Why exercising outside is better for you

Outdoor exercise could be more beneficial than indoor workouts as a study has found that children exposed to scenes of nature while exercising are likely to have lower blood pressure. 'Hypertension is a chronic health problem across the world, so given the results we have seen in our study it is crucial that we continue to try to understand the role physical activity and - in particular - green exercise plays in blood pressure,' said Michael Duncan from Coventry University in Britain. (Read: Exercise good for your heart, in outer space as well!)

For the study, researchers asked kids aged 9-10 years to complete a series of 15 minute moderate intensity cycling activities - one while viewing a video of a forest track synced to the exercise bike and another with no visual stimulus. The researchers found that after the 'green exercise' the children's post-activity blood pressure was significantly lower than it was without the simulated forest environment, indicating that the nature scenes promoted positive health effects. (Read: Want to lower your blood pressure? Be happy!)

[recom-stories]

'If there is indeed a correlation between viewing scenes of nature and a lower blood pressure post exercise, as indicated by our data, it could have very positive implications in encouraging public health practitioners to prescribe outdoor exercise to reduce health risk,' Duncan said. The study appeared in the journal International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. (Read: Cut down on salt and increase exercise to keep hypertension at bay)

Source: IANS

For more articles on blood pressure, visit our blood pressure section. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter for all the latest updates! For daily free health tips, sign up for our newsletter. And to join discussions on health topics of your choice, visit our forum.