If you can’t decide whether you should walk on a treadmill, on the street or in a park, choose the greener option.新research showsit yields greater benefits for your mind and body. In fact, a growing number of doctors nationwide write their patients “nature prescriptions” toencourage people to get outdoorsto improve their health.
“If I have someone in front of me at risk of chronic disease with sedentary behavior, I’m going to ask that question: Where do you like to be outdoors, and what do you like to do outdoors?” says Dr. Robert Zarr, founder and medical director ofPark Rx America, a platform which offers health professionals the means to prescribe visits to parks or other outdoor green spaces to their patients, to help themboost their happiness levels,lower their stress levelsand reduce their risk of chronic disease. “I’m looking for changes in routines that arehealthy lifestyle behaviors,” says Zarr, which could be as simple as adaily walk in a park.
Here, three reasons to up your step count in a green space:
YOU’LL BOOST YOUR HAPPINESS LEVELS
A recentstudyfound people who frequented urban parks for an average of 20 minutes reported significantincreases in life satisfactionafter their visit. “We suspect that the improvement is thanks to a reduction in stress levels,” explains study author Hon Yuen, PhD, professor and director of research at the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s department of occupational therapy.
What’s more, “the natural setting of parks elicits a variety of experiences that facilitate spiritual expression, including a sense of wonder and awe, peacefulness, calm, stillness and/or tranquility,” says Diana Allen, chief of the National Park Service’sHealthy Parks Healthy Peopleinitiative.
IT’S FOOD FOR YOUR HEART
A growing body of research shows green spaces have positive effects on cardiovascular health: A Finnishstudyshowed visiting urban forests or parks is better for heart health than visits to built-up urban city centers. Women who visited natural environments had lower blood-pressure levels and heart rates. A Japanesestudyfoundpeople who sat in forestshad lower blood-pressure, heart rates and levels of thestress hormone cortisol, compared to people in urban environments.
“There are also studies that demonstrate blood pressure being loweredmore effectively on a walkin the woods versus the city,” Allen says. “There aremore than 400 national parksacross the country, which provide more than 300 million visitors with countless opportunities to find health, healing and happiness.”
IT CAN HELP YOU STICK WITH EXERCISE
Your local park is infinitely more exciting to the senses than a treadmill. “By being outdoors you use more of your senses, taking in the changing seasons and dynamic surroundings,” says Zarr. Thus, it can be a great form of therapy andmotivation for sticking with exercise. “There has been growing evidence that when people engage in physical fitness activities outdoors, rather than indoors, they spend more time doing physical activity, which makes a strong case for encouraging outdoor movement,” says Allen.
THE BOTTOM LINE
If you enjoy walking in parks, adopt the habit as part of your daily routine. It can help you meet yourphysical activity goalswhile nourishing your soul. “It’s not that 20 minutes is a magic amount of time that works for everybody,” says Zarr, “but it’s important to bring it up as a base to rethink how to address your chronic stress.” Plan a trip to your local park or go deeper into nature by hiking one of these23 national park trails.
