When it comes to health, keep one color in mind – green. No, this isn’t another tip about eating leafy green vegetables (even though doing that is good for your health). This tip is, however, about being closer to where those leafy green vegetables grow.
If you guessed “outside," you’re almost there.
According to an increasing body of recent research, there are health benefits to walking outside, living near greenery, and even to looking at photographs of trees.
Most of us know that even a simple exercise like walking is healthy for both the body and the mind. Walking can improve moods and reduce anxiety, but based on a study the benefits may be even greater if the walks take place outdoors instead of in a gym. Study participants reported that mountain hiking felt less hard to them than their time walking on a treadmill – even though their heart rates had risen higher during the mountain hike. Their mood scores were also much higher after the outdoor hike than the treadmill workout. Even a treadmill walk left everyone happier and more relaxed than they felt after sitting and using a computer or chatting for several hours. Since people are more likely to stick with an exercise program they enjoy, trading the treadmill for trails might result in better wellness overall.
Another study focused on how time in nature physically affects the brain supports these findings. Compared to people who walked near louds streets, people who walked in quiet, park-like areas showed improvements in their mental health. They were not dwelling on the negative parts of their lives as much as they had before the walk. Brain scans revealed that blood flow to the subgenal prefrontal cortex portion reduced – meaning that portion of their brain was actually quieter. According to the study, people who live in cities had lower stress hormones after they spent time in natural environments than people who had not recently been outside.
Living in a greener area can also lead to living longer – even if it’s in a city where there are tree-lined streets. More research found that people who lived near greenery had a rate of deaths from respiratory illness that was 34 percent lower. The study links four factors to the health benefits of living near greenery – less air pollution, more physical activity, more social engagement and better mental health.
What if you can’t get outside enough or work in a windowless environment? Look at pictures of nature. Yet another study reports the benefits of nature that resulted when people who looked at pictures that included grass and trees had lower stress than people who looked at pictures that included buildings and cars.
According to Linden Schaffer, author of Living Well on the Road: Health and Wellness for Travelers, the average American spends 93 percent of their entire life indoors. Schaffer has five tips for adding more nature to our lives.
- Open two windows for 10 minutes so that a cross-breeze can clear out stale air and pollutants.
- Take off your shoes and walk barefoot on the grass (also known as grounding or earthing).
- Move your desk in front of a window. If that’s not possible, walk to a window and gaze out a few times daily.
- Move your meetings outdoors. Have a walking meeting or just sit in a green area.
- Take a different rout home – through a countryside area, if possible. Stop along the way, get out of your vehicle, and take 5 deep, present-centering breaths before driving home.
Living Well on the Road: Health and Wellness for Travelers can be checked out free of charge at the Health Information Center located in the main lobby of the University of Tennessee Medical Center.
When you finish reading this look at your computer screen saver. Do you see trees? If not, then change the photograph. After that, take a walk outside where it’s green.
If you don't have a doctor and would like help finding one, call Healthcare Coordination to make an appointment.
For reliable information on any health related topic, contact the Health Information Center. Staffed by medical librarians and certified health information specialists, the Health Information Center offers an extensive health library, digital and print resources, walk-in assistance, and help with research on specific health conditions – all free of charge and available to the public.
This Healthy Tip is provided by the Health Information Center at the University of Tennessee Medical Center.