How much time should you walk outdoors? Real experience and small tips. Fresh air: the benefits of walks in the forest and mountains for adults and children

Many people spend their workdays under fluorescent lights, in front of the computer, and then go home to spend the evening in front of the TV. Spending too much time indoors is not very beneficial. To improve your health, you need to be in nature. Psychologists and doctors have found many reasons why fresh air is of great importance. You don't have to completely give up gadgets or move away from civilization. All you need to do is take a walk in the park and breathe! Here are the reasons why this is so important.

It may improve your short-term memory

A variety of studies have shown that walking in nature has a positive effect on memory. Students were given memory tests, then they were divided into two groups. One group walked through the park, and the other through the city streets. When the participants returned and repeated the tests, they found that those walking among the trees performed twenty percent better. Those walking along the street did not experience any changes. Similar studies have been conducted with people suffering from depression. If you notice that you have difficulty remembering information, try spending more time in the park - a short walk after work is enough.

Walking reduces stress

Something about being in nature helps reduce the effects of stress in the body. Research shows that spending time in nature reduces levels of cortisol, the stress hormone. In addition, the heart rate also decreases. Therefore, you can get rid of tension through walking. Even a view of nature from a window leads to less stress and greater job satisfaction. Get in touch with nature more to neutralize the impact of this negative factor on your health.

Time spent in nature reduces inflammation

Inflammatory processes can lead to a variety of problems, from autoimmune disorders to depression. Time spent in nature will help you cope with these processes. People who spent time in the forest had reduced levels of inflammation in their bodies. In addition, older people who spend time outdoors note an improvement in their blood pressure. A walk in the park can be an optimal treatment option without any side effects.

Nature helps you get rid of fatigue

You probably know the feeling when your thoughts are simply confused - this is psychological fatigue. You can regain your former mental alertness by spending time in a restorative environment - nature. Studies have shown that a person's psychological strength is restored even when he simply looks at photographs of nature. City landscapes do not have this effect. Nature evokes a feeling of admiration, which immediately increases your energy levels and helps you feel significantly better. This is why walking is an effective remedy for fatigue.

Walking can help fight anxiety and depression

Anxiety, depression and other mental problems can be combated through walking. Their combination with physical activity works especially effectively. Walking in the forest reduces anxiety and improves mood, and can even be used as an adjunct to the treatment of depressive disorder. Nature increases self-esteem and improves the patient's condition. If you walk near a body of water, the positive effect becomes even more pronounced. Do you find yourself prone to constant worry? Try spending more time in nature!

Spending time in nature protects your eyesight

There is quite a lot of information that spending time in nature can have a positive effect on the eyes of children, reducing the risk of developing myopia. Increasing your walking time may be the simplest strategy to reduce the risk of myopia in children and adolescents. Take your child for walks as often as possible to improve his eye health.

Walking helps you focus better

So, it is clear that the natural environment has a restorative effect. Among other things, the ability to perceive information is also restored. After a walk in nature, mindfulness increases noticeably. This effect is so obvious that children with hyperactivity feel better after just twenty minutes in the park. Walking can be a safe and in an accessible way improving the condition of children. The same applies to adults who need to constantly concentrate their attention.

You will be able to express your imagination more after a walk in the park

Imagine a therapy with no side effects, available to everyone, and improving cognitive performance at no cost. There is such a thing - this is time spent in nature. Studies have even shown that people who regularly take walks in the park at lunchtime are more creative in solving problems. If your work requires a constant flow of new ideas and imagination, try walking more often - it will inspire you!

Walking in nature lowers blood pressure

It's not surprising that time spent in nature also leads to lower blood pressure - this is confirmed by numerous studies. The concentration of stress hormones decreases, and the heart rate drops by four percent. Blood pressure drops by two percent.

Spending time in nature may even prevent cancer

Research on this subject is still underway, however, some conclusion can already be drawn: walks in the forest can stimulate the production of anti-cancer components in the body. Elevated levels of these substances remain noticeable for seven days after a relaxing trip to the forest. Research in Japan shows that regions with more forests have lower mortality rates from a variety of cancers. There are too many factors influencing this result to make a clear conclusion, but it is a promising area for further research. One way or another, we can say with confidence that nature acts very beneficially.

