Nature’s Nurture

by Wendy Helfenbaum

Walking, hiking, swimming and cycling all provide physical benefits. But did you know that simply spending time outdoors—no matter where you live—can also have a huge impact on your overall well-being? We gathered expert insights and tips to help you reap the benefits of health-building nature experiences.

Costco member Misty Pratt struggled with anxiety and depression for many years until she finally found respite and relief—in the woods. Pratt discovered the restorative powers of nature about 10 years ago when she and her husband, Tom Stacey, moved into a home that backed onto a ravine.

"I didn’t like being in forests and I was scared of bears," recalls Pratt, a research coordinator at Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario in Ottawa.

However, during short walks in the woods—first with her children and then alone—Pratt noticed her breathing growing relaxed and the tension in her body melting away. Now she gets out for a walk every morning for 45 minutes.

"Taking deep breaths of fresh air, I was able to let it all go; walking calms my brain. It’s mindfulness—you’re able to focus on the steps or breaths you’re taking," she says. "I’ve seen foxes, coyotes, rabbits, beavers and a snowy owl; there’s something special about connecting with living things."

Time Well Spent

Many of us spend too much time indoors in front of a screen or other electronic devices. To offset this, health care experts say getting some "vitamin N"—for nature—can reduce stress and insomnia, boost energy and revitalize health. A growing body of research links exposure to nature with therapeutic benefits. For example, researchers at the University of Michigan recently examined the effects of experiences in nature.

"We’ve known for several decades that being in the presence of nature has a positive effect on people, but it was unclear how much exposure to nature was needed or what constituted a health-building nature experience," says the study’s lead author, Costco member MaryCarol Hunter, an associate professor at the university’s School for Environment and Sustainability.

During the study’s eight-week experiment, participants spent at least 10 minutes, three times a week, connecting with nature in some way, such as listening to birds from a balcony, sitting under a tree or walking a park trail. Saliva tests were analyzed for cortisol—the body’s stress hormone—before and after the nature experience. Published in Frontiers in Psychology, Hunter’s work showed that a 20-minute "nature pill" provided the most reduction in stress hormones.

Other research confirms that any exposure to nature is good for you. For example, a 2019 study in Scientific Reports revealed that spending two hours a week in nature promotes good physical and mental health, no matter what outdoor activity you do. Another 2019 study, in Denmark, showed that adolescents who didn’t spend time in green space were up to 55% more likely to develop depression and anxiety later in life, while 2020 research from Cornell University saw college students’ mental stress decrease after spending as little as 10 minutes in a natural setting. Even five minutes spent looking at green space through a window is beneficial, according to a 2013 study.

A Prescription for Parks

The back-to-nature movement has gained momentum across North America since 2013, when a conservation program organized by the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy partnered with recreation and health care communities to promote parks for improving physical and mental health. Today, organizations like Park Rx America (parkrxamerica.org) are raising awareness of the power of nature to decrease chronic disease.

Dr. Robert Zarr, a primary care physician and pediatrician in the Washington, D.C., area, founded Park Rx America in 2017. When he pulls out his prescription pad, he’s often not scribbling down the name of a medication but instead a custom-designed plan to soak up some vitamin N. Park Rx America has about 10,000 parks and more than 1,000 health care providers registered in its prescribing platform.

"When you have patients with chronic disease or risk factors, you should consider a nature prescription as part of your tool kit," says Zarr. "You have an improvement in mental health outcomes, increased focus and concentration, a decrease in behavioural problems in children, improved diabetic outcomes and a decrease in blood pressure. It’s well documented that outdoors you’re more likely to move, and physical inactivity is an independent risk factor for poor health."

Zarr, currently the co-principal investigator of a National Institutes of Health–funded study looking at physical and mental health outcomes, says nature heals people in different ways.

"I think our bodies and minds are geared to be outdoors, and an absence of that in our lives leads to most people telling you they don’t feel well," he explains.

Nature prescriptions have to be patient driven in order to be sustainable, adds Zarr. "One size does not fit all. Not everybody can walk for 20 minutes every day. If you have to start with opening a window, or looking out a window onto a tree, or you have a tiny balcony with a plant on it and you’re doing jumping jacks, that’s OK. Just start somewhere."

Spreading the Message in Canada

Healthy By Nature, a program launched last November through the BC Parks Foundation in West Vancouver, British Columbia, encourages people to venture outside. The initiative partners with community organizations to provide outdoor activities and sports for youths and families.

"Since COVID-19, people have a deeper understanding of the health value of getting outside and also the value of nature in our lives," says Andy Day, the foundation’s CEO. "It’s also important for the health care system: Right now, chronic disease and mental health outpace economic growth in Canada, and our research found that being outside in nature is one of the most cost-effective strategies to reduce those issues. Also, the more that people are connected to nature, the more that they’re likely to want to protect it, which then supports climate change, land and wildlife habitat protection."

Dr. Melissa Lem, a Vancouver-based family physician, heads up the Park Prescriptions program within Healthy By Nature. She says, "Because of the pandemic, we haven’t been able to gather inside as much, so people are intuitively experiencing that being outside is good for us. The Park Prescription concept is perfect for this moment."

Lem cites a 2017 study from Japan showing that stress hormone levels dropped significantly after just 15 minutes looking out at a forest versus a city street. Traditional Japanese forest bathing—known as shinrin-yoku—is said to promote relaxation and self-reflection, by taking in the sights and sounds among trees.

"What’s great about our nature prescriptions program is that it doesn’t matter what your physical abilities are; the health benefits of nature are accessible to almost anyone, no matter where you live," says Lem. "You can almost always find a tree or a park somewhere. It doesn’t have to be on the side of a mountain peak or in the middle of old-growth rainforest."

While experts recommend 20-minute nature experiences totalling two hours a week, Lem suggests integrating nature and extra activity into your lifestyle so it becomes routine.

"I hope our initiative creates a culture change within health care to make people recognize that nature is one of the four pillars of health, along with diet, exercise and sleep," says Lem. "I’d like to see nature prescribed to patients for health benefits on a large scale so it’s recognized as essential."

Finding Vitamin N

These organizations will help you explore the many benefits of being outside:

Nature Kids BC (naturekidsbc.ca) offers activities, citizen science programs and Explorer Days connecting children and families with nature.

Family Adventures in the Canadian Rockies (rockiesfamilyadventures.com) has family-friendly hikes in the Calgary area.

Ontario Mood Walks (mood walks.ca/about-mood-walks) promote "green exercise."

Sépaq (sepaq.com) offers a guide to Quebec’s provincial parks and activities.—WH

Written by Wendy Helfenbaum, a Costco member who is a Montreal-based writer and TV producer.

This post is in courtesy of Costco Connection.