Everyone knows that any physical activity has health benefits, including lowering blood pressure, increased self-esteem and mood enhancement. It is also well known that contact with nature has positive effects on physical and mental health.
But what if you combine both, physical activity and contact with nature, will the positive outcomes be increased?
Recent studies have revealed that the combination of physical activity and contact with nature, also called “green exercise”, increases the beneficial effects of physical activity, and improve mental health.
According to a study shown by American Chemical Society (ACS) and published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology, it takes only 5 minutes of physical activity in contact with nature to improve the mental health of individuals of any age.
If the benefits shown are not enough, here follow three more reasons to start practicing “green exercise”:
1) Soak up a little vitamin D
Vitamin D is a super-vitamin that helps support bone health and your immune system. It may also help prevent heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and even cancer. Sure, you could take vitamin supplements, but doesn’t soaking up some sunshine sound so much more pleasant?
2) Exercise your eyes
Your pupils contract, similar to muscles, when focusing on objects at varying distances. When we’re inside, we tend to focus our eyes directly in front of us—often looking at a computer or TV screen. When we’re in the great outdoors, our eyes have to do a lot more work as we take in our new surroundings. While exercising your eyes won’t necessarily improve your eyesight, strengthening the muscles around your eyes can help relieve the stress of eye strain.
3) The dropout rate is lower
Parks, beaches and natural landscapes encourage people to exercise. The adherence rate for people who begin to practice “green exercise” is much higher compared to rates recorded in conventional gyms.
Chiliboats Waterbikes Chiliboats water bikes (Bikeboat) are a great incentive for you to start practicing “green exercise”.
You will notice the beneficial effects and will not want to stop.
Sources:
1- American Chemical Society
2- Green City Partnerships
