Finding Joy in the Outdoors
October is mental health awareness month. I asked my friend Janet to write an article about the benefits of outdoor exercise. Janet is an avid mountain biking, skier, scuba diver, and dog trainer. Janet has a contagious laugh and smile that brings joy to all around her. I have enjoyed getting to know her as we have ridden through the woods of Northern Minnesota at Cuyuna State Park close to her home in Brainard. She has been an encouraging voice in my life through the struggles of starting a small business. I hope this article inspires you to become more active outdoors.
The Benefits of Green Space Exercise, By Janet Hennies
Over the years mountain biking and Nordic skiing in the woods of Northern Minnesota has provided me with an outlet to relieve stress and fills me with joy. Not only does it provide an opportunity to move your body, but it also offers many other benefits.
Regular physical activity has many advantages, regardless of whether it’s done in your basement, office, gym, pool, or sidewalk. It helps maintain a healthy weight, combats various health conditions and diseases, boosts energy, promotes better sleep, sparks your sex life, and can be fun and social.
Exercising in the woods has unique benefits known as “green exercise”. Mayo Clinic nurse practitioner Jodie M. Smith states, “There are many studies that demonstrate how spending time in nature can improve mood, lower anxiety, and improve cognition and memory. Making time for nature is important to maintain resiliency and promote self-care in a world that demands a lot from us.”
Smith continues to share that exposure to nature can regulate the sympathetic nervous system. In as quickly as five minutes, you will start to receive the benefits from the forest. Smith offers that on a recurrent basis, studies show reduced chronic disease, illness, and mortality.
It is an excellent coping strategy for mental health, reporting signs of reduced depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorders, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorders. Nature also helps us with loneliness and irritability. We will develop better cognitive functions such as memory, attention, creativity, and sleep quality.
In our modern world, we understand that it is difficult to find time to exercise, let alone get to your green space. Studies show that Americans spend an average of 87% of their day in buildings and 6% in cars (IDEA, Green Exercise: How it Benefits You by Shirley Eichenberger-Archer, JD, MA, February 21, 2024). That leaves us with a precious 7% window to find green space.
Based on significant scientific evidence, the World Health Organization now recognizes the link between urban green spaces and more community-based physical activity, resulting in improved health and well-being (WHO 2016).
Researchers theorize that green exercise has excellent general and mental health benefits. Preliminary studies indicate that green exercise can also boost your immune system, allow your brain essential rest from technostress and overstimulation, and awaken your sensory stimulation, allowing you to be more aware and develop a feeling of connection with nature and those you share it with.
We all can benefit more significantly from outdoor exercise. So, strap on those skies, buckle that bike helmet, or click the leash on the dog for some precious time outdoors.
By Janet Hennies
Adult Supervisor of REEL North Alliance at Pequot Lakes High School (a student-led school club dedicated to teen mental health), a certified trainer for teen Mental Health First Aid and Changing the Narrative.