Something naturally happens when you go outside.
You get a little bit calmer. Stress and anxiety start to melt away.
You just feel happier. Healthier.
You don’t have to be a scientist to understand this change. Experts researching mental and physical health, have assigned data to the benefits of green space, fresh air, and outdoor activity.
Healthcare providers and medical facilities worldwide have begun to dole out “nature prescriptions,” “green prescriptions,” or “parkscriptions” that get people outdoors and help heal their ailments.
Individuals are discovering how time in nature, sometimes called “forest therapy” or “green health,” can help recovery from physical and mental health problems, including the effects of COVID-19.
Whatever you call it, the idea is the same: getting outside is a natural antidote to the stressors our minds and bodies experience.
In fact, a study conducted by the International Journal of Environmental Health Research shows that spending just 20 minutes in a park—even if you don’t exercise while you’re there—is enough to improve wellbeing.
Though 20 minutes outside doesn’t seem like much time at all, if you don’t make time for it, it’s easy to forgo.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, many people self-quarantined and tried to limit interactions with others. As an unfortunate consequence, we often turned to loads of screen time.
Eric K. Singhi, a Houston-based doctor, posted that during COVID, his screen time had increased 185% (to an average of 8 hours and 32 minutes a day).
Increased Screen Time = Decreased Happiness
Though COVID may have highlighted and increased our bad technology habits, the battle between getting outside and the temptation of staying indoors to play video games, binge Netflix, or check social media has been raging for years.
One study shows that, on average, children spend nearly five to seven hours invested in screen time (TV, computer, phones) per day. Another report by research firm Neilson shows that the average adult spends roughly 11 hours a day interacting with media.
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This amount of screen time can adversely affect health and wellbeing. Studies show that:
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Adults who spend more than six hours on screen time a day are at a higher risk of depression.
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Sitting for hours at a time while looking at a screen boosts the risk of obesity, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and some types of cancer.
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The blue light from digital devices suppresses melatonin, which can keep us from getting to sleep and having a restful night of sleep.
Nature Programs for Improved Health
To combat these trends, medical professionals around the world have begun to prescribe outdoor time for their patients.
Green Prescriptions Combat the Indoor Blues
New Zealand pioneered a green prescription program in the late nineties that has become an established part of the government’s healthcare offerings. The program is based on findings that regular physical activity is beneficial in both the prevention and management of chronic health conditions. Doctors can prescribe outdoor time for patients who experience mental or physical disease or residents can self-refer to gain a range of free health benefits.
Nature Prescriptions Improve Physical and Mental Health
Canada has implemented a national nature prescription program, and doctors can now prescribe time in nature and even provide a Parks Canada Discovery Pass to their patients. “Medical research now clearly shows the positive health benefits of connecting with nature,” says Steven Guilbeault, minister of environment and climate change.“This is a breakthrough for how we treat mental and physical health challenges.”
Friluftsliv Can Make You a Happier Person
Norwegians have long trusted in the practice of friluftsliv, (pronounced free-loofts-liv) “living a life freely in the open air,” and believe it improves health and vigor. Norway has government-sponsored “libraries” where you can borrow outdoor gear, and many companies provide incentives for staff to spend time outside during their working hours. Norway’s Outdoor Recreation Act promotes healthy outdoor leisure activity for all people to improve citizens’ wellbeing.
The Japanese Concept of Forest Bathing
In 1982, the Japanese government introduced the concept of shinrin yoku, or forest bathing, encouraging citizens to get out in nature to combat stress, insomnia, depression, and more. Forest bathing encourages you to soak up the forest atmosphere through your five senses, including inhaling the forest air. The Japanese government continues to invest heavily in both research and practice and has spent $4 million promoting shinrin yoku as a national health program.
Parkscriptions: A Dose of Nature
Programs in the U.S., such as Parkscriptions, ParkRX America, and Children and Nature Initiative: Rx for Outdoor Activity, connect patients with healthcare providers who prescribe outdoor time to improve both human and planetary health. They help interested users find parks close by and choose outdoor experiences that match their mobility, fitness level, and personal needs.
A green prescription might suggest you:
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Take a hike
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Ride your bike
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Play frisbee
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Take a stroll through a botanical garden
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Stargaze
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Fly a kite
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Lay in the grass
Just being outside is the big idea behind green prescriptions. You can enjoy the outdoors however you like. Your nature therapy can be fun or relaxing, challenging or contemplative, social time or solo time. Whatever you choose, it should give you a break from digital overload and energize your mind and body.
Among a huge range of benefits, outdoor activities can help:
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Reduce anxiety and depression
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Ease ADHD symptoms
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Enhance concentration, creativity, and working memory
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Increase community empathy, connectivity, and altruism
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Treat physical conditions like high blood pressure, diabetes, and lung disease
A Unique Way to Fill Your Community’s Green Prescription
Ride a pumptrack!
If you haven’t heard of a pumptrack already, you can read up on the details of what a pumptrack is here.
How Pumptracks Can Benefit Your Community
If you’re an event planner, a parks and recreation coordinator, a health professional, or a parent, you probably already know how difficult it is to find activities that help your community, colleagues, family (and self) get out and get active.
Luckily, many communities find success with pumptracks because they offer a unique and enjoyable form of activity for all ages and all abilities.
1. Pumptracks are popular.
If you build it, they will come. Pumptracks have proven to be insanely popular across the world with major events like the Red Bull UCI Pumptrack World Championships, a series of over 23 events around the globe.
Check out this video from a qualifier event in Portugal.
2. Pumptracks build a connected community.
Pumptracks are for literally everyone. All ages, all socio-economic backgrounds, and all physical abilities. Because a public pumptrack appeals to everyone they can:
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Improve overall park traffic and use
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Increase return visitors
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Help foster new social relationships
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Build a better sense of community
You can see the impact of the pumptrack community on a global scale via an initiative called #PumpForPeace, which aims to give kids in underprivileged areas access to cycling.
3. Pumptracks are safe.
Pumptracks are specifically built to accommodate varying skills and abilities, and PARKITECT always keeps safety in mind.
Our designs are:
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Low to the ground. While pumptracks can make both kids and adults feel like pro skaters or bikers, all surfaces and edges are low to the ground. So if anyone does take a tumble, it’s never from a high point.
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Built with rounded edges, gentle embankments, rollout zones, and no rocks. These components help reduce injuries and guarantee a safe riding flow.
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Located strategically. We work with clients to build designs away from traffic and closed-circuits, so anyone riding will be safe. This also gives beginners the chance to learn how to ride a bike safely and away from the threat of car traffic.
Pumptracks are also mobile and easy to assemble, so you can test one around your community and get a sense of its popularity. Then, when you’ve found the best spot, you can add a permanent model.
Once installed, you—and your community—can easily fill your green prescription and improve your physical, emotional, and mental health! Learn more about bringing a pumptrack into your community today!
