Let’s talk about the real scientific health benefits that nature can offer, beyond having a great time with family and friends. Cutting to the chase, here are a few reasons why the outdoors is where you need to go…for the body and for the mind.
Focus and Fighting Mental Fatigue
According to ART, the Attention Restorative Theory, environments such as cities expose our brains to too much drastic information at once. The constant noise, watching out for danger from cars to strangers, and trying to deal with the everchanging hustle of city life all wears down on our minds. Nature, on the other hand, attracts attention in a way that restores your brains awesome abilities. The beautiful sights, the chirping of birds, and the focus you apply to your activity is interesting and nonintrusive. Your brain has fun out there if you couldn’t tell.
Destress from your Distress
One of my favorite aspects of the outdoors is that it’s an escape that’s always there. There’s no worries for the rest of your days when you’re out in nature. You only have to focus on where you’re hiking, the water around you, or the animals in their natural habitat. Work expectations, family drama, annoying neighbors, all weigh down on us and having a proper escape gives us a chance to tackle our regular stressors with a refreshed and ready mindset. Not to mention the lowered blood pressure from leading a calmer life. You heart wants, what the heart wants.
Memory
A University of Michigan study, led two groups of students on a walk. Those who walked through trees instead of an urban environment saw a 20% increase in short term memory. If that’s just from one short excursion, imagine the benefit from a full day experience. It’s always our aim at Venku to give you memories you’ll never forget.
Depression and Anxiety
Whether formally diagnosed or if you’re going through a rut, doing some exercise outdoors can greatly alleviate symptoms of these disorders and cause general mood improvements. A study done at the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Essex, showed that “Every green environment improved both self-esteem and mood; the presence of water generated greater effects”. In their experiment they showed that “the mentally ill had one of the greatest self-esteem improvements” from the “green exercises”. They contrasted their results with regular walks in an urban environment and the real outdoors outperformed.