How healthy is it to take a walk in the woods? According to research sponsored by the British charity Mind, it’s very healthy indeed.

         Mind asked some of its members to participate in a University of Essex Study.  All twenty people took thirty minute walks, either in the woods, or at a shopping mall.

         Both walks made the groups feel less depressed.  Walking in the woods decreased members’ depressive feelings 71%, but by only 45% when walking at the mall.   Self-esteem went up in 90% of those who walked in the woods, far less in mall walkers.   

         Can walking in the woods treat depression?  Numerous studies report mild and moderate depression respond at least as well to exercise as to anti-depressant drugs and different psychotherapies.  Is there a major advantage to walking in the woods or a park, as opposed to walking in a gym or mall?

         Such studies have not yet been done.  Yet European countries have already taken action.

         The Netherlands has 600 “treatment” farms.  People who are chronically depressed are brought to work in agriculture. The British, through Mind, are sponsoring green gyms.

Green Gyms

         Billions of people throughout the world use green gyms but don’t know it.  They are gardeners.

         Gardening helps people in numerous ways.  There’s the pleasure of watching things grow.  There’s the good feeling after the physical effort of weeding, sowing, and reaping.  There’s the fun of talking about plants with other gardeners.  

         Mind has come up with several ways to create green gyms.  Some groups clear public beaches, while others clean and maintain nature trails as they hike.  Walking groups at schools or workplaces as well as groups that clean sidewalks or local neighborhoods, are further alternatives.   Green gyms allow people to simultaneously sustain themselves and the environment.

         Other advantages of green gyms include:

         1. Getting anti-depressant sunlight.  Light is a drug.  Light exposure correlates with the overall mood of populations round the world.

         Light changes the immune response, generally in a positive way.  Several studies now aver that regular sunlight exposure decreases the death rates of certain tumors, like prostate.  Sunlight exposure also produces vitamin D that leads to healthy bones, and resets biological clocks.  The negative effects of sunlight on skin cancer and cataracts are decreased by wearing sunscreens and clothing that minimizes skin exposure while allowing the eyes access to healthy light.

         2. Walking has been shown to decrease overall mortality, particularly the biggest killer, cardiovascular disease, and markedly decrease Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinsonism rates.

         3. Moving in groups improves socialization, another major factor in maintaining healthy populations.  The longest lived groups in the world are notable for high levels of social support.

         4. People spend time in natural settings.  As the University of Essex study demonstrates, getting out into nature produces immediate benefits.  You can watch the changing colors of skies, study animal behavior, touch and survey plants.  You have the chance to become part of the natural world.

         Making a green gym is easy.  Walking with a friend to a park accomplishes many goals.  You can get to know your neighborhood, increase social support and obtain healthy light while sensibly using your mind and body as you walk and talk.

         Or you can take the kids to the beach.  As you watch diving gulls and skittering sandpipers you can stretch your legs, intermittently picking up the refuse of those who might have been more thoughtful. With each return you see how water shifts land and sand, building up and destroying, letting your children witness some of the basic cycles of the Earth.  You can tell them three quarters of the planet is water, and then take them to Mote Marine to learn about the hundreds of thousands of different life forms that live in the sea.

         What’s interesting about such ordinary activities is how healthy they should prove.  Exercising for about 6% of waking hours helps maximize lifespan.  Eating vegetables you grow yourself can be part of a healthy diet based in on whole plants.  Resting in the shade of the fruit tree you planted can place you in an entirely different frame of mind at the end of the work day.
         It’s all a part of FAR – Food, Activity, and Rest. Such activities have led Asian American women to be the longest lived population on Earth, with the group in Suffolk County now obtaining a life expectancy of 95.6 years.   Following human design can make you feel better, connect with family and friends, and help preserve the environment.

         You might even have a lot of fun. 

Dr. Matthew Edlund, M.D., M.O.H., director of The Center for Circadian Medicine, is an expert on applied public health, sleep medicine and psychiatry. A former professor at Brown and University of Texas medical schools, he can be reached via email to DocME@DoctorEdlund.com. And CLICK HERE to subscribe to our new Fitcast, via the iTunes Store.