Laserfiche WebLink
PROMOTING PERSONAL HEALTH <br />Minnesota State Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan: As <br />of 2019, there have been over 400 studies that demonstrate <br />the numerous health benefits that nature provides. Most of <br />the research on health and nature has focused on physical <br />health benefits. Many of the benefits discovered are helpful in <br />preventing leading causes of chronic disease, including stress <br />reduction; reduced blood pressure; faster healing; addiction <br />recovery; and reduced cardiovascular, respiratory and long- <br />term illness. <br />Benefits of nature exposure for cognitive development is <br />increasingly recognized in the fields of education and human <br />development, among others. Studies illustrate nature's positive <br />effects on attentional restoration, reduced mental fatigue, <br />improved academic performance, improved cognitive function <br />in children and improved productivity. Increased self-esteem, <br />improved mood, reduced anger/frustration and reduced <br />anxiety are some of the key examples of the improvements <br />documented by research on nature interactions for mental <br />health. <br />Finally, a less well-known, but critically important benefit of <br />time outdoors is the positive social effects at an individual <br />or community public health scale. Several articles have <br />found that nature facilitates social interaction, enables social <br />empowerment, reduces crime rates and violence, and enables <br />interracial interaction, among other positive social behaviors <br />Physical Health <br />Fitness <br />Failure to engage in sufficient physical activity may have serious <br />consequences. An estimated 10.8% of all deaths in the United <br />States are considered preventable and attributable to physical <br />inactivity. Physical activity affects multiple systems in the body, <br />particularly the circulatory and musculature systems. One in <br />three U.S. adults over age 20 have hypertension, a cause of both <br />heart disease and stroke. This number is even higher among <br />African Americans, as 44% are affected (NRPA 4). <br />rarrn operm ons <br />20ii E. <br />150k <br />1001s <br />1980 21:81: <br />26 I CITY OF RAMSEY PARK SYSTEM PLAN <br />