Healthy Minds for Life A Message from Lee Ryan, Professor and Head of the Psychology Department at the University of Arizona Take a Walk in the Park…. for Your Brain
A growing body of research suggests that spending time outdoors and experiencing nature provides health benefits, particularly for emotional health and an improved sense of well-being. If physical activity is good for you, being active and being outdoors is even better. Being outdoors increases the positive impact of exercise on physical and emotional functioning, leading to fewer depressive symptoms, decreased stress, and enhancing our sense of well-being and happiness. In one study, older adults who spent time walking outdoors even reported a decreased fear of falling and less pain. The benefits of being in nature don’t apply only to walking or hiking. Gardening has also been shown to promote overall health and quality of life, increasing physical strength, fitness and flexibility. It may even benefit cognitive abilities. A recent study published in Nature Scientific Reports had a group of adults in their 70s engaged in gardening activities—learning about plants, sprouting seeds, setting up planters, and growing vegetables, as well as nature-art activities such as leaf sketching. After a month, these individuals reported more positive emotion, reduced stressed, and their cognitive functioning improved on various tests of memory, attention, and problem solving. This was a small study, and clearly more research is needed. However, the study adds to our growing awareness of the importance of connecting with nature. Whether it’s walking or gardening, it doesn’t take much to see benefits. Studies have shown that even 30 minutes spent in nature has a restorative effect on us.
We all know that walking has many health benefits. Life expectancy, obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, brain health, mental health, and even quality of sleep have all been shown to improve with increased physical activity. For example, a study published in 2021 in the Journal of the Americal Medical Association reported that the more steps participants over age 40 took, the lower their mortality risk from all causes. People who took 8,000 steps a day, compared with those who took 4,000, had a 51 percent lower mortality risk. Even better, high-intensity vigorous walking wasn’t required to see these benefits; low- intensity strolls appeared to be just as effective. Numerous studies have reported that regular walking, especially when it is paired with a healthy diet, may have positive benefits for memory and attention abilities among older adults. In fact, several studies have found that aerobic exercise appears to increase the size of the hippocampus, the region of the brain responsible for memory. Other studies have found that regular exercise has benefits for sleep. In one study, older adults who walked regularly were 50 percent less likely to have trouble falling asleep and staying asleep. There’s even some evidence from a large study conducted in Sweden that brisk walking may help keep your eyes healthy too, decreasing the risk for cataracts. So walking is clearly good for us. But did you know that where you walk makes a difference?
Even looking out a window into a garden or forest or viewing pictures of nature can reduce stress and improve cognitive health. These benefits may be especially significant for older individuals who live with chronic illness or experience stressful events such as the loss of a loved one. It is important to remember that outdoor activities benefit people of all ages, not just children and teenagers. As our population ages, it is important that we provide easy access to nature for all members of our communities. In addition to playgrounds, soccer fields, and bike paths, we need to think about easily accessible walking paths with benches for resting, and other accommodations that will ensure that everyone can enjoy nature, at any age. You can find more information about the Precision Aging Network at our website: https://precisionagingnetwork.org/. To hear about ways that you can participate in our research studies, email us at healthymindsforlife@email.arizona.edu. Lee Ryan is a Professor and Head of the Psychology Department at the University of Arizona. She is a researcher studying aging and Alzheimer’s disease, and is a member of the Precision Aging Network.
Page 10 | September/October 2024, Never Too Late
Pima Council on Aging
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