Five minutes of outdoor exercise are sufficient to significantly improve mental health, says a new study published in the specializing UK Environmental Science and Technology.
The researchers who conducted it say that “green exercise”, as they are called, can also cause physical and economic benefits.
The study notes that the largest increase in self-esteem and mood improvement occurs in the first five minutes of exercise outdoors, no matter what or where the activity takes place.
Even after this period remains positive effects are of a lesser magnitude, research indicates.
The experts reviewed ten studies at the University of Essex, involving over 1,200 women and men.
The research took into account activities such as hiking, gardening, biking and boating, fishing, horseback riding and farming in places like parks, gardens and nature trails.
The results showed that the biggest beneficiaries are the young and those suffering from mental illness.
As reported by BBC journalist Jannat Jalil, the researchers stressed the importance of public policy and urban planning to facilitate the realization of “green exercise“.
Therapy of “low cost”
The study director, Jules Pretty of Essex University, said it was essential that people not very active or under stress knows the benefits of “green exercise”.
“Employers of workplace stress should encourage their employees to make a short walk at lunchtime to improve their mental health,” said pretty.
He also said that programs outdoor activities could serve to combat juvenile delinquency.
Paul Farmer, executive director of the NGO Mind, said the study is further evidence that short periods of exercise can become a low-cost therapy and free of drugs for some mental illnesses.
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Tags: biking and boating, exercise are sufficient, fishing, gardening, green exercise, hiking, horseback riding and farming, lesser magnitude, mental health, stressed
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