Nature Rx – Supporting Overall Wellness
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Collapse ▲Harnessing Nature: Free Tools for Mental and Physical Wellness.
Nature is an available, no or low cost resource we can use to combat the challenges of everyday life, including depression, anxiety, and isolation. It provides opportunities for physical activity that can be tailored to our personal needs and relaxing sensory awareness that resets our focus through an innate biological response.
Plants and nature allow us to be engaged actively, through endeavors that include gardening, outdoor hikes and walks and even litter clean-ups. But we can also use nature as a passive activity, listening to wildlife, watching others work the garden, feeling the cool breeze or light rain. If we are open to engaging with the nature we find around us, we have an opportunity to improve our mental and physical wellness.
Explore ways to use nature as the medicine to improve your health:
Walking
To get the most out of a walk in nature, walk with intention:
- Cultivate proper body alignment
- Focus as you move
- Stand tall, align your head, shoulders and hips
- Look ahead, not down at your feet
- Keep your arms loose, allow them to swing naturally
- Allow your knees to bend, ankle to move, do not lock your knees
- Keep your feet hip-width a part, pointing straight, not turned inward or outward
- Use short steps that stay under your center of gravity
This form may feel strange at first, but with focused adjustment, your body will respond quickly. Intentional focus gently improves joint mobility and allows you to strengthen joints and muscles without strain. Soon your gait will feel lighter and steadier.
As we walk outdoors and specifically in wooded areas, we experienced added benefits to oour exercise. Trees release beneficial organic compounds called phytoncides, their essential oils. Breathing in these compounds helps our bodies lower stress hormones, reduce inflammation and glucose levels, and even aid sleep while improving skin condition. An intentional walk through the woods truly is a full-body healing practice and a walk is completely adaptable to your schedule.
Here are a few important tips before you begin:
- Go at your own pace
- Start small with 10 to 15 minute walks a day and increase as your stamina improves
- Never push beyond any pain, walking should feel comfortable
- Seek medical advice if you experience pain or shortness of breath during your walk
Looking for good place to walk in the Wilmington area:
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Tree lined path
Dark clouds collecting over the beach
Cypress trees in swamp
- Airlie Gardens | New Hanover County
- Bluethenthal Wildflower Preserve | UNCW
- The Brunswick Riverwalk Park at Belville | Brunswick County
- Brunswick Nature Park | Brunswick County
- Carolina Beach State Park: Home | NC State Parks
- Northern Regional Park at Castle Hayne | New Hanover County
- Greenfield Park | New Hanover County
- Green Swamp Preserve | Brunswick County
- Halyburton Park | New Hanover County
- Long Leaf Park | New Hanover County
- Moores Creek National Battlefield | U.S. National Park Service
- Oakdale Cemetery | New Hanover County
- Smith Creek Park | New Hanover County
Check back – we will be adding more ideas to build out your Nature Prescription in the coming months.