With summer arriving and COVID-19 cases rising, you might be looking for ways to exercise or relax outside. Scientists and physicians have long known that simply being outside can improve your physical and mental health. But according to Lisa Nisbet, a professor of psychology at Trent University in Canada, those of us who feel most connected with nature also reap the most benefits.
“Nature can boost people's mood, increase feelings of vitality, reduce the stress response, and help with those feelings of relaxation,” Nisbet says. “I think a lot of people underestimate how important it is for physical and mental health.” These benefits, which range from improved eyesight to decreased stress, are so impactful that some physicians have even started prescribing nature to treat patients.
Melissa Lem, a medical physician and clinical assistant professor at the University of British Columbia, is no stranger to translating the medicinal potential of the outdoors into practice. She directs PaRx, a BC Parks Foundation initiative in Canada that helps physicians improve patient outcomes by prescribing them nature. Because its benefits are so diverse, PaRx-partnered physicians can write out the prescription for virtually every condition.
For example, PaRx prescribes at least 20 minutes of nature per day — the critical dose needed for effective stress relief. To help patients reach this 20-minute mark, they receive a free Parks Canada pass to access over 80 sites including national parks, monuments and marine conservation areas. “We don't just want to prescribe nature to people. We also want to make it easier for them to access it," Lem says. “I think we have to consider access to nature human right.”
Luckily, the possibilities for outdoor exercise are endless. Here are six summer activities that will train your body and ease your mind.
