Fresh Air

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By Jeff

My usual meals when I am at work include fruits, veggies, nuts, oatmeal, and leftover dinner from the night before. However, every once in a while leftovers don't exist from the night before and I'm forced to purchase food in downtown Portland. Yesterday was one of those days so I trekked outside and a few blocks west to grab a bite to eat. The sun was blaring on a surprisingly warm January day in the Pacific Northwest. People were out walking their dogs, many out for a smoke, and others also trying to find food. Other than being outside, the common theme between all the people were they were all happy (including myself feeling heavenly). Coincidence...I think not.

Let's look at a different situation. After a recent move, I have been riding my little scooter into work and stay pretty warm with the proper gear. A few of the days there has been a rain/snow mix that hits my face pretty hard and my fingers get a little cold. Many people think my ride is miserable in these conditions and they are somewhat correct. I'm not on the scooter shivering the whole time but some aspects are unpleasant. However, the time I spend on the scooter (sometimes in rush hour with people constantly honking the horn and yelling at each other) is still the best time of day for me. Why? Because of the feeling of breathing fresh air, sometimes seeing the sun, being surrounded by nature (a concrete jungle but still outside), the ability to zone out and let nature take over my whole. The two situations I presented are opposite in environmental conditions (with the exception of both being outside), but share the same internal feeling.

At this point, I'm going to stop talking about my personal thoughts on being outside and move into some scientific research. Universities in Japan are conducting experiments that actually measure the benefits of being outside. “...Chiba University, have found that leisurely forest walks, compared with urban walks, yield a 12.4 percent decrease in the stress hormone cortisol, a seven percent decrease in sympathetic nerve activity, a 1.4 percent decrease in blood pressure, and a 5.8 percent decrease in heart rate. On subjective tests, study participants also report better moods and lower anxiety” (http://www.outsideonline.com/fitness/wellness/Take-Two-Hours-of-Pine-Forest-and-Call-Me-in-the-Morning.html?page=3). The above stats compare two different outdoor conditions and show being in nature has a large health benefit over being outside in a city. Unfortunately, I couldn't find such stats about being inside vs outside but I would assume all of the above health measurements would decrease as well. A study was conducted by the University of Utah and University of Kansas where participants improved the creativity thinking by 50% after hiking and camping for three days.

In Japan around 2.5 to 5 million visitors partake in Forest Therapy or just hanging out in the forest for a few hours (that's a quarter of Japan's population). Going for a run, with your ipod on, through an urban park does reap some benefits of being outdoors and gets you better in shape. But if you want the maximum benefits of being outdoors while still going for a run go find a true nature park, don't bring any electronic devices, stop and rest every once in a while and take in the scenery and fresh air. Just the smell of trees has shown to increase NK Cells by 40% (NK Cells play a major role in destroying tumor cells and viruses).

In all reality, I could go on forever typing about the benefits of being outdoors and why you should spend more time outdoors but it's common sense and science has proven it. I right now am taking a vow to go experience the true outdoors (not a city park) at least once a week. I know it's worth a couple hours a week to do. How do you feel about being outside? Do you have any eye/mind opening experiences you would like to share? Please post in the comments section how you feel about the outdoors or what you plan to do to get outside more. I think I'm going to head outside...