Wellbeing

Improve your family’s health with a day out in nature

Interacting with nature – whether rock-pooling at the beach, striding through a forest to the accompaniment of birdsong, or meditating in a flowery meadow – is always a source of relaxation and enjoyment. However, communing with the natural world is so much more than just a nice way to spend the weekend. With friends, family or simply on your own, getting away from the rat race has a variety of health and therapeutic benefits. So next time the sun is shining, why not put aside the chores and enjoy the free rejuvenation session our environment can offer?

Interacting with nature – whether rock-pooling at the beach, striding through a forest to the accompaniment of birdsong, or meditating in a flowery meadow – is always a source of relaxation and enjoyment. However, communing with the natural world is so much more than just a nice way to spend the weekend. With friends, family or simply on your own, getting away from the rat race has a variety of health and therapeutic benefits. So next time the sun is shining, why not put aside the chores and enjoy the free rejuvenation session our environment can offer?

Interacting with nature – whether rockpooling at the beach, striding through a forest to the accompaniment of birdsong, or meditating in a flowery meadow – is always a source of relaxation and enjoyment. However, communing with the natural world is so much more than just a nice way to spend the weekend. With friends, family or simply on your own, getting away from the rat race has a variety of health and therapeutic benefits. So next time the sun is shining, why not put aside the chores and enjoy the free rejuvenation session our environment can offer?

4 REASONS TO HEAD OUTSIDE
1 Working out gets easier
Ever wondered why you seem to have so much more energy, say, hill walking, than you do in the gym on a treadmill? A study published in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise found people who walked outside not only moved more quickly and felt less exhausted by the effort, but were also in a more positive frame of mind. And as if that wasn’t enough in itself, a Scottish study also found that walking in rural areas made thinking about a long to-do list feel far more manageable, while subjects in the city felt overwhelmed.

2 Fresh air is nature’s ritalin
Those of us who have children know that hyperactivity can be a big issue for so many families. However, outdoor play could well be a viable alternative to medication if a recent study is to be believed. Research from the University of Illinois found that exposing children to natural settings as part of their activities at school and at home appeared to be “widely effective” in reducing the symptoms of ADHD.

3 It actually makes you nicer!
No, really! A study published in Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin concluded that spending more time in nature and/or with wildlife enhances our social interactions and makes us a more valuable member of the community. In fact, researchers Weinstein, Przybylski and Ryan even found that subjects were more generous when giving money to others after spending some time in the great outdoors. Got to be good karma…

4 Even the view is good for you
Certain parts of our brain that control happiness and emotional stability are stimulated by vistas of mountains, woodland and other areas of natural beauty. A study by Chonnam National University in South Korea used MRI scans to track what happened when subjects looked at natural views, and found they experienced heightened activity in the anterior cingulated gyrus (the positive thinking section of our brain) and the basal ganglia (an area associated with happy memories). This even works when looking at photos of landscapes, but we’d still prefer to head for the hills!