Rock 7 - Walking Outside In Nature
Why Is Nature So Good For Us?
Walking outside in nature does several things for us. It helps our minds, our bodies and our brains. Firstly it gets us moving and we are designed to move, in fact our much more sedentary lifestyle nowadays is probably responsible for millions of premature deaths every year.
But beyond the physical benefits of doing more walking, which are considerable, being in nature activates our parasympathetic nervous system. The kind of passive attention that nature requires is really good for our brain. In fact, looking at nature is a kind of natural mindfulness, present moment attention without judgement. Studies have shown that convalescing patients whose rooms look out on parklands and trees had faster recovery times and lower levels of relapse and fewer complications. Walking outside in nature lowers blood pressure whilst giving our heart a work out.
Walking outside in nature, even for as little as 10 minutes, has been shown to re-focus fatigued people. It also has positive side effects on mood and physical health, unlike energy drinks and coffee.