Forests can strengthen the immune system

The cellular activity associated with the anti-cancer effects of a walk in the woods may also boost your overall immunity—you'll be better able to fight off colds and flu. Scientific evidence suggests that forests have a positive effect on the immune system. However, more detailed studies are required to obtain a reasonable understanding of this effect.

Time spent in nature reduces the likelihood of premature death

Closeness to nature is very important for city residents. Dutch researchers have found a strong connection between parks and the health of people living nearby. A wide range of diseases appears to be less pronounced in people living near a park or forest. Other studies have found a direct link between time spent in nature and overall health outcomes. Recent studies have found a similar link: people living in green regions have a twelve percent lower mortality rate. The likelihood of death from cancer, lung or kidney disease is reduced.

Many parents underestimate the benefits of walking for a child, but walking is very important for a person, especially for children.

Walking in the air is the best way to improve health, and therefore prevent colds in children and adults. In addition, a walk helps increase a child's appetite. Metabolism improves, nutrients are better absorbed. Thanks to walks in the fresh air, the body is naturally cleansed and the upper respiratory tract functions better. Walking is the simplest and surest way to harden a child.

It is necessary to walk with your child at any time of the year and in any weather, and the duration of the walk should be adjusted in accordance with weather conditions.

In the summer, a child can be outdoors all day. The ideal condition would be to relax in a country house, where there is an opportunity to hide from the rain and scorching sun. It’s even better if there is a body of water nearby, and if not, you can always replace it with a children’s pool, in which kids love to splash. Here you will have fun, exercise, and hardening.

Staying outdoors is especially beneficial for young children, because thanks to sunlight, the body is saturated with ultraviolet radiation, which is responsible for the production of vitamin D in the body. This is the best remedy for children.

Also, a walk is an excellent way to prevent visual impairment in children. Indeed, on the street, where there is so much space, the child constantly has to move his gaze from nearby objects to objects distant from him - this is a wonderful exercise for the prevention and treatment of myopia, as the eye muscles are trained, and as a result, vision is strengthened. A very useful relaxation exercise is when you can just calmly look into the distance.

Winter walks are no less useful. Frosty winter air is best saturated with oxygen; when it enters the body, it stimulates brain activity. Thanks to winter walks, the body's physical activity increases and sleep improves. Walking at temperatures below ten degrees is especially useful. This air is especially clean and the likelihood of contracting an infection is much lower. You've probably noticed that a surge in viral diseases most often occurs when frosty weather gives way to thaw.

And for the walk to be fun and useful, parents should know...

Of course, adults should regulate the duration of winter walks and make sure that the child does not get too cold or overheat. Touch the baby's neck from the back. If it is dry and warm, everything is fine; if it is wet and hot, the child is hot and sweaty, then you need to go home. If the neck is cool, the baby is freezing and should be warmed. It is necessary to dress your baby correctly for a walk.

Thanks to the walk, the child’s physical development improves. Each walk is accompanied by physical activity of the baby. During outdoor games, various muscle groups are trained, coordination of movements is developed, as well as reaction speed, strength, endurance, and the will to win.

While learning various types of movements, the child actively engages in mental operations, which contributes to his mental development. Research in recent years has proven that the higher a child’s motor activity, the faster his speech develops.

Also, in nature, a child has the opportunity to observe the world around him, natural phenomena, and learns to establish cause-and-effect relationships, for example, why a snowflake melts on his hand. It is very important to teach a child to see the beauty of the surrounding nature and natural phenomena. All this also contributes to the development of mental processes: perception, attention, memory, imagination.

While walking with your children, play educational games to learn about the seasons, natural phenomena, animals, and plants.

Remember, a properly organized and conducted walk will ensure your baby’s health and harmonious development.

Many people spend their workdays under fluorescent lights, sitting in front of a screen, and then they go home and watch TV there. Constantly staying indoors does not bring health benefits. Nature is much more beneficial for humans. Psychologists and researchers in other fields are constantly finding new reasons to spend more time in outdoor spaces. If you want to find motivation to walk more often, you should get acquainted with all these facts.

Being in nature improves short-term memory

A variety of studies show that being in nature strengthens memory. An ordinary walk down the street does not give such an effect. An experiment was conducted in which students were given a short memory test and then divided into two groups. One went for a walk in the botanical garden, and the other walked along an ordinary street. When the participants returned and repeated the test, those in nature improved their scores by almost twenty percent. Those who were outside showed no improvement. A similar study was conducted on people suffering from depression. It turned out that a walk outside improves memory, even if a person is depressed.

