“The stomach, liver, lungs, and brain are suffering for want of deep, full inspirations of air which would electrify the blood and impart to it a bright, lively color, and which alone can keep it pure, and give tone and vigor to every part of the living machinery.”—Ellen G. White, Testimonies Vol. 2, pp. 67-68
Fresh Air Principle
It may seem silly-obvious, but one of the Seventh-day Adventist health principles is to get out in fresh air. While this may be one of the simplest principles, it is often forgotten, or just simply not practiced with the same importance of other things such as nutrition or exercise.
Air Is Important
Although you can go a few days without most things like food and water you can only go a few minutes without air. The better the air quality, the more oxygen that is available for your body, and the easier it is on your lungs! When we inhale bad quality air our body has to work extra hard to filter out the oxygen to use.
What Exactly is Fresh Air?
Fresh air can be hard to define- although it is chemically different than indoor air or outdoor polluted air. One characteristic of fresh air is that it has negatively charged ions. In Animal Studies negative ions in fresh air were shown to normalize animal behavior and increase animal growth and health. Other studies show that children with disabilities had a statistically significant improvement in their functioning when exposed to negative ions. These ions have also been shown to increase serotonin in the brain, lower our resting heart rate, and body temperature. Not to mention that bacteria have a harder time thriving in negatively charged air.
Benefits of Fresh Air
Besides those listed above, there have been lots of studies showing that good ol’ fresh air is a true champ. Kids who are outside more have been found to have less ADHD and more success in school. Fresh air also makes you happy, decreases your chances of lung disease, improves your immune system, gives you energy, and sharpens your mind.
What if I Don’t Have Access to Fresh Air?
A large portion of the population doesn’t have access to “fresh air”. While organic fresh air is the best, there are alternatives to get fresher air and even negatively charged air particles. If you live in a city with a large park, going for a walk or doing deep breathing exercises in that environment will help you get some good quality air. On the other hand, you can buy an air purifier-some air purifiers even claim that the air that comes out has a negatively charged ion!
Want to Get More Fresh Air?
1. Learn to do deep breathing exercises and do them outside in the morning and evening.
2. Try and ventilate your house.
3. Exercise outside.
