Green Exercise: Linking Nature, Health and Well-being

The concept of Green Exercise has now been widely adopted and implies a synergistic health benefit of being active in the presence of nature. This book provides a balanced overview and synthesis text on all aspects of Green Exercise and integrates evidence from many different disciplines including physiology, ecology, psychology, sociology and the environmental sciences, and across a wide range of countries. It describes the impact of Green Exercise on human health and well-being through all stages of the lifecourse and covers a wide spectrum from cellular processes such as immune function through to facilitating human behavioural change. It demonstrates the value of Green Exercise for activity and education purposes in both schools and the workplace, as well as its therapeutic properties. Green Exercise is an effective intervention for vulnerable groups and promoting healthy ageing, with activities including wilderness therapy, therapeutic horticulture and the use of forests and water. Chapters also integrate cross-cutting key themes which are relevant to all stages of the lifecourse and have significantly contributed to the Green Exercise research base, such as forest bathing and blue exercise. The book also explores the future of Green Exercise, the way in which research can be used to influence green design and planning and how health, social care and environmental agendas can be integrated to enable Green Exercise to be more widely used as a mechanism for improving health.

Table of Contents:
1. The Seven Heresies of Asclepius: Behaviours that Affect Well-being Jules Pretty and David Pencheon 2. Nature in Buildings and Health Design Stephen Kellert 3. Green Exercise, Health and a Dose of Nature Jo Barton, Carly Wood, Jules Pretty and Mike Rogerson 4. How to get more out of the Green Exercise Experience: Insights from Attention Restoration Theory Jason Duvall and William C. Sullivan 5. Children’s Connections to Nature and Green Exercise Carly Wood, Rachel Bragg and Jules Pretty 6. Learning on the Move: Green Exercise for Children and Young People Liz O’Brien, Bianca Ambrose-Oji, Sue Waite, Jennie Aronsson and Maria Clark 7. The Benefits of Blue Exercise Mathew White, Sarah Bell, Lewis Elliott, Rebecca Jenkin, Benedict Wheeler and Michael Depledge 8. Forest Bathing in Japan Qing Li 9. Healthy Parks, Healthy People: Evidence from Australia Mardie Townsend and Claire Henderson-Wilson 10. Green Care: Nature-based Interventions for Vulnerable People Joe Sempik and Rachel Bragg 11. Care Farming and Probation Helen Elsey, Jenni Murray and Rochelle Gold 12. Green Care Interventions for Youth at Risk Jo Roberts, Jo Barton and Carly Wood 13. Green Exercise in the Workplace Valerie Gladwell and Dan Brown 14. Green Exercise and Dementia Neil Mapes 15. The Benefits of Greener and Healthier Economies Jules Pretty and Jo Barton

About the Author :
Jo Barton is Lecturer in Sports and Exercise Science at the University of Essex, UK. Rachel Bragg is at Care Farming UK, and Visiting Fellow, University of Essex, UK. Carly Wood is Lecturer in Nutrition and Exercise Science at the University of Westminster, London, UK. Jules Pretty, OBE is Professor of Environment and Society and Deputy Vice-Chancellor at the University of Essex, UK.

Review :
"Physical activity promotes health. Nature contact promotes health. This wonderful book explores the intersection of the two, providing both theory and evidence, across cultures, on the benefits of green exercise. It’s timely, thorough, and readable – the definitive source on green exercise. Highly recommended." – Howard Frumkin, School of Public Health, University of Washington, USA. "Green Exercise provides an antidote for much of what ails modern society. This book will help both to protect the natural world and to enhance public health. Evidence presented in this book – regarding beneficial effects of green exercise on myriad outcomes including physical activity, obesity, attention, mental health, and immune function – can be leveraged in support of policies to protect woodlands, programs to facilitate active engagement with the natural environment, interventions to reduce health disparities, and to inspire each of us to be active outdoors." – Nancy M. Wells, Design and Environmental Analysis, Cornell University, USA.