Outdoor Exercise, Well-Being and Connectedness to Nature
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15448/1980-8623.2014.3.19180Keywords:
Outdoor exercise, physical activity, well-being, connectedness to nature.Abstract
Positive outcomes from contact with nature on well-being have been presented by restorative environments research. Additionally, studies in the area of exercise recognize the physical and psychological benefits, and more recently, those related to outdoor practice, particularly in natural environments. Present study combines these two research areas, analysing the relationship between outdoor physical exercise and well-being, verifying the role of connectedness to nature in this respect. Participants are 282 practitioners of outdoor and indoor physical exercise who, answering a questionnaire, self-reported their exercise level, exercise subjective experience, affect and connectedness to nature. Differences between the two types of indoor and outdoor physical activity are reported, highlighting the benefits of outdoor exercise practicing. Participants who combine outdoor with indoor physical activity report more positive emotions and well-being associated with exercise, and their connectedness to nature is a significant predictor of well-being. Finally, we discuss implications for promotion of healthy lifestyles.Downloads
References
Biddle, S. J. & Mutrie, N. (2008). Psychology of physical activity: Determinants, well-being & interventions (2nd ed.). London: Routledge.
Blair., S. N., Cheng, Y., & Holder, J. S. (2001). Is physical activity or physical fitness more important in defining health benefits? Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 33, S379-99.
Brymer, E. G., Cuddihy, T., & Sharma-Brymer, V. (2010). The role of nature-based experiences in the development and maintenance of wellness. Asia-Pacific Journal of Health, Sport and Physical Education, 1, 21-27.
Carrus, G., Lafortezza, R., Colangelo, G., Dentamaro, I., Scopelitti, M., & Sanesi, G. (2013). Relations between naturalness and perceived restoraviness of different urban green spaces. Psyecology, 4, 225-336.
Collado, S. & Corraliza, J. A. (2012). Naturaleza y bienestar infanti: Un estudio sobre el impacto de los entornos naturalizados en la infancia. La Coruña: As Salgueiras.
Coon, J. T. , Boddy, K., Stein, K., Whear, R., Barton, J., & Depledge, M., H. (2011). Does participating in physical activity in outdoor natural environments have a greater effect on physical and mental well-being than physical activity indoors? A systematic review. Environmental Science & Technology, 45, 1761-1772. dx.doi.org/10.1021/es102947t
Depledge, M. H., Stone, R. J., & Bird, W. J. (2011). Can natural and virtual environments be used to promote improved human health and wellbeing? Environmental Science & Technology, 45, 4660-4665. doi.org/10.1021/es103907m.
Focht, B. C. (2009). Brief walks in outdoor and laboratory environments. Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport, 80, 611-620. doi.org/10.1080/02701367.2009.10599600
Frumkin, H. (2001). Beyond Toxicity: Human Health and the Natural Environment. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 20, 234-240.
Galinha, I. & Pais-Ribeiro, J. L., (2005a). Contribuição para o estudo da versão portuguesa da Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS): I – Abordagem teórica ao conceito de afecto. [Contribution for the study of the portuguese version of Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS): I – Theoretical approach to the affect concept] Análise Psicológica, 2, 209-208.
Galinha, I. & Pais-Ribeiro, J. L., (2005b). Contribuição para o estudo da versão portuguesa da Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS): II – Estudo psicométrico. [Contribution for the study of the portuguese version of Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS): II – Psychometric study] Análise Psicológica, 2, 219-227.
Gladwell, V. F., Brown, D. K., Wood, C., Sandercock, G. R., & Barton, J. L. (2013). The great outdoors: how a green exercise environment can benefit all. Extreme Physiology & Medicine, 2:3. Retrieved from http://www.extremephysiolmed.com/content/2/1/3
Hartig, T., van den Berg, A. E., Hagerhall, C. M., Tomalak, M., Bauer, N., Hansmann, R., & ... Waaseth, G. (2010). Health benefits of nature experience: Psychological, social and cultural processes. In K. Nilsson, M. Sangster, C. Gallis, T. Hartig, S. De Vries, K. Seeland, & J. Schipperijn (Eds). Forest, trees and human health (pp. 127-167). Dordrecht: Springer Science Business and Media.
Hartig, T., Evans, G. W., Jamner, L. D., Davis, D. S., & Garling, T. (2003). Tracking restoration in natural and urban field settings. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 23, 109-123. doi:10.1016/S0272-4944(02)00109-3
Hartig, T., Mitchell, R., De Vries, S., & Frumkin, H. (2014). Nature and Health. Annual Review of Public Health, 35, 207-228. doi: 10.1146/annurev-publhealth-032013-182443
Home, R., Hunziker, M., & Bauer, N. (2012). Psychosocial outcomes as motivations for visiting nearby urban green spaces. Leisure Sciences: An Interdisciplinary Journal, 34, 350-365. doi: 10.1080/01490400.2012.687644
Hug, S., Hartig, T., Hansmann, R., Seeland, K., & Hornung, R. (2009). Restorative qualities of indoor and outdoor exercise settings as predictors of exercise frequency. Health & Place, 15, 971-980. doi:10.1016/j.healthplace.2009.03.002
Kahn, E. B., Ramsey, L. T., Brownson, R. C., Heath, G. W., Howze, E. H., Powell, K. E., & Corso, P. (2002).The effectiveness of interventions to increase physical activity: A systematic review. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 22, 73-107.
