Where you exercise turns out to have measurable effects on physical and mental health. Exercising in a healthy, green environment significantly lowers blood pressure, increases self-esteem and has a positive significant effect on 4 of 6 mood measures, according to new research published in the International Journal of Environmental Health Research . Subjects who watched pleasant rural images while running on a treadmill experienced greater health boosts than runners who saw negative urban images. Treadmill runners were shown one of four different types of scenes—”rural pleasant,” “rural unpleasant,” “urban pleasant” or “urban unpleasant”—before being screened for blood pressure and mood factors. Researchers noted the environment’s clear effect on subjects’ health: Exercise alone significantly reduced blood pressure, increased self-esteem, and had a positive significant effect on 4 of 6 mood measures. Both rural and urban pleasant scenes produced a significantly greater positive effect on self-esteem than the exercise-only control. This shows the synergistic effect of green exercise in both rural and urban environments. By contrast, both rural and urban unpleasant scenes reduced the positive effects of exercise on self-esteem. The rural unpleasant scenes had the most dramatic effect, depressing the beneficial effects of exercise on three different measures of mood. It appears that threats to the countryside depicted in rural unpleasant scenes have a greater negative effect on mood than already urban unpleasant scenes. Looking ahead, the researchers pointed out the implications of green exercise on society as a whole, noting the importance of such projects as healthy walking projects; exercise by prescription; healthy school environments; healthy travel to school projects; green views in hospitals, city farms and community gardens; urban green space; and outdoor leisure activities in the countryside. Our prescription for a great weekend? A long walk, taken with a heaping spoonful of “rural pleasant.” To your health! (Photo credit: a2td, SXC )
Read this article:
Green exercise healthier than techno-sweat
