Five minutes in the greencan improve mental health

Just five minutes of exercise a dayin the great outdoors can improve
mental health, accordingto a study released on Saturday, and
policymakers should encourage more people to spend time in parks and
gardens.
Researchers from the University of Essex found that as little as five
minutes of a "green activity" such as walking, gardening, cycling or
farming can boost mood and self esteem.
"We believe that there would be a large potential benefit to
individuals, society and to the costs of the health service if all
groups of people were to self-medicate more with green exercise,"
Barton said in a statement about the study, which was published in the
journal Environmental Science & Technology.
Many studies have shown that outdoor exercise can reduce the risk of
mental illness and improvea sense of well-being, but Jules Pretty and
Jo Barton, who led thisstudy, said that until now no one knew how much
time needed to be spent on green exercise for the benefits to show.
Barton and Pretty looked at data from 1,252 people of different ages,
genders and mental health status taken from 10 existing studies in
Britain.
They analyzed activities such as walking, gardening, cycling, fishing,
boating, horse-riding andfarming.
They found that the greatest health changes occurred in the young and
the mentally ill, although people of all ages and social groups
benefited. The largest positive effect on self-esteem came from a
five-minute dose of "green exercise."
All natural environments were beneficial, including parks in towns or
cities, they said, but green areas with water appearedto have a more
positive effect.