Exercising outside isn't just good for your physical health. It also helps your mental health. Spending time in nature and in natural light can improve mood and reduce stress and depression. Being physically active produces similar benefits and often relaxes and encourages people.
Both physical activity and outdoor environments reduce stress, anxiety and depression. Spending time exercising in a park leads to an increase in positive moods and a reduction in levels of cortisol, a hormone released when the body experiences stress. Similarly, greater access to green spaces for activities such as walking decreases stress, especially for children, according to Cornell University environmental psychologist Nancy Wells. Harvard Health Publishing notes that physical activity helps reduce stress and prevents some cases of depression.
Exercise reduces anxiety, and consistent activity provides more relief for anxiety and depression. In addition, since many benefits can be achieved simultaneously, outdoor sports not only benefit practitioners in multiple ways, but from the point of view of the decision maker, investments in outdoor sports are considered to be highly profitable.