Why is outdoor exercise good for my mood?

Here's a reason to spend time outdoors today: It may help prevent depression. In this Health Smarts video, Robin Miller, MD, explains how spending just 5 minutes a day in nature helps boost your mood.

Transcript

00:00

When scientists analyzed 10 studies of people outdoors, they discovered that just five minutes a day in a green

00:06

setting seriously lifts mood and self-esteem. [MUSIC PLAYING]

00:28

Spend five minutes a day in nature. Why? You know that ahh feeling you get walking in a park on a summer day?

00:36

Research has shown that your brain really is humming a happier tune. When scientists analyzed 10 studies of people outdoors,

00:44

they discovered that just five minutes a day in a green setting seriously lifts mood and self-esteem.

00:50

Add water, a lake, stream, river, ocean, or that little fountain down the block, and you'll get an even bigger jolt of well-being.

00:58

Getting your dose of nature doesn't have to take a chunk out of your day. Of course, your heart and waistline will love it if you walk for half an hour.

01:05

But the greatest emotional boost comes from that first five minutes of green exercise. Outdoor activity raises levels of serotonin, the feel

01:13

good chemical. That may explain why joggers who take to the streets and trails are less anxious and depressed than those who log laps on indoor treadmills.

01:22

So take a green break right now. [MUSIC PLAYING]