Outdoors Supports Healthy Living | Health

The lazy flow of the Chattahoochee River and lush trails filled with diverse wildlife draw more than 3 million visitors each year to Chattahoochee Bend State Park in Coweta County.

Locals flock to parks across the county and the LINC Trail in Newnan to spend as much time in the sunshine and fresh air as they can.

The desire to get outside seems to be universal, and it's a healthy habit: getting outside is known to provide people with a myriad of benefits, including increased exercise.

“Exercise is good for your health, and the more you enjoy it, the more likely you are to keep it up for longer.”

“Trails are definitely more fun than the treadmill,” said Kim Hatcher, public information coordinator for Georgia State Parks.

Simply being outside has important benefits, including boosting vitamin D and serotonin production, she says.

According to WebMD, just 15 minutes of sun exposure a few times a week helps your body produce vitamin D, which is important for your bones, blood cells, and immune system. Sunshine also helps keep serotonin levels high, which increases your energy and improves your mood. It also improves your sleep.

According to WebMD, “Eye cells need plenty of light to keep your body clock working properly, and early morning sunlight, in particular, appears to promote sleep at night.”

WebMD also noted that plants release compounds into the air that help the immune system.

Spending time in nature rather than in the city offers the most benefits, as it's been repeatedly shown to reduce stress, Hatcher said.

“It resets your brain,” she said.

WebMD backed up that claim.

“Studies have shown that spending time in nature enhances creative problem-solving abilities,” says WebMD. “This is because the outside world captures your attention in a quieter way, refocusing your attention. The more time you spend, the greater the benefits.”

The paper cited a study of children with ADHD that suggested they were better able to focus on tasks after walking in a park than after walking around town.

A review of multiple studies, according to a paper published in the National Library of Medicine, found that exposure to green spaces was associated with lower salivary cortisol, heart rate, blood pressure and cholesterol, “as well as reduced incidence of stroke, hypertension, dyslipidemia, asthma and coronary heart disease.”

Salivary cortisol is a steroid hormone that is secreted when a person is under stress.

The United States has been celebrating the outdoors in June since 1998, and in 2019, the U.S. Senate officially declared June National Great Outdoors Month.

“If people want to celebrate Outdoor Month, we make it easy for them to do that,” Hatcher said.

State parks offer a variety of activities throughout June, but none are specifically designated to celebrate Great Outdoors Month.

But, Hatcher said, “You can spend every day outdoors in Georgia state parks.”

Chattahoochee Bend offers kayaking programs, picnic and geocaching spaces, over four miles of boating and fishing trails, and 12 miles of hiking and biking trails.

She said the park rangers are new and are still creating a schedule of events.

But other nearby state parks already have programs scheduled for this month: Sweetwater Creek State Park in Lithia Springs is offering guided hikes, archery and kayaking lessons, guided tours of the Manchester Mill ruins and a chance to hear about the park's reptiles.

FDR State Park will host a treasure hunt, hikes, game nights, corn hole tournaments and a special D-Day commemoration event at Roosevelt's Little White House on June 15th.

Hatcher said there will be events for people of all ages who want to get outside and learn a new skill or just enjoy the outdoors.