Get Moving, Go Green!
One of the most important lifestyle habits for improving and maintaining your health, no matter how old you are, is engaging in regular physical activity. The health benefits of regular exercise are robust and well established: feeling, thinking and sleeping better, as well as reduced risk of numerous chronic diseases. Furthermore, the benefits begin immediately and any amount of it, no matter how small, is helpful.(1)
What is green exercise?
Green exercise, as its name implies, is engaging in physical activity outside in nature, as opposed to indoors. There is one very important evidence-based benefit of green vs indoor exercise: greater enjoyment and satisfaction when you’re done.
That benefit is crucial because we’re more likely to continue doing what we enjoy, what gives us satisfaction. Even though small amounts of physical activity are valuable, we only reap the maximum long-term benefits if we continue doing it regularly. And that’s a big problem for most people. How many New Years’ resolutions to get more exercise start out with a bang in January only to fizzle by February!
Recommendation
In order to optimize your ability to stick with regular physical activity, try to enjoy your favorite types of exercise outdoors in nature, whenever and wherever possible.
Need some ideas on what you can do?
Go for a walk, jog or run in a local park or woods
Join an outdoor pickleball club
Take your dog for a walk in the park
See if there is a Green Gym in your community you can join
Play games in the park with family or friends: frisbee, tag, hide and seek, touch football
Workout at an outdoor gym, if possible
Go for a hike in any state or national park nearby
Take a bike ride through local trails
Take your children or grandchildren on a treasure hunt or picnic in the woods
If you are under medical supervision for any reason, please check with your doctor before following that recommendation.
References
https://health.gov/sites/default/files/2019-09/Physical_Activity_Guidelines_2nd_edition.pdf
Lahart I, Darcy P, Gidlow C, Calogiuri G. The Effects of Green Exercise on Physical and Mental Wellbeing: A Systematic Review. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2019;16(8):1352. Published 2019 Apr 15. doi:10.3390/ijerph16081352
