Jogging in forest twice as good as trip to gym for mental health

[SK-1]

Researchers found that anything from a stroll in the park to a run through woodland can have a positive effect on people suffering from depression and anxiety.

The study also showed that the positive effect on people's mental health was 50 per cent more than they might expect from going to the gym.

The researchers at Glasgow University looked at natural and non-natural environments for physical activity, including walking, running and cycling, and found that being around trees and grass lowered brain stress levels.

The study, led by Prof Richard Mitchell, polled nearly 2000 physically active people in the 2008 Scottish Health Survey.

Only activities carried out in a natural environment outdoors were found to be associated with a lower risk of poor mental health.

Prof Mitchell said he was "surprised" by the scale of the results, adding: "There was around a 50 per cent improvement in people’s mental health if they were physically active in the natural environment, compared to those who weren't.

"These aren't serious mental health issues, more struggles in general life, things like mild depression, not being able to sleep, high stress levels or just feelings of not being able to cope.

"It seems that woodland and forest seem to have the biggest effect on helping to lower mental health problems.

"That makes sense with what we thought we knew. That is, the brain likes to be in the natural environment and it reacts to being there by turning down our stress response.

"Being in areas that have lots of trees and grassy areas help to calm us down, and obviously a forest has this.

"I wasn't surprised by the findings that exercise in natural environments is good for your mental health, but I was surprised by just how much better it is for your mental health to exercise in a green place like a forest, than in other places like the gym.

"The message to doctors, planners and policy makers is that these places need protecting and promoting."

He added that taking a decision to exercise in a natural environment once a week could be enough to gain some benefit, and any additional use could have a bigger effect.

The study revealed that local streets were most commonly used for physical activity, followed by the home or garden.

Previous experimental studies have shown that exercise in natural environments has a positive effect on "biomarkers", which indicate general health, and on an individual's view of his or her levels of stress or fatigue.

Around 50 per cent of the sampled group exercised in a natural environment at least once in the previous month.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/he...al-health.html

[Soylent Joe]

That's awesome. Maybe it's linking us back to our primal ancestors, running through the woods either chasing something we want or running away from something that wants us. Being in a gym would be the exact opposite of that, all cold hard metal and plastic creations with no natural form.

[FordGT90Concept]

I think it's because jungles are more stimulating in every way. Part of your brain has to keep you stable walking on uneven terrain and a large chunk of your brain has to sort the folliage from animals and constantly keep watch (all senses) for dangers. Gyms, by comparison, are sterile environments. The only thing moving is TVs, fans, and other people. You also don't have to watch your step because the next step is likely to be exactly like the last. Gyms are not mentally stimulating environments.

[jmcslob]

I love driving throughout this area from spring through fall because the forest growth does make me feel happier....I love it...I love being surrounded by green...and the colors of the flowers and the other plants....it's awesome...

Hell I even like walking through it...the smells, the colors, even the dammed bugs...

[paulieg]

I hope they didn't speend a ton of money on this research. It simply points out the obvious, and gives it a percentage. Of course the fresh air and scenery is going to improve your Mental Health over running in place like a gerbil, at the gym. That's not even considering things like Vitamin D from the sun, which is proven to affect a persons mood.

Unfortunately, both of my knees are shot from football, and simply cannot take the pounding impact of running, which along with incline are the 2 things which will bring hear rate up enough to qualify it as an effective cardiovascular exercise. So, this means I go for leisurely walks or hikes primarily for my Mental Health and I save my cardiovascular exercise for the gym, on a non-impact elliptical machine.

I know some may consider bicycling as non-impact, but my knees would disagree with you.