The Great Outdoors: Part 4 - A Slow Experiment
In the immortal words of Olivia Newton John... "Let's get physical, physical."We’re in week three of the Great Outdoors Slow Experiment, and in today's poggie we look at a bunch of the physical benefits of spending time outside in nature. It’s been a pretty wondrous, awe-inspiring week outside for us, with quiet moments, play, some glorious snow and then even more glorious skiing. This week I've really found myself craving time outside, and Ben has really noticed the headspace that spending time in nature gives him, setting him straight for the rest of his day.We looked at a whole heap of research on the physical benefits of time spent outside, expecting to find a lot about exercise and deep breathing. But I was really amazed at how much further the research goes. From positive impacts on our immunity and inflammation, improved vision and blood pressure, a reduction in stress hormones and even some amazing, preliminary results that look at the effect of plant chemicals can have on virus and tumour cells - it's all incredible.If you've been having doubts about this whole nature thing, I hope this episode will put them to bed. There's some pretty compelling information in today's show (with links to many of the studies and articles below), but put simply, there is so much to gain by making these changes, and so much to lose if we don’t.And the hack of the week to help you commit? As James Clear suggests: "Reduce the scope, stick to the schedule." So get out there!If you’re playing along, don’t forget to share how you’re going over on Instagram using the hashtag #slowexperiment, or comment on Facebook. We’d also love to know if you’ve noticed any physical benefits - from sleep to immunity, let us know how you’re feeling.In the meantime, enjoy!
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Things to Check Out After Today’s Episode:
- Reduce the scope, stick to the schedule - James Clear
- Exposure to Greenness and Mortality in a Nationwide Prospective Cohort Study of Women via Environmental Health Perspectives
- Time spent in “green” places linked with longer life in women via Harvard Medical School
- Does Participating in Physical Activity in Outdoor Natural Environments Have a Greater Effect on Physical and Mental Wellbeing than Physical Activity Indoors? A Systematic Review via Environmental Science and Technology
- The Benefits of Exercising Outdoors - New York Times
- Study: The effect of phytoncide from trees on human natural killer cell function
- Into Thin Air: Weight Loss At High Altitudes via Scientific American
- Grab a copy of the experiment checklist
- Join in the experiment and use the hashtag #slowexperiment on Instagram
- Connect with us on IG: