Physical inactivity and it’s effects
Physical inactivity has detrimental effects and is considered a leading risk factor for global mortality and morbidity rates of non-communicable diseases, negative influences on mental well-being, and poor quality of life. Organisations including the UK National Institute of Clinical Excellence and World Health Organisation advocate physical activity as a strategy to help tackle mental ill health. And recent years have seen the promulgation of so-called ‘social prescribing’ in which people may be referred or self-refer to non-medical interventions including participation in physical activity.
The influence of nature
The influence of the environmental setting in which physical activity takes place on psychological health outcomes has also received considerable research interest in recent years. In addition currently one may observe increasing distancing of the human being from nature of which he used to be an integral part, caused by the development of civilization. In consequence, a relatively small part of the human population uses health-improving values of nature to regenerate vital forces, including the filtration of contamination and noise, as well as the production of anti-microbial organic aerosols. The trend of distancing from the natural world results in the resignation from natural environments as a place of recreation in favour of enclosed spaces, swimming pools, salt spa, sauna, body building gyms, bowling centers, billiards rooms or gymnasiums, which tend to be increasingly popular particularly in the fall-winter season.
The need of contact with nature
Despite the increasing transformation of the natural environment due to human intervention, the awareness of the need to have a physical contact with nature is still high. This is also achieved through physical activity (PA). Specifically, research has investigated whether physical activity while simultaneously exposed to elements of the natural environment, sometimes termed ‘green exercise’ , might be more beneficial to psychological outcomes than physical activity in other types of manmade or synthetic environments such as indoor gyms.
Definition of Green Exercise
Green physical activities (GPA) or green exercises (GE) are defined as any form of physical activity (PA) or exercise that takes place in urban green spaces like parks and campuses maintained by people with minimal human upkeep. The last decade has seen a growing number of studies evidencing the health and wellbeing benefits of ‘green exercise’, which provides greater physical and mental health benefits than physical activity (PA) or nature contact alone [1–8]. The impact of the natural environment on the human psyche is indisputable, with evidence of positive effects on mental health, life satisfaction, and personality development.
The importance of nature to our wellbeing
Nature-based therapies, outdoor activities, and early exposure to nature can contribute to increased well-being and the development of positive personality traits such as empathy and environmental awareness. GE reduces stress, depression and blood pressure, increases self-esteem, mood and wellbeing, and enhances heart rate variability.
Why wellbeing is important?
Wellbeing is important to health because it increases life expectancy, improves recovery from illness and is associated with positive health behaviours. Time spent in natural outdoor environments has been found to lead to increases in cognition similar to those resulting from acute exercise. Therefore, the benefts of both exercise and nature exposure suggest an additive impact on brain function when both factors are combined.
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