Annual Review, 2006-2007
Green exercise
How do you feel when you go outside for a
walk? If it is a green place, whether in the
city or countryside, the chances are high
that you will feel better. Even when it is
bitterly cold, fiendishly hot, or lashing with
rain, being close to nature and the elements
seems to improve our sense of well-being.
Thus, engaging in moderate physical
activity in green spaces (‘green exercise’)
brings additional mental and physical
health benefits, which could form part of
a solution to a number of growing health
and environmental problems.
We now know that modern diets and
sedentary lifestyles are contributing to a
rapid rise in the incidence of obesity in
both adults and children. Evidence is also
emerging which confirms that stress and
mental ill-health are growing problems in
industrialised countries – often
overshadowed by more easily diagnosed
illnesses. At the University of Essex, our
quantitative research on green exercise has
shown that many types of activities,
irrespective of the activity and duration
(including walking, cycling, horse riding,
fishing, conservation and so on), lead to
improvements in psychological well-being
(by enhancing mood and self-esteem, and
reducing anger, confusion, depression and
tension). We have also measured physical
health benefits, and have seen how
undertaking activities with other people
helps to facilitate social networking and
connectivity. Key findings show that three
out of four people feel less depressed,
tense and angry after participating in green
exercise activities; two out of three people
experience an improvement in their overall
mood; and almost two thirds of people
report improved levels of self-esteem.
So, what contribution can green exercise
make to effective packages of health and
social care? How can we engage the health
sector to recognise its positive outcomes?
How do we overcome this reluctance to
regard green exercise as having
therapeutic properties which can
complement psychiatric medication? Green
exercise generates a variety of health and
social benefits which could lead to healthier
communities and reduced public health
costs. It has implications for direct
intervention amongst people who are
physically or mentally unwell (green care)
and for the redesign of environments
(buildings, gardens, urban areas or rural
landscapes) so that people can be well
(green design).
Jo Peacock
‘I am a Senior Research Officer employed
on a variety of green exercise projects.
Recent research projects engaged local
Mind members in a series of green walks
and compared outdoor and indoor
locations. I am also comparing green
exercise and cognitive behavioural therapy
as treatment options for patients
experiencing mild-moderate depression,
and measuring the effects of wilderness
therapy on youth offenders.’
Rachel Hine
‘I am a Senior Researcher and Assistant
Director of the Centre for Environment and
Society. My research interests in
multifunctional agriculture and green exercise
have led to the development of my research
programme focusing on care farming – the
use of commercial farms as a base for
promoting mental and physical health benefits
and social rehabilitation, for a wide range of
people through normal farming activity.’
Professor Jules Pretty OBE
‘I am Professor of Environment and Society,
and currently Head of the Department of
Biological Sciences. Colleagues and I coined
the term ‘green exercise’ in 2003, and since
then it has been increasingly adopted by
agencies, researchers and government.
My recent book, The Earth Only Endures
(Earthscan, 2007) explores connections
between land and people, and reflects on
memory, place, society and ecology.’