Will two hours in the park be the next 10,000 steps?
As people spend more time indoors, a mountain of scientific research says that spending time in nature is critical to health and increases longevity. That means being outdoors, under trees and away from cars and concrete – regularly. And, no, Peloton doesn’t count.
“There is an urgent need emerging at science and at the gut level to increase the experience of nature. This field is exploding, ”says Gretchen Daily, professor of environmental science at Stanford University.
The benefits have been clear to scientists for some time, but the pandemic has made the matter more urgent. The physical and emotional price that the virus has taken, especially in urban areas with little green space, has galvanized doctors, researchers and others to explore the therapeutic effects of nature.
Spending time in the forest – a practice that the Japanese call “bathing in the forest” – is strongly related to lowering blood pressure, heart rate and stress hormones and decreasing anxiety, depression and fatigue.