Boost your mood with outdoors exercise

Boost your mood with outdoors exercise

Boost your mood with outdoors exercise

Most of us have probably known it for years. That a walk in the countryside is great for lifting the spirits. But now a UK study has shown that outdoors exercise offers immediate improvement on mood and self-esteem.

The research, at the University of Essex, found that just five minutes of walking or jogging in the open air is enough to boost mental well-being.

The sports scientist, Dr Jo Barton, who led the study, is the first to determine exactly how much time people have to spend outdoors in green spaces, such as the park or on the hills, to decrease the risk of mental illness.

She is reported as saying: "The study showed there was a significant increase in people's self-esteem and mood when they exercise outdoors."

The study also concluded that exercise in the "wilderness" or by water is the most beneficial. Researchers believe that this could be because historically humans would have been drawn to water to survive and "that it is in our genetic make-up to be at one with nature".

The study, which is published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, asked for the reaction of 1200 people to "green" exercise in locations across Britain.

It was found that even a short walk can have as much positive impact on mental health as a more intensive workout elsewhere.

However, while five minutes of outdoor activity is clearly a good solution for boosting mental well-being it is not the entire answer for improved physical health and weight loss.

Health experts still believe that a minimum of 30 to 60 minutes of cardiovascular exercise three times a week is vital for keeping our bodies in better shape. Ideally, we should also take part in two toning workouts per week.

What is being suggested, though, is that with rising numbers of mental illness and the subsequent costs to the health service that many more people would benefit mentally from extra time out-of-doors.

When talking about mental health patients, Dr Barton said: "Too often the first option is to prescribe medication when people could instead be encouraged to join a walking group instead, for example.

"We believe that there would be a large potential benefit to individuals, society and to the costs of the health service if all groups of people were to self-medicate more with green exercise."

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