Healthy Heat

Arizona is a state saturated in color. The skies so deeply blue, the desert absolutely golden. The state boasts a minimum of three hundred sunny days a year, with sunshine touching every corner. Because of the variation in altitude, it offers the desert landscape perfect escape for sun worshippers, as well as mountains and high plateaus for more snow driven people. It is these kinds of weathers that are Arizona’s biggest attraction, and for which provides its greatest health benefits.

The northern part of the state hosts a vast array of green pine forests, rich in various plant lives, running alongside the southern part of the state that hosts dry, hot summers with temperatures ranging between 90 and 120 degrees—without a drop of humidity. This is ideal for those with arthritis and osteoarthritis, where humidity is the number one cause of flare ups. In a study done by Johns Hopkins Medicine in Argentina and Florida, sufferers from arthritis were mostly affected negatively in climates of high humidity and barometric pressure. Arizona is the proud owner of neither of these things, where retiring becomes all the more easy without those painful inflammations. The cold weather, which can also stiffen joints, does not touch the southern half.

The lack of ice is another notable health benefit, as ice is a particularly fickle terrain to conquer for anyone, particularly those who use walkers, wheel chairs, or canes. It is all too plausible to slip on the slippery ground of hard packed ice and snow. Arizona’s lack of cold weather again proves beneficial in this regard, making walking easy whether on desert sands or green grass.

It is because of the warm, sunny days, that Arizona remains one of the most active states in America. It is easy to keep an active, lasting pace when a sweater is the most needed to stay warm during winter days, which drop somewhere between 75 and 40 degrees. While other state’s residents are nestled inside by the fireplace to wait out snow storms before even thinking about driving to the store, Arizona citizens are busy bike riding, Frisbee throwing, and going for walks without fear of ice. Runners adore Arizona’s climate for the heat which allows their sweat to evaporate quickly, alleviating the sticky feeling humidity can leave. While it can run, undeniably a little hot, it is a clean, dry sort of hot that is easy and quick to adapt to.

Arizona offers something for everyone, from the sunshine filled days and warm weather, to the beautiful scenery that could easily become the backdrop to your new home. And with the health benefits from the climate alone, you’ll have no problem enjoying the excitement that each day holds.