the internet.

I often wonder whether life back in the 1950′s may have been better for your health without all the latest technological gadgets.

We are moving towards a fatter, more fatigue society and unfortunately the internet and social networking responsibilities aren’t helping.

Today I was speaking to our painter about how our society is go, go, go and he started talking about how life was in the 1950′s.
It may sound like a bit of nostalgic but ne did make some interesting points.

Supermarkets didn’t exist so you purchased your fruit from the green grocer who often delivered freshly ripened fruit, so fresh and tasty that the peaches left an pleasant aroma in the air as he passed you in the street on his deliveries.
Even such things as Rock melons were apparently totally different to the variety we have today with the need for greater shelf life and transporation logistics requirring a more sophisticated fruit product when compared to this bygone era.

Bread wasn’t like eating a sponge covered in plastic wrap, it came striaght from the baker with less modified grains and different milling to the varieties we use today.

The average household comfortable paid off the house on a single income, no forms of instant communication so working outside the office just didn’t happen.

Less traffic on the road meant less pollution, less congestion and a safer environment for kids to get out on there bikes without the fear of being run over. With the advent of TV our painter remembers his older brother (12 years old) not getting home until 9.00pm as he was watching this new thing called TV from the window of a shop front, did the parents get stressed and worried, mmm, not really as kids often stayed out playing after dinner, no where to be seen.

Maybe just a case of nostalgia, or is there something to be said for living in the fifties.

When taking a break over the Christmas holidays, resist the tempatation to stay at home to “catch up household chores”.
This is one of the few times throughout the year when we get the opportunity to have some time away from the familiar so pack the car and head out of town.

There have been vaious studies that have shown that it can take anywhere from 5 to 14 days to completely unwind and relax.

So what do I mean by relaxed? well you’re not in a hurry to be anywhere, do anything.
The ultimate test is to see whether you have had a relaxing break is the “care factor” test.
Take note of how you react to work stress and tasks within the first week of returning to work.
If you feel anesthetised, in a relaxed state without being too concerned, you have had a relaxing holiday and successfully relaxed your mind, Congratulations!!

If however on returning to work you feel like you never left the place and the stress levels return back with vengeance, guess what, maybe your holiday wasn’t as relaxing as you may have thought.
So on your holiday, did you disconnect?, did you check emails, phone messages, sms messages? Are you still dreaming about work, feeling anxious & stressed?

So what will it be these holidays, switching off and relaxing, or will you return from your Christmas holidays stressed?