“There are moments when all anxiety and stated toil are becalmed in the infinite leisure and repose of nature”. Henry David Thoreau

We live in a face paced world – electronics and screens are everywhere! North Americans are plagued by obesity, depression, anxiety, nearsightedness, lack of concentration and an overall disconnect & disinterest in our natural surroundings.  Today’s parents have the added responsibilities of monitoring our children’s screen time.  Sometimes, we feel we have to force our high tech kids off the couch and outdoors.  There is good news though!  Countless studies prove that time spent in nature improves physical, physiological, mental and spiritual well-being.  Nature is the antidote to our modern ailment! Unplug and go outside!!

 

The Challenge:

We challenge you to spend at least 15 minutes a day outdoors! And we challenge you to experience an unplugged Family Day this year!  Join us on the Eagle Point-Blue Rapids Reid Law Trail Walk from 1:30 pm to 3:00 pm on February 19, 2018.  You can join us for a walk or snowshoe on the Rotary-Pembina Nordic South Trails, with cocoa and cookies and a warming fire at the lookout point.

Directions:  From 50^th St and 50^th Ave, Drayton Valley, go 2.5 km east to the trailhead, next to Riverview Cemetery.

The Evidence:

Not sure you’re up for it?  A 15-minute walk in the woods causes measurable changes in physiology. Japanese researchers led by Yoshifumi Miyazaki at Chiba University sent 84 subjects to stroll in seven different forests, while the same number of volunteers walked around city centers. The forest walkers hit a relaxation jackpot: Overall they showed a 16 percent decrease in the stress hormone cortisol, a 2 percent drop in blood pressure, and a 4 percent drop in heart rate. Miyazaki believes our bodies relax in pleasant, natural surroundings because they evolved there.  Our senses are adapted to interpret information about plants and streams, he says, not traffic and high-rises¹.

This study and others as yet have not been able to determine the exact reason that spending time in nature reducing stress.  Is it the fresh air? Do certain colors or fractal shapes trigger neurochemicals in our visual cortex? Or is it just that people in greener neighborhoods exercise more? But they all come to the same conclusion:  More time in nature equals great overall health and happiness.

Eagle Point-Blue Rapids Parks provide local opportunities to commune with nature every day – try out the many trails in the park. 

If you must take your phone when you step out, put it on airplane mode and only use it as a camera!!

Eagle Point-Blue Rapids Parks –  Where Adventure Awaits!

www.epbrparkscouncil.org

1 – National Geographic “This is Your Brain on Nature,” https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2016/01/call-to-wild/