More specifically, new, small neurological research According to the effects of “green exercise” (meaning physical activity done in nature), short green walks significantly improve working memory and concentration than completing the same short walk indoors. I understand.
walking meeting in the woods
“It all started with a walking meeting,” says Catherine Boele, a neuroscience doctoral candidate at the University of Toronto who led the neurological study of green exercise. She and her neuroscientist colleagues recognize how energizing movement can be when walking and talking frequently, she said.
Boere thought walking in the woods was more productive than staying indoors, but wanted confirmation. She confirmed her research showing that walking, whether in or out, generally increases blood flow to the brain, clearing people’s minds.
However, while in many previous studies walks lasted more than 30 minutes, Boere’s circuit sessions were half that long.
Exercising outdoors vs. exercising indoors
For the new study, she and her colleagues recruited 30 college students, tested their working memory and concentration, and every other day had them walk for about 15 minutes in a building or along a leafy forest path. Then the cognitive test was repeated. test.
On most measures, the outdoor walk easily beat the indoor version. Boere said the results were consistent with According to one of his widely held theories, the natural world encourages even the most nervous among us to relax, slowing the onslaught of internal ruminations on our immediate concerns and helping us Quiet your spinning brain.
Nature, she said, offers what scientists call a “soft charm.” Our excessive attention can be reset, after which we can concentrate and reason more easily.
Boere noted that this process occurs in addition to the expected physiological effects of walking on thinking, such as increased blood flow and oxygen flow to the brain. “That’s why,” she and her co-authors titled their new study, “Exercise is good for the brain, but exercising outside is potentially better.”
Nature Makes Tough Exercise Easy
Other studies have shown that its benefits extend beyond temporary improvements in concentration to increase motivation and reduce the strain of exercise.and published research from China last year. Inactive, obese young people who started walking in the park or gym every other day reported significantly less stress when walking outside and enjoyed their exercise more.
the same was true previous research Percentage of older men and women who told researchers where they exercised most often, primarily walking, and wore activity trackers for one week. People who voluntarily walked outside exercised about 30 minutes more than those who walked inside.
Even when the exercise is intense, when the surroundings are glowing, it can feel indescribably easier and more enjoyable.In 2017 Study in Innsbrucka group of healthy and lucky volunteers agreed to hike in the high mountains above the town, making the three-hour round trip.
On another day, they repeated the effort on a gym treadmill set to emulate the incline of a hike. Objectively proven that you need more exercise. The hikers’ heart rates increased and remained high on the mountainside, but they told the researchers that walking uphill was less strenuous and made them feel happier than hiking at the gym.
avoid the concrete jungle
However, combining nature and exercise for the best results requires caution. Simply being outdoors may not be enough when the outdoors are surrounded by buildings and concrete.
and Review of past studies Researchers published last year found that exercising in urbanized outdoor environments—defined as commercial districts, downtown areas, and other built-up areas with few trees or other natural elements—would be similar to exercising in greener environments. It was found that exercise tended to be less beneficial for people’s mental health than exercise. , free environments like parks and forests.
The length and intensity of the green exercise is also important. In the same review, people reported feeling much calmer after walking or jogging in places such as parks for about 15 minutes, but not so much if the exercise lasted longer than 40 minutes or if they were exhausted. There was no. One study cited in the review found that running 4 miles in a park helped women feel calmer, but more than doubling that distance to about 9 miles didn’t make them as calmer.
Overall, 15 minutes of environmentally responsible exercise “seemed to be most beneficial” for people’s mental health, says Claire Wicks, a senior research assistant at the University of Essex in the UK, who led a new review. Plus, it didn’t calm our nerves either, she added.
Still, if weather, schedules, reluctance, or other obstacles keep you indoors, you don’t have to break a sweat. Or rather, at least do it as best you can. Whether indoors or outdoors, in green or grey, in sunlight or fluorescent lighting, exercise is good for you. , may experience greater mental health benefits,” Wicks said. or wherever you do, keep going.”
Have a fitness question? e-mail [email protected] I may answer your question in a future column.
