Colorado Medical Network Says Spend Time Outdoors to Improve Your Health

In an online article, the regional medical facility system UCHealth (UCH) says spending time outdoors may be one of the most accessible and affordable ways to enhance your overall health. And the benefits may come from something as simple as a walk in your neighborhood or something more extensive such as spending a weekend camping. James Lutz, a licensed professional counselor for the UCH Greeley Medical Center, says he regularly gives patients a “prescription” to spend more time in nature. Studies show time spent in nature reduces blood pressure, anxiety, and stress and restores a sense of calm. Too much time spent indoors and on screens is detrimental to physical and mental health. As Lutz points out, “When you’re out there, you have to be aware of your surroundings. You’re forced to be present. We’ve got too many electronics in our faces.” UCH also cites a Richard Louv book titled Last Child in the Woods, which posited that children’s separation from the natural world was causing “nature deficit disorder,” a condition that can lead to a host of problems including ADHD, obesity, and mental health issues. Louv has also applied his thinking to adults. UCH says, “The idea that just being outside, even just sitting on your back patio, is good for your health has gained serious traction among experts grasping for anything to help dent our struggles with mental health.” They point to a Weld County Department of Public Health and Environment program called OutdoorRx, launched in 2019 to promote the mental health benefits of being in nature, adding that it also showed physical benefits such as improved cognitive function, cardiovascular fitness, and even improved cancer survival rates. “Just sit in your yard,” said Olivia Egen, the public health initiatives supervisor for the Weld County Health Department. “If you’re outside for even five minutes, you’ll feel immediate benefits.”