Nature has a relaxing effect

Being in the lap of nature reduces the intensity of the physical manifestation of stress in the body. According to the experiment, people who spent two nights in the forest had reduced levels of cortisol, a hormone that is used as a marker for stress. In addition, the researchers found that heart rate and cortisol levels were lower in people living outdoors rather than in cities. For office workers, a window view of nature also leads to reduced stress and greater job satisfaction.

Spending time in nature reduces the intensity of inflammatory processes

When inflammation is too active, it leads to various diseases, including autoimmune diseases, as well as depression, inflammatory bowel syndrome and even cancer. Spending time in nature can help control inflammation. According to research, students who spent time in the forest had lower levels of inflammation in the body when compared to those who spent time in the city. In another study, older adults were sent on a week-long vacation in the forest. Not only did their inflammatory processes decrease in intensity, but the severity of hypertension also decreased.

Nature will help you get rid of fatigue

You know that feeling when your brain seems to refuse to function? Researchers call this psychological fatigue. Fresh air will help you restore normal brain function. Studies have shown that even viewing pictures of nature has a therapeutic effect. The beauty of nature evokes a feeling of admiration, which immediately adds strength.

Fresh air helps fight depression and anxiety

Anxiety, depression and other psychological problems can be resolved through time spent in nature, especially when combined with exercise. According to scientists, walks in the forest help reduce anxiety and improve your mood. Moreover, it can even be used as an adjunct to the treatment of depressive disorder. Any corner of green nature improves self-esteem and improves mood. If there is a body of water nearby, the positive effect is the strongest.

Time in nature improves vision

At least for children. This is confirmed by research. Spending time in a forest or park is an easy way to prevent the development of eye diseases in children and adolescents.

Nature improves your ability to focus

So, you already know that nature helps you recover. A walk in the park can improve your ability to concentrate. The effect is so strong that it helps even children with attention deficit disorder.

You may be more imaginative after a walk.

Time spent outdoors allows a person to think more creatively. Research reports a fifty percent increase in imagination levels.

Spending time in nature lowers blood pressure

Walking can help lower your blood pressure. This is a side effect of reducing stress hormones in the body. On average, heart rate decreases by four percent, and blood pressure by two.

Walking may even prevent cancer

Research is still early, but preliminary evidence suggests that time spent in nature may stimulate the production of cancer-protective substances.

Forest can strengthen the immune system

Cellular activity in the body after a walk in the forest also reflects a strengthening of the immune system, which will help you forget about problems such as colds and similar infections.

Time spent outdoors reduces risk of premature death

Staying near a park or forest has a positive effect on health. Researchers have found that this allows a person to live longer and reduces the risk of death from cancer, lung or kidney disease.

Walking in the fresh air and its benefits are often talked about. But what is really the benefit of such a pastime? Firstly, this is a small physical activity - you are walking, and therefore moving. In our time of widespread physical inactivity, this is very important. As soon as heavy loads begin, the heart rate also increases noticeably. Due to such a light load, the heart trains well, but since the load is still light, there is no chance of overdoing it and overloading it. So, walking in the fresh air is good for the heart.

Benefits of walking outdoors

Any physical activity outdoors is much more beneficial than exercise in the gym. Of course, training in gyms and clubs has its own invaluable benefits. But still, a walk through the park in good weather can be even more beneficial than working on a treadmill in the gym. It's all about oxygen. Even in a very well-ventilated room, there will be much less oxygen than outside. And oxygen is an invaluable benefit for the body. In addition, there is much less risk of getting sick outdoors, since bacteria and germs do not easily grow. But indoors, even with very thorough cleaning, pathogenic organisms develop much faster.

The phytoncides released by plants also add benefits. It’s great if there are coniferous trees nearby, which enrich the air with useful substances. These substances are capable of having a disinfecting effect, which, by the way, is also a factor in the difficulties with the proliferation of bacteria.

Please note that today many sanatoriums plant coniferous trees on the territory, if they have such an opportunity. So, if you have a pine forest nearby or a park area with an abundance of pine needles, do not deny yourself the pleasure of walking through this park from time to time.

Many people go for walks in the park not only to warm up, but also to calm down and relax.. And in fact, a leisurely walk gives you the opportunity to think about something very pleasant and sweet. You can just dream. Doctors are very supportive of walks in the fresh air; they normalize the functioning of the human nervous system. Often, through regular exercise, people gradually come out of prolonged depression.

