It is one thing to exercise through the streets of the city and another to tread the earth and surrounded by trees. Walking through fields and forests has very beneficial effects, both physical and mental.
5 positive effects of walking in nature
We trek because we like it and because we feel good. We enjoy the landscapes, the silence, the aromas of the plants and the transparent air.
But with each route we travel we seek a well-being that can be described and measured in scientific terms.
1. Decrease stress levels
A 90-minute walk through a natural environment reduces worries and anxiety, according to Gregory Bratman of Stanford University. The routines of thought are modified and the causes of stress disappear from around us.
"Nature is beneficial for mental health," says Irina Wen, a clinical psychologist at the New York University Medical Center. "By reducing intellectual fatigue and stress can be beneficial in cases of depression and anxiety," he adds.
2. It makes us more creative
Psychologists have proven that after 4 days of trekking and disconnection in nature creativity is triggered.
The participants in this study left their mobile phones and any other technology that stood between them and nature at home.
In the middle of the mountain they were subjected to intellectual tests that required a creative solution and their results improved by 50%.
3. Improve our ability to concentrate
An outdoor walk increases the ability to concentrate. It can even relieve the symptoms of the so-called attention deficit disorder, both in children and adults. But anyone will notice how it improves their attention!
4. Increase memory
They burn around 400-700 calories per hour, but, in addition, aerobic exercise boosts memory. Legs and brain are related.
The studies also confirm the positive effects on the ability to remember. This occurs, even, in the students of university colleges that have greener views through the windows.
5. Give a boost to self-esteem
5 minutes are enough surrounded by green to improve. And it does more if we are near a river, a waterfall or a lake. A walk through a natural scenario reduces "ruminant thinking", which is centered on oneself and one's worries and leads to anxiety and weighing.
In nature our mind is carried away by calm, amazement and positive thoughts.