Join the green gym

Swapping the treadmill for a leafy path and the gym for the great outdoors is the new word in getting fit. Walking in the hills or digging the garden doesn't just burn off calories and increase muscle power, it builds emotional strength and an all-round sense of well-being, experts say.

"Increasing evidence suggests that both physical and mental health are improved through contact with nature," says Dr William Bird, a GP and strategic health adviser for Natural England. "Research shows that blood pressure and muscle tension drop when we're in the presence of nature. Nature gives us a sense of belonging and of well-being."

He, and other proponents of 'green exercise', say that by twinning physical activity with the healing powers of nature, you'll get double helpings of good health - whether you're in deepest countryside or in a city park.

Nature's healing powers
A growing number of studies show the positive influence nature has on our health. Research has found that:
- rural residents have a lower incidence of mental health problems than their urban counterparts.
- patients with a view of nature from their hospital window are discharged sooner than those who don't have any greenery to look onto.
- just walking through a botanical garden can reduce stress levels.

[quote]One study, carried out at the University of Essex, looked at 10 different forms of ‘green exercise‘, including walking, conservation and mountain biking, and found it led to a reduction in stress, improved self-esteem and a lower incidence of depression - even in those who were already healthy and active.
 
A thorough work-out
Exercising outdoors may also be a better work-out - an hour spent sawing and digging in a ‘green gym' - where participants engage in conservation work - burns a third more calories than a step aerobics class, according to research. And one US study reported that exercising in the fresh air burns 12 per cent more calories than the same exercise performed indoors.

Nature is also motivating because it‘s so stimulating - in a study comparing people walking outside with others walking on a treadmill, those on the treadmill got more tired, even though they were doing the same work - because they had far fewer distractions.
 
These feet were made for...
Walking is the perfect green exercise, not least because you can just get out there and do it - and by walking outside, on uneven ground, you're giving your legs a more challenging workout than you might get on a treadmill.

Simon Waters of the Ramblers' Association recommends you walk briskly, "enough to increase your heart beat, but not enough to stop you carrying on a conversation".

A brisk, 30-minute walk will burn 200 calories. By walking regularly, you could reduce your risk of heart disease, research suggests.
 
Tend to your health
Tim Spurgeon of the gardening charity Thrive recommends gardening as an "extremely versatile form of exercise. It uses all the major muscle groups and also increases flexibility and strengthens joints." Turning compost burns 250 calories in half an hour, and weeding 180.

One to two hours of gardening a day can reduce the risk of coronary heart disease and other chronic illnesses, one study found. Gardening can even boost immunity, US researchers say.

Useful contacts...
The Ramblers' Association: www.ramblers.org.uk
Thrive: www.thrive.org.uk
Find your nearest green gym by visiting the website of the British Trust for Conservation Volunteers at: www2.btcv.org.uk

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