Green Exercise

Green exercise refers to physical exercise undertaken in relatively natural environments. Physical exercise is well known to provide physical and psychological health benefits (see main article: Physical exercise - Health effects). There is also good evidence that viewing, being in, and interacting with natural environments has calming and positive mood effects. The combination of these two elements (exercise and nature) leads to the notion of green exercise.

People and animals tend to naturally participate in green exercise, however its potential role in physical and mental health (e.g., due to nature-deficit disorder) has attracted increasing attention during the 2000s, particularly through the research work of Prof. Jules Pretty at the University of Essex. and several funded programs (see examples). The concept has grown out of well established areas such as attention restoration theory within environmental psychology which has tended to focus on the psychological and physical effects of viewing nature (e.g., see the work of Kaplan and Ulrich) and well-recognised work about the psychological benefits of physical exercise.