Outdoor Pursuits: Great For The Mind And Body
by Tim Barnes-Clay, LincsMag Writer.
Date: 14 June 2011
OUTDOOR PURSUITS can loosely be considered as the group of sports and hobbies dependent on the great outdoors.
Activities can include hill walking, trekking, Paintball, quad biking, canoeing, kayaking, climbing, caving, and arguably broader groups such as watersports and snowsport.
Enjoyed by many as a bit of fun, an adrenaline rush, or an escape from reality, outdoor sport is also frequently used as an extremely effective medium in education and teambuilding. It is this ethos that has given rise to large numbers of outdoor education centres being established, as the stress on the importance of a balanced and widespread education continues to grow.
Outdoor pursuits can take place in a variety of environments: rural and urban, local and more remote. Training and recreation can involve both young people and adults in a wide range of experiences, including adventures on land and water and activities with an environmental focus.
Boot Camp
Matt Craven is owner of the Grange Spa – a health and exercise facility near Sleaford in Lincolnshire. In addition to the usual services associated with his business Matt runs a ‘boot camp’ on the expanse of land surrounding the former farm building. Matt believes that challenging experiences outdoors impact powerfully upon a person’s development.
“Use of the outdoors makes a major contribution to physical and environmental education. It also contributes to personal growth as well as social awareness and helps develop skills for life and the world of work,” he says.
“Qualities such as a sense of responsibility and a purpose in life are nurtured. There is also a great deal of intrinsic enjoyment and satisfaction to be experienced from participation in outdoor activities.”
Britain has a long tradition in the field of outdoor education, training and recreation, reflecting the strong place of exploration and adventure in the British heritage. Exceptional accomplishments in exploration and adventure, on the sea, in the mountains and in the world of nature, feature strongly in our country’s history.
Reflecting this heritage, Britain has led the way in the use of outdoor learning and adventure for the development of young people, for example, through the Scout and Guide movements, Outward Bound and the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award.
The purposeful use of leisure time is increasingly seen as making an important contribution to a fulfilling lifestyle.
Healthy Lifestyle
The Grange Spa’s Matt Craven says he was a dedicated follower of healthy routines long before he turned his passion for keeping fit into a career.
“I’ve always found that outdoor exercise contributes greatly to health and fitness and continuing participation in outdoor pursuits encourages the maintenance of a healthy lifestyle into middle age and beyond.
“Our relationship with the environment is a key issue facing tomorrow’s citizens. Challenging outdoor experiences promote the development of communication, problem solving and decision making skills which have currency across a range of occupations.”
He’s a difficult man to argue with, and you can’t help thinking he has a point.
For more information on outdoor pursuits within the United Kingdom contact: Tourist Net UK at: admin@touristnet.uk.com or telephone 01782 711059.
