The great outdoors: how a green exercise environment can benefit all

TLDR

Studies of human–environment interactions typically examine extreme environmental effects on individuals or human impacts on the environment, while recognizing that physical activity benefits health but the influence of different settings remains unclear, and that changing human–nature connectedness and existing barriers affect how outdoor exercise can be made accessible and beneficial for all. The review aims to examine how environmental factors can motivate and facilitate physical activity amid declining activity levels in the Western world. The review analyzes how environmental contexts can motivate physical activity and explores the additional physiological and mental health benefits of exercising outdoors. Combining exercise with nature exposure—the “great outdoors”—offers a powerful tool to combat rising physical inactivity and non‑communicable diseases.

Abstract

The studies of human and environment interactions usually consider the extremes of environment on individuals or how humans affect the environment. It is well known that physical activity improves both physiological and psychological well-being, but further evidence is required to ascertain how different environments influence and shape health. This review considers the declining levels of physical activity, particularly in the Western world, and how the environment may help motivate and facilitate physical activity. It also addresses the additional physiological and mental health benefits that appear to occur when exercise is performed in an outdoor environment. However, people’s connectedness to nature appears to be changing and this has important implications as to how humans are now interacting with nature. Barriers exist, and it is important that these are considered when discussing how to make exercise in the outdoors accessible and beneficial for all. The synergistic combination of exercise and exposure to nature and thus the ‘great outdoors’ could be used as a powerful tool to help fight the growing incidence of both physical inactivity and non-communicable disease.