5 REASONS WHY YOUR HEALTH WILL BENEFIT FROM TIME AMONGST NATURE

by SIMON WEBSTER

 

How sweet in this image. Gilbert Ramone of GiroPhoto (pictured) making the most of the journey high in the Swiss Alps.

This is the great outdoors at its finest.

Nature is not only beneficial – it’s essential for human health. It may seem logical but psychologists and health researchers are finding more and more science-backed reasons why we should spend time outside especially in nature.

Time in nature is not a luxury but is in fact essential to your personal well being. 

Here are five reasons why.

  1. Nature has a de-stressing effect

Being outdoors changes the physical expression of stress in the body. Studies have found that people spending time in the outdoors had lower levels of cortisol – a hormone often used as a marker for stress – those who spent more time in the city had higher levels

  1. The outdoors helps eliminate fatigue

Your brain tierd? Nature can bring back that boost. Research has found people lacking mental energy bounced back even when they just looked at pictures of nature. So why not get amongst the real thing this weekend.

  1. Time in the outdoors can help reduce anxiety

Anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues may all be eased with some green exercise. Walks through the forest have been linked with decreased levels of anxiety and bad moods.

  1. Spending time outdoors reduces blood pressure

Outdoor time – which usually involves hiking – lowers blood pressure too, as is shown by a number of studies. A Japanese study found that along with lowering stress hormone concentrations by more than 15%, a walk in the bush lowered average pulse by almost 4% and blood pressure by just over 2%.

  1. It may even assist in preventing cancer

Research on this connection is still in its earliest phases, but early studies suggest that spending time in nature – in forests, in particular – may stimulate the production of anti-cancer proteins.

The boosted levels of these proteins may last up to seven days after a relaxing trip into the woods. While there are too many confounding factors to come to a absolute conclusion about what this might mean, it’s a promising area for future research 

So, simply spend more time in the outdoors.

tscudo

Gilbert wears the tscudo tshell in white

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