It’s been a long time since my last BLOG. I’ve been busy concentrating on lots of other things, however here I am back on the horse (so to speak).

I have been sitting here contemplating my next BLOG, looking out of my office window (we live in a Victorian house and my office is at the top of the house so my view is amazing – I can see right across Stockport and the mountains of the peak district). The view never ceases to make me smile.

That got me to thinking about nature and the fact that I gain so much from being around it. I thought I would base this BLOG on nature in the hope that it inspires you to walk in nature and feel energised.

Walking in nature offers so many positive things; it helps reduce stress, makes us more physically active, it helps us connect to our inner selves (which in turn has many positive benefits).

Regular walking has amazing affect; however walking in nature (or natural environments) promotes mental and physical health. The chemicals emitted by plants are said to help strengthen our immune system when we are exposed to them. Plants have to protect themselves from insects and rotting. There was a study (Nippon Medical School) that found when we breath these chemicals it increases the number of natural kill cells – a type of white blood cell in our bodies which is vital to our immune system. These kills cells hunt and kill infected cells.

Walking also puts less stress on our bodies, to something like say running.

There have been many studies confirming that following a walk in a natural environment the ‘saliva’ taken before and after a walk demonstrated that following the walk the level of cortisol (the stress hormone) in someone’s body is far less than when they started the walk.

It has also been shown that walking in nature can have additional positive impacts on disposition and memory. Researchers have found that students with moderate to severe depression demonstrated a significant increase in both mood and short term memory after a walk in nature. This has been proven also for children with ‘ADHD’.

All these studies are marvelous however one thing I do know is that when I walk through nature and really take time to look, smell, feel everything around me it builds me up.

Put yourself to the test, if you are feeling stressed, note down your feelings (emotional and physical) go for a walk in nature – none of us are too far from some greenery – and then note down your feelings following the walk.

With Love xxxx