With finals quickly approaching, it is easy to fall into the habit of staying inside and cramming all of the readings you skimmed over the quarter. However, luckily, the Bellevue College Wellness Center is offering many outdoor recreational activities to get the Bulldogs to stretch their legs. “A Wellness Center adventure will expand your outdoor adventure knowledge while creating a community of others who value the effect of green space on your personal wellness,” their website states. “Bike trips, open water paddles, rock climbing, guided hikes and overnight excursions — these adventures are created to be repeated for years to come.”
The Wellness Center’s spring excursions include the following events:
- Garfield Ledges Night Hike — an Outdoor Leadership Event
- Iron Chef Backpacking Cooking Contest – an Outdoor Leadership Event
- Snoqualmie Tunnel Bike Ride – an Outdoor Leadership Event
- Guided Backpacking
- Summer Adventure Celebration with Outdoor Recreation Leadership Program
Spring Outdoor Office Hours – Mon. 11:30 a.m. – 12:20 p.m. & Weds. 10:30 a.m. – 11:29 a.m.
In Mar. of 2021, the U.S. Department of Agriculture published a page that discussed the wellness benefits of the great outdoors. In it, they state, “Studies also show that being outside in nature is relaxing, reducing our stress, cortisol levels, muscle tension and heart rates – all of which are risk factors for cardiovascular disease.” In addition to physical health, outdoor activities allow one to connect with others as they partake in fun exercises or do community engagement work such as trash pick-up or gardening.
BC’s page references a 2010 study comprising over 100 studies focused on the effect of art for one’s physical and mental health: “It turns out that photography allows you to express yourself while bringing focus to positive life experiences, enhancing self-worth, and reducing the stress hormone cortisol.”
If you are wanting to get outside in a less physically demanding method, try photography and send your best photos to BC at bcwellnesscenter@bellevuecollege.edu. “We’ll use them to spread our shared passion for outdoor recreation.”
