3145: Are There Health Benefits To Spending Time In Nature by NeuroGym Team on Mental & Emotional Well-Being

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[00:01:28] But with that let's get right to the bonus episode as we optimize your life.

[00:01:37] Are there health benefits to spending time in nature by MyNurroGymTeam of MyNurroGym.com?

[00:01:46] What do negative thoughts, lack of creativity and a bad memory have in common? Will they

[00:01:51] can all be treated with the same thing? It's not a pill or ancient medicine. You don't

[00:01:57] have to see a doctor or specialist to reap the benefits. So what's free, accessible

[00:02:03] to all and an excellent remedy for a variety of mental and emotional issues? Going for

[00:02:09] a hike in nature. According to the latest science, technology free time in the great outdoors

[00:02:15] can produce some serious improvements in your health. Oh and by the way, urban environments

[00:02:21] did not have this effect. It seems the more time we spend in urban environments, the more

[00:02:26] stressed and anxious we are. With so many sights, sounds, smells and people around, our

[00:02:32] senses are overwhelmed.

[00:02:35] Quote, climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature's peace will flow into

[00:02:40] you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you and

[00:02:46] the storms, their energy. John Muir. Here are four ways you can improve your mental

[00:02:52] and physical well-being by spending time in nature.

[00:02:56] One, turn off the negative chatter inside your mind.

[00:03:01] One study found that just 90 minutes in nature made a noticeable difference. The participants

[00:03:06] reported less rumination on negative thoughts and their brain scans showed less activity

[00:03:12] in the subgenus prefrontal cortex, an area of the brain that's been linked to mental illness

[00:03:17] risk. If you've ever found yourself stuck in a pattern of negative thoughts, you can

[00:03:22] just walk it off.

[00:03:24] Two, improve your creative problem solving skills.

[00:03:29] Useful as technology is, it does come with downsides. For instance, attention span.

[00:03:35] The ability to switch tasks rapidly cost many the ability to pay attention for long periods

[00:03:41] of time. This can lead to impaired creativity and impaired problem solving skills. Researchers

[00:03:48] were curious about the effect of nature on problem solving, so they had a group of

[00:03:52] participants head off on a four-day camping trip without technology.

[00:03:57] Half of the participants were given a test on day one before the trip started. The other

[00:04:03] half took the test on day four of the trip. They all took the same test which measured

[00:04:08] the ability to creatively solve problems. The results?

[00:04:13] The group that took the test on day four, post-immersion in nature, scored 50% higher than those

[00:04:19] who took it before the trip. You've got to get outside to think outside of the box.

[00:04:25] Three, sharpen your memory.

[00:04:28] A study at the University of Michigan tested students' memories with and without exposure

[00:04:33] to nature. Two groups of students took a memory test. One group then went for a walk around

[00:04:39] an arboretum and the other group took a walk down city streets. The participants returned

[00:04:45] and took the same memory test again. The students who walked among trees did almost 20% better

[00:04:52] than their first score, whereas the city walkers did not improve consistently. Something

[00:04:58] unique happened to their brain patterns when amongst the trees. Spending time with nature

[00:05:04] can have its benefits when it comes to age-related brain changes too.

[00:05:09] Four, feel alive and inspired to take action towards your goals and dreams.

[00:05:16] According to the latest neuroscience research, a natural environment is awe-inspiring for modern

[00:05:22] human beings. Time is our scaricest commodity, right? Most of us feel like we never have enough

[00:05:28] time. But when we feel a sense of awe, time seems to expand. We become more generous with

[00:05:35] our time and feel an increased sense of well-being. So leave behind the worries of work and

[00:05:41] the confines of your indoor space and go outside where everything around you is strikingly

[00:05:47] vast. Even time!

[00:05:50] The mindset shift from time scarcity to time abundance is a great stress reducer and

[00:05:56] helps develop self-motivation. And five, reconnect with your mind, body and spirit.

[00:06:04] The next time something is bothering you or you don't feel like yourself, try clearing

[00:06:08] your mind with a walk in nature. When you combine exercise with nature, it's like going to

[00:06:13] the doctor minus the bills and pills. By taking a hike in the quiet wilderness, you naturally

[00:06:20] increase energy and vitality. So if your life seems extra stressful and you're missing

[00:06:25] out on the self-care you need, go out into nature. Remember, the more time you spend

[00:06:30] an awe-inspiring environment, the more life satisfaction you'll have. It's a great way

[00:06:36] to reconnect with your true self. It's true, some issues require some serious focus or

[00:06:43] some actual medical attention. However, sometimes a scary symptom has a simple solution. So before

[00:06:49] you make any rash decisions, try a quick healthy mindset shift first. Get outside, walk

[00:06:56] around and breathe deeply. While it may not sound profound, it's scientifically shown

[00:07:02] that spending time in nature is all it can take to regain some true inner peace.

[00:07:12] You just listen to the post-titled, Are there health benefits to spending time in nature

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[00:08:23] Gusto.com slash OLD. Dr. Neal here for my commentary. All right, you've heard me talk about this

[00:08:31] before as a self-professed homebody spending time in nature is something that I naturally

[00:08:37] turn to when I want to reduce my stress. I'm much more likely to head to my garage

[00:08:42] and use my home gym or pick up my guitar or just take some deep breaths. But going outside

[00:08:48] and going for a walk in nature? Not usually my first thought. But recently, some research

[00:08:54] came out about noise pollution and its effects on stress levels and brain functioning. Researchers

[00:09:01] are finding that exposure to too much noise, things like city noises like traffic sounds,

[00:09:07] irons, barking dogs and so on can negatively affect our brain functioning and increase feelings

[00:09:13] of stress. One way to escape this is to distance ourselves from this environment and places

[00:09:19] where we can escape these sounds. Now, if we do live in a noisy environment, no need

[00:09:25] to panic and find a new place to live. That's because we can get used to these noises.

[00:09:29] But at the same time, we may need to escape once in a while to give our minds and bodies

[00:09:34] a break. Alright, that'll do it for today. I hope you're having a great weekend if

[00:09:39] you're listening in real time and I'll see you back here tomorrow where your optimal

[00:09:43] life awaits.