Have you had your dose of green exercise today?

Five minutes is all you need.

Green exercise refers to physical exercise undertaken in natural environments. Trail running is a good way to get it. Just five minutes of ‘green’ exercise improves not only your physical health and heart health but boosts your mental health, researchers from the University of Essex claim.

The university has a special Green Exercise Research Team, which has been studying the concept of ‘Green Exercise’ for over 12 years. A combination of green and blue exercise is even better, i.e. exercising in an area that also contains water.

Green exercise is an anti-depressant.

Green exercise results in improvements in self-esteem and mood. Jerry Lynch, a Colorado-based psychologist, has prescribed trail running to his patients who suffer from depression. It is quiet and contemplative, and his clients have became “more at peace with themselves and found joy”.

The best views in the world are right on our doorstep.

I took a dose of blue/green exercise this morning, clocking up 18km on Melbourne’s bayside beach trails … and, it was particularly exquisite weather for it, too. I find doing the trails along there help me cover the kilometres in a long session without having to think about them, the location makes running a sheer pleasure. We have some of the best views in the world here in Melbourne right on our doorstep. A really nice way to take your medicine!

More information.

For more information on the benefits of trail running and running outdoors, check out this article at The Clymb on ‘6 Mind & Body Benefits of Trail Running’.

Author: Kara Gilbert @ KMG Communications