Kaplan, S. (1995). The restorative benefits of nature: Towards an integrative framework. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 15, 169-182.
Loureiro, A. (1999). Espaço público e identidade: Visitantes e residentes do Parque Natural de Montesinho [“Public space and identity: Visitors and residents of the Montesinho Natural Park”] (Master dissertation). ISPA, Lisboa, Portugal.
Maas, J., Spreeuwenberg, P., van Winsum-Westra, M., Verheij, R. A., de Vries, S., & Groenewegen, P. P. (2009). Is green space in the living environment associated with people’s feelings of social safety? Environment and Planning, 41, 1763-1777. doi: 10.1068/a4196
Maas, J., Verheij, R. A., Groenewegen, P. P., de Vries, S., & Spreeuwenberg, P. (2006). Green space, urbanity, and health: How strong ist he relation? Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health, 60, 587-592. doi: 10.1136/jech.2005.043125
Marselle, M. R. Irvine, K. N., & Warber, S. L. (2013). Walking for Well-Being: Are Group Walks in Certain Types of Natural Environments Better for Well-Being than Group Walks in Urban Environments? International Journal of Environmental Research Public Health, 10, 5603-5628. 5603-5628. doi:
3390/ijerph10115603
Mayer, F. S. & Frantz, C. M. (2004). The connectedness to nature scale: a measure of individuals’ feeling in community with nature. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 24, 503-515. doi:10.1016/j.jenvp.2004.10.001
Mayer, F. S., Frantz, C. M., Bruehlman-Senecal, E., & Dolliver, K. (2009). Why is nature beneficial? The role of connectedness to nature. Environment and Behavior, 41, 607-643. doi: 10.1177/0013916508319745.
McAuley, E. & Courneya, K. S. (1994). The Subjective Exercise Experiences Scale (SEES): Development and Preliminary Validation. Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology, 16,
-177.
Mitchell, R. (2013). Is physical activity in natural environments better for mental health than physical activity in other environments? Social Science & Medicine, 91, 130-134. doi: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2012.04.012
Olivos, P., Aragonés, J. I., & Amérigo, M. (2011). The connectedness to nature scale and its relationship with environmental beliefs and identity. Internacional Journal of Hispanic Psychology, 4, 5-19.
Pretty, J., Griffin, M., Sellens, M., Pretty, C. (2003). Green exercise: Complementary roles of nature, exercise and diet in physical and emotional well-being and implications for public health policy. Colchester: University of Essex; CES, Occasional Paper
-1.
Pretty, J., Peacock, J., Sellens, M., & Murray, G. (2005). The mental and physical health outcomes of green exercise. International Journal of Environmental Health Research, 15, 319-337. doi: 10.1080/09603120500155963
Ryan, R. M., Weinstein, N., Bernstein, J., Brown, K. W., Mistretta, L., & Gagné, M. (2010). Vitalizing effects of being outdoors and in nature. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 30, 159-168. doi:10.1016/j.jenvp.2009.10.009
Tauber, P. G. (2012). An exploration of the relationships among connectedness to nature, quality of life, and mental health (master’s thesis). All Graduate Theses and Dissertations.
Paper 1260. Retrieved from http://digitalcommons.usu.edu/etd/1260
Ulrich, R. S., Simons, R. F., Losito, B. D., Fiorito, E., Miles, M. A., & Zelson, M. (1991). Stress recovery during exposure to natural and urban environments. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 11, 201-230.
Veloso, S. M., Matos, M. G., Carvalho, M., & Diniz, J. A. (2012). Psychosocial factors of different health behaviour patterns in adolescents: Association with overweight and weight control behaviours. Journal of Obesity, ID852672, 1-10.
doi: 10.1155/2012/852672
Warburton, D. E., Nicol, C. W., & Bredin, S. S. (2006). Health benefits of physical activity: the evidence. Canadian Medical Association Journal, 174, 801-809. doi: 10.1503/cmaj.051351
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright
The submission of originals to Psico implies the transfer by the authors of the right for publication. Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication. If the authors wish to include the same data into another publication, they must cite Psico as the site of original publication.
Creative Commons License
Except where otherwise specified, material published in this journal is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license, which allows unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original publication is correctly cited.