Green fitness refers to outdoor exercise in open natural environments. This practice offers numerous benefits to both individuals and the planet. In this article, we examine the benefits of outdoor exercise, the impact on the environment, and ways to make nature accessible to everyone.
Why exercise outdoors?
Exercise is widely recognized for its many health benefits, including longevity, mood, creativity, brain health, healing, sleep, stress management, weight control, and much more. While many think of gyms as the primary place for exercise, outdoor activities can provide additional benefits for health and connection with nature.
3 ways you can benefit from green fitness:
1. Physical benefits:
- Fewer injuries: Outdoor exercise involves different terrains, reducing injuries from repeating the same movements.
- Healthier blood pressure and cortisol: Natural environments signal safety to the nervous system, promoting relaxation.
- Aktivitet fizik më i ngritur: Access to outdoor activities increases movement, helping with weight loss and overall fitness.
- Përfitime për mikrobiomën: Exercising in nature exposes us to different microorganisms, improving our microbiome.
- Exercise variability: Nature provides unpredictable and varied environments, improving muscle development and overall health.
- Vitamin D: Exposure to sunlight while exercising outdoors helps maintain adequate levels of vitamin D, important for many aspects of health.
2. Psychological and mental benefits:
- Improving mood: Exercising outdoors reduces anxiety and improves well-being.
- Ecotherapy: Movement in nature helps to process emotions and reinforces the feeling of connection with nature. Practices such as forest bathing and trail therapy have shown mental health benefits.
- Gardening: This form of exercise offers physical and mental benefits.
3. Motivation to exercise more:
- More enjoyable workouts: The beauty and variability of nature makes exercise more enjoyable and less tiring.
- Novelty factor: The unpredictability of natural environments keeps the exercise interesting and engaging.
How nature benefits from green fitness:
1. Greater appreciation for nature:
- Conservation attempts: Engaging in natural exercise reinforces the desire to protect natural spaces.
- "Plogging" and "strawkling": Combining exercise with litter collection helps keep the environment clean.
2. Greater demand for green spaces:
- Infrastructure development: More people using green spaces lead to increased investment in parks, bike paths and promenades.
- Reducing carbon emissions: Walking or cycling instead of driving reduces pollution and carbon emissions.
3. Support for other healthy habits:
- Basic habits: Regular exercise promotes other healthy behaviors, such as better food choices.
- Gardening and food choices: Growing your own food leads to healthier food and reduces dependence on industrial food systems.
Barriers to green fitness:
Access to green spaces is unequal for low-income individuals who often do not have natural areas nearby. Historical segregation and environmental pollutants also contribute to these disparities.
Making green fitness accessible to all:
Addressing inequalities:
- Representation: Increase visibility and involvement in outdoor recreation through media and community efforts.
- Affordable activities: Promoting free exercise, such as walking, hiking and using public parks.
- Supporting organizations: Collaboration with groups working on outdoor inclusion activities.
Conclusion:
Green fitness offers significant benefits to both individuals and the planet. By promoting outdoor exercise and addressing barriers to access, we can improve physical and mental health while fostering a deeper connection and care for the environment.
