5 Mins Daily “Green” Exercise Boosts Mental Health

New research from the UK suggests that just five minutes of “green” exercise a day benefits people’s mood, self-esteem and mental health: in fact they found this small dose produced the largest positive effect.

You can read about the investigation Drs Jo Barton and Professor Jules Pretty from the University of Essex conducted into how a walk a day might keep the doctor away, in Environmental Science and Technology, where it appeared online on 25 March and will appear in print later this month.

Pretty, who is Professor of Environment and Society at Essex, told the media that:

“For the first time in the scientific literature, we have been able to show dose-response relationships for the positive effects of nature on human mental health.”

Barton, a Senior Researcher and Lecturer at Essex, said encouraging people to take a walk a day would help keep the doctor away and save the country money.

“There is a large potential benefit to individuals, society and to the costs of the health service if all groups of people were to ’self -medicate’ more with green exercise,” she added.

Barton and Pretty had alread established in earlier studies that links existed between green exercise, which they defined as activity in the presence of nature, and long term health benefits, but this meta-analytical study (a study that pools and re-analyzes results from other studies as if they came from one large one) is the first to measure what the best exposure “dose” might be. Read more

Too Much Salt, Not Enough Exercise

New research has revealed that an alarming number of British people are not following official advice to reduce their salt consumption and take regular exercise in order to reduce their risk of suffering from serious health conditions such as stroke.

The new survey*, conducted for Siemens in conjunction with The Stroke Association to launch the annual Stroke for Stroke campaign, found that less than half of those questioned (43%) believe they adhere to the GDA (Guideline daily amount) for salt of 6g per day. Also the vast majority (85%) of those questioned failed to take the government recommended 30 minutes of exercise five days a week. This lack of regular exercise, combined with a high salt intake, could lead to high blood pressure and an increased risk of stroke.

The research revealed a general lack of awareness about overall salt consumption and the level of salt found in foods. While 92% of those surveyed believe that too much salt is bad for their health, 40% were unable to correctly identify six grams or one teaspoon as the maximum recommended daily salt allowance for an adult and, worryingly, 64% of those questioned are not concerned about their salt intake. Read more