In a recent review article published in the American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine , researchers investigated the health benefits of physical activity in natural settings (PANS) and strategies to promote it. Their findings indicate that while strong evidence supports PANS, further research is needed to address gaps and fully understand the role of health professionals in encouraging this behavior. Study: Physical Activity in Natural Settings: An Opportunity for Lifestyle Medicine .
Image Credit: SeventyFour/Shutterstock.com Regular physical activity offers numerous health benefits, such as preventing chronic conditions, enhancing immune function, improving mental health, and increasing life expectancy. Growing evidence shows that spending time in nature provides additional health benefits, including improved cognitive function, mood, and immune response.
Despite well-established guidelines recommending adults to engage in 150-300 minutes of moderate or 75-150 minutes of vigorous activity weekly, many Americans remain inactive, with less than a quarter meeting both aerobic and muscle strengthening guidelines. This review explored whether PANS offers more benefits than indoor activity, examined the factors influencing PANS, and discussed strategies for promoting PANS, particularly among priority populations. Physical activity can occur in natural or non-natural settings, such as walking in a forest versus a mall.
While exercise science quantifies activity by time and intensity,.
