Getting out into nature is often recommended to make us happier and more energised. Whether you enjoy gardening, getting out for a walk or a swim, it’s all good for our body and brain. It’s also a great way to look after your heart health.
Heart disease is the developed world’s biggest killer of men and women, and the leading cause is hypertension or high blood pressure. Sometimes called ‘the silent killer’ because it’s usually asymptomatic, if left untreated hypertension puts you at increased risk of having a stroke, heart attack, developing heart failure or kidney disease, which is why it’s strongly recommended to get your blood pressure checked regularly by your GP.
Studies have shown that time in nature provides a protective effect against this risk through the lifestyle choices you make, like how much good quality sleep you get, how much physical activity to engage in, the healthy foods you choose to eat and how well you manage your stress.
There are three ways in which nature can be good for your heart.
It lowers blood pressure and boosts overall heart health
Back in the 1980s, it was found that introducing stressed Japanese businessmen to the practice of Shinrin-Yoku or forest bathing as it is also known, helped to lower levels of stress and blood pressure and reduced their risk of having a heart attack.
Just one 30-minute walk in nature once a week is enough to reduce your risk of developing hypertension, while visiting a green space three times a week is associated with a reduced need for taking anti-hypertensive drugs.
In addition to lowering both your systolic and diastolic blood pressure, time in nature lowers your resting heart rate and improves your lipid profile by lowering LDL cholesterol levels, boosting your overall heart health.
This isn’t about speed either. Whether you’re a fast or slow walker or prefer just to sit in a beautiful natural space, you’ll still reap the benefits from spending time outdoors.
It reduces stress
The parasympathetic nervous system is the part of your nervous system associated with calming the body and brain, lowering levels of the stress hormones adrenaline and cortisol and is activated by being in a natural environment. Lower stress means lower general inflammation within the body, and greater protection from developing chronic disease including cardiovascular disease.
It keeps you fitter and happier too
Dog owners have the advantage here as our beloved pooches are always up for a walk or three. If you don’t have a dog, walking with a friend works just as well. Why not set up a walking group that meets regularly?
Gardening is a greatly undervalued activity for better heart health, keeping you fitter both physically and mentally from all that bending and kneeling. It’s also appropriate for those living with established heart disease or who find walking or other forms of activity too challenging.
Just two hours a week in the garden can reduce your risk of dying from heart disease by 37 per cent. That’s a pretty good investment of your time for such a positive health outcome. Not only that it’s been shown to reduce your risk of developing type 2 diabetes too.
Gardening can be very satisfying, whatever you’re growing. There’s nothing that beats picking your own lemon straight from the tree, or a tomato straight from the vine. They taste better too. A regular dose of gardening makes us feel good, improves life satisfaction and boosts overall health.
Lifestyle medicine practitioners often prescribe time in nature as a green or social prescription. Joining a local community garden or allotment provides company, which is also vital for better heart health as well as giving your overall fitness level a boost.
Even if you don’t have a garden, using outside space like a balcony or patio to keep plants in pots or to grow herbs in also works well. It doesn’t have to be a big space either, just enough to enjoy and feel safe to be in.
Access to nature is free and a great way to prevent heart disease by keeping you more physically active, and by lowering blood pressure and stress levels. There’s no better way to invest in your health and wellbeing than by getting into the great outdoors.
Dr Jenny Brockis is a board-certified lifestyle medicine physician, workplace health and wellbeing consultant, and author of The Natural Advantage (Major Street Publishing). www.drjennybrockis.com
Do you spend much time outdoors? What are some of the good nature spots near your place? Let us know in the comments section below.
Also read: Swimming or running – which is better
