Health care providers across the country are increasingly encouraging their patients to get more active to increase their physical health. This recommendation often results in getting people outside – going for walks, or playing sports. A recent research study published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health concludes that the practice of getting outside – in and of itself – has positive health benefits. Spending time outdoors has been found to lower blood pressure and other indicators of stress. Green spaces can have a positive impact on mood disorders like depression and can also inspire feelings of awe, generosity, and selflessness. Park land is often public, a place to interact socially with others in the community. Group activities like walking or hiking guard against loneliness and also encourage consistent and regular physical activity. Additionally, natural spaces are hopefully places to breathe fresh air, which might reduce risks of exposure to pollution – such as breathing problems or various types of cancer.
Some health care providers are going so far as to specifically write prescriptions for outdoor activity. This website – Park Rx America – describes a non-profit organization founded by a pediatrician who is serious about teaching the public about the benefits of spending time in nature. Its mission is “to decrease the burden of chronic disease, increase health and happiness, and foster environmental stewardship, by virtue of prescribing Nature during the routine delivery of healthcare.” The site provides a variety of resources detailing the health benefits of green space. It also provides a connection for health care providers and their patients to various park lands. Eventually, the Find Parks feature on the site will include park information for all 50 states – making it easy for anyone to locate green space in their community. The Rx Leaderboard on the site keeps track of how many park prescriptions have been made for each state, and will hopefully ultimately lead to further research and recommendations about how to best utilize nature as a health support system. The idea of providing specific “nature prescriptions” is to motivate patients to follow through and do something positive for their health – just as they would complete a course of antibiotics or complete a screening exam recommended during their annual physical.
If you are interested in spending more time outdoors in the Austin area to augment your health maintenance routine, check out this interactive map maintained by the Austin Parks and Recreation Department. In it, you can locate green spaces near any address that you enter, as well as see a legend for each space describing the facilities available in that park –from covered pavilions to bocce ball courts. The Parks and Recreation page of the AustinTexas.Gov website also includes a variety of other useful information about natural resources in our city, like trail maps, pool hours, or a listing of playground sites or disc golf courses.
Naturalist and wilderness preservationist John Muir once said “I only went out for a walk, and finally concluded to stay out ‘till sundown, for going out, I found, was really going in.” In the spirit of his words, let’s all go out often and appreciate the wonders of nature!