Disadvantages of walking - are there any?

In fact, there are no contraindications as such for walking outdoors. You just need to monitor the weather and dress appropriately. If you feel like you have a cold, then it won’t hurt to reduce the walking time and give it up until recovery occurs. Whatever one may say, walking is a kind of exercise, which it would not hurt to postpone until complete recovery. It is worth saying that walking while sick is especially harmful in the cold season, since cold air causes even more harm and can aggravate the situation. This is why doctors strongly discourage walking if you have serious cold symptoms. It’s better to spend your time walking on proper treatment, so that after a few days you will be healthy and have the opportunity to walk in the air to your heart’s content.

Why are we walking less and less?

Modern man is busy at work. He spends days either in the office or at home doing household chores, and when he manages to find free time, he only has time to sleep. But these are often just excuses. Any person has time to talk with children, to visit a cafe with friends, to go to the gym - if only he had the desire to do so. When the desire is there, there will be time for a walk.

To begin with, you can refuse public transport or park your car not near the office, but a little away from the place of work, so that you need to walk a little. This short walk will be a great start to finding new opportunities.

Next, you can offer your friends a meeting in the park instead of constant gatherings in a cafe. Just don’t sit on the first bench, but try to walk a little along the paths. This will not interfere with the conversation, so you will spend time in a warm company usefully. The same can be suggested in case of communication with children - you can even engage in active games with them. This option will be an even more successful start to a more active lifestyle, since the physical activity from outdoor games in nature is very noticeable.

An outdoor gym is a great idea for the summer. When the weather is warm outside, it is strange to sit in a stuffy room, where it is more pleasant to spend time outdoors. You can find a convenient area for sports, a stadium, or just take roller skates or a bicycle to work on yourself. By the way, the summer option for outdoor sports is also a great savings, since you can train here completely free of charge. Not bad, right?

Sitting within four walls all the time is harmful - you deprive yourself of connections with the outside world, and your body - oxygen, without which not a single vital process will take place in it. Ideally, an adult should devote at least one and a half weeks to walks in the fresh air, and it is advisable for children to spend the same amount of time outdoors every day. The benefits of such events cannot be doubted, and even the emotional state can serve as an indicator. There are probably few people who would return from a full walk in a bad mood.

A healthy lifestyle is especially fashionable today. But, following this fashion, many concentrate their efforts only on sports training and correcting their diet, and simply forget that they also need to go for a walk. Meanwhile, a calm and pleasant walk in a quiet place will bring no less effect than jumping rope, because in this case, breathing will also increase and the circulatory system will be activated. True, all this will happen in a softer mode than during training. They will be an excellent addition to walks - they should always be present on your table.

How can you lose weight?

Those who want to lose excess weight need to be outdoors more often. And the point is not even that calories are burned in the process of walking. Metabolism improves, sweat production becomes more intense, and this in turn helps remove toxins from the body. Of course, we mean productive sweating, and not underarm hyperhidrosis and other pathologies associated with excessive sweating.

The entire human musculoskeletal system also receives a high-quality load. Muscles, ligaments, and joints are strengthened. By the way, you can additionally take it, which helps restore their mobility. Walking, according to the observations of surgeons, contributes to the formation of correct posture .

It is preferable to take a walk somewhere outside the city or in a park (square). In principle, any territory remote from highways and environmentally unfavorable areas is suitable. So, a walk in the vicinity of a chemical plant is unlikely to do any good. But the seashore is one of the ideal options.

Walk, walk - you will be smart!

But the beneficial effects of health-improving walks affect not only physical fitness. As scientists from the University of Illinois assure, this is a good tool for intellectual development. They conducted a series of studies of the brain and found that its activity is activated if a person finds time for forty minutes in the fresh air at least three times a week. Naturally, you need to not just sit on a bench near the house, but move. You can jog for health, or you can just walk. Speed ​​of movement and rhythm, by and large, do not matter. Even leisurely walking improves your ability to make inferences. And for those who are accustomed to leading a sedentary lifestyle, age-related changes in the body occur earlier, and their thoughts are very often confused.

Walking helps relieve irritation and stress, and can be a good cure for depression. In addition, it is in the air that you can get a powerful boost of energy. A long stay in enclosed spaces usually leads to physical weakness, chronic fatigue syndrome, and decreased immunity.