On the back of Jacinta’s recent great blog on developing a Blue Mind by being around water, I want to take you from Blue Spaces to Green Spaces. As much as I love the ocean, the hills is where I find my happy place, and the benefits of exercise in green spaces for your health – both physical and mental, are indisputable. How lucky are we in Adelaide to have both the ocean and the hills so easily accessible! So whichever you chose, the benefits you will get from each are very transferable!
Is it about scarcity and a drive to be wild??
I’m sure I don’t have to go to great lengths to try to convince you that when we are out in nature we feel good, right? The fresh air, the sound of birds, the smells of leaves and earth… the breeze blowing through the trees and on to our skin… the warmth of the sun, or the refreshing rain! Perhaps a big driver for the pleasure we get from these experiences is because they are becoming so rare?! We are busy right? Stuck indoors for most of our daily activities. Getting out to explore takes a commitment, plus at least some planning, which can start to make it all a bit too hard. In addition, the amount of green space is decreasing, even in Adelaide, with ongoing housing and infrastructure developments.
Another great driving force for our attraction to green spaces is that interacting with nature is programmed deep into our DNA… don’t you think? Not that long ago (relatively) our survival depended on our exploration and interaction with nature. We are hormonally primed (via dopamine) to be explorers. Dopamine encourages us to explore our surrounding ‘wilderness’, and it triggers our brains’ rewards-centres when that exploration is successful: In the past that may have included finding food or shelter, but now, it may be as simple as when you hike over a crest and are rewarded with an amazing view…
Cycling through the Adelaide Hills, seeking out prey?!
We could be discussing golf, hiking, trail running, mountain biking, or any other nature based sport. In my case, I love to cycle through the Adelaide hills. It really is my happy place; my time-out; my opportunity to de-stress; where most of my creativity comes from. And there’s certainly something about that hunter-gatherer deep within that is awakened when I spot a cyclist a few hundred metres ahead of me…! If you ride you will know what I mean! Almost sub-consciously the pace picks up to see if I can chase him/her down! There’s an innate drive to explore, to see what is over that next crest or bend; to ride new roads, explore new trails; to feel the exertion and satisfaction of climbing a new hill! And I can truly say that I’m a better human being for prioritising the time to have those experiences (Just ask my business partner, and my wife!)!
The benefits of exercise in green spaces for your health according to the WHO
The World Health Organization has summarised the health benefits of exercising in natural spaces covered by vegetation in a 2016 review titled “Urban Green Spaces and Health: a Review of the Evidence“:
- Reductions in depression, anxiety and stress
- Reduced cardiovascular disease
- Reduced risk of diabetes
- Better pregnancy outcomes
- Reduced early mortality
- Increased happiness
So whether you are seeking the direct health benefits outlined above, or perhaps a greater balance in your week-to-week activities, can I encourage you to take advantage of the amazing green (and blue!) spaces that Adelaide provides us within a thirty-minute drive?!
And if you feel you need help developing your strength to tackle some new ‘nature’ challenges we are here to help!
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