Looking for a fun way to build endurance and strength? Take a Hike. It’s the healthy thing to do. Not only does a hike in the woods give you a sense of communing with nature, it has been found to decrease neural activity in the part of the brain that is associated with anxiety and depression.
Martin Niedermeier, PhD, lead author on the PLOS One (Public Library of Science ) study, says that nature—and green environments in particular—can reduce perceived stress and fatigue. “The visual stimuli in nature serve as so-called soft fascinations,” he says, “which might result in a lower perceived stress and fatigue.” Niedermeier says these findings are important for a simple reason: “People tend to stick with forms of physical activity they enjoy.”
Hiking carries little risk of injury, builds fitness and bone density, uses calories, combats depression, helps to reduce heart disease and strokes, and helps lower blood pressure just to name a few of the many benefits.
So, TAKE A HIKE in the woods. BUT.…..
If you can’t get out to a woods this weekend, come instead to Hillsborough Gallery of Arts and view OUT OF THE WOODS exhibit, featuring artists Marcy Lansman, Ellie Reinhold and Jason Smith. It will surely lift your spirits.
by Jude Lobe
for Hillsborough Gallery of Arts