It happened again today. I forgot to go outside.
I don’t mean I completely forgot to go outside, but I forgot to do my Five Minute Mindful Mood Booster.
Green Exercise
Ever since I discovered the research that showed that the first five minutes of light exercise in nature delivered the biggest mood booster of time spent outside, I realized what a realistic mindfulness practice it was for even the busiest person.
It’s true. The green exercise research program at the University of Essex (UK) has started to quantify some of these health benefits.
“The research has involved a range of different types of nature therapies, contexts, activities, clients, motivations and needs, but all have shown positive health and wellbeing benefits. Findings report that many types of activities, irrespective of activity and duration, lead to improvements in self-esteem and mood, by reducing feelings of anger, confusion, depression and tension. We have also measured physical health benefits, such as reduced blood pressure, and seen how engaging in group activities facilitates social networking and connectivity.”
And you don’t have to live in the countryside or do any particular type of exercise — no three day hike required — although if you enjoy that, it will probably deliver a decent dose of well-being your way.
The research showed little difference for urban or rural dwellers or for the type of exercise.
And just in case you are thinking — oh, it’s cold and wet outside, I am not going to get the benefits of THIS Five Minute Mindful Mood Booster am I?
Wrong. Green exercise works no matter what the weather is — it is not just about getting the Vitamin D or the joy of a spring breeze — the benefits of green exercise transcend the weather. Wow.
The real clincher — what makes it really hard NOT to take up this idea — is the bit I shared right at the start: it is in the first five minutes that the greatest benefit is found — and that light intensity activities produced the greatest effects.
So I have adapted green exercise into a five minute mindful walk in nature. No headphones. No cell phones. No distractions. Just noticing my breath, the movement of my body. And the greens, blues and browns of nature around me. It really is a reliable Five Minute Mindful Mood Booster — and yet it is one we can all forget.
We forget to do it when we become engrossed in our list of things to do. We forget it when we are taking care of other people’s needs. We forget it when we are rushing.
But when we remember, what a powerful difference it can make. So much so that writing this has renewed my intention to make mindful green exercise a daily habit this year.
So what would your Five Minute Mindful Mood Booster be? Here are a few ideas, depending on where you live and what is most accessible for you (because if there is one thing we know about forming healthy habits — the easier you make it for yourself, the more likely you are to make it last.) So choose something you know you can do every day for five minutes, no matter what the weather (got a good raincoat?).
Stroll, cycle, run, skip, ride your horse, dance, jump or cartwheel your way
- on the beach
- in a park
- through a forest
- by a lake
- in your garden
- by a river
- across the moors
- on the plains
- over the hills
- through the fields
- in the snow
- in the rain
- in the sun
- in the wind
What would be your choice for a Five Minute Mindful Mood Booster be? Please share in the comments below and may 2017 be one of more Mindful Moments, More Often.
If you want to know more about making healthy habits in 2017, please read this post and join me at flourishtime.com.
from World of Psychology https://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2017/02/11/the-forgotten-five-minute-mindful-mood-booster/
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