University of Essex - An outdoor gym'll fix it

Just five minutes of "green exercise" a day can benefit people's mood, self-esteem and mental health, a new study suggests. Jo Barton and Jules Pretty of the University of Essex's department of biological sciences analysed the effect on 1,250 people of activities in natural environments such as walking, gardening, cycling, fishing, boating and horse riding. The greatest health benefits were experienced by the young and the mentally ill, although all age and social groups saw some benefits. The study aimed to quantify the positive impact of outdoor exercise in order to identify the best "dose" of nature.