In the age of nutritional supplements and high tech exercise regimens, it turns out that something as simple as a walk in the woods is all that is needed to maintain good health.

In fact, according to a recent study in the journal Environmental Science and Technology, as little as five minutes of exercise in an outdoor "green" setting has a positive impact on mental and emotional health. Green setting include woods or nature trails, but could be as simple as a park or a backyard.

This is in marked contrast with the popular perception that maintaining good health requires timely and sometimes expensive regimens that might include gyms, trainers and nutritional supplements. In fact, green activities in a natural setting have been shown to increase a person's sense of well-being as well as lower their risk of mental illness.

The current findings represent the first time in the scientific literature that a dose-response relationship between nature and our mental health has been described. To arrive at their conclusions, researchers analyzed 10 different studies, drawing on the information of over 1,200 people of various ages, genders and mental health backgrounds. What they were able to show was that time spent in a natural setting actually led to improvements in mental health, and by extension, their overall health.

Green activities included walking, riding bikes, fishing, farming and gardening, with the most profound effects being seen in young people and those suffering from mental illness. However, it was observed that people of all ages benefited from time spent outside, especially if there were bodies of water, including lakes, ponds and streams. Interestingly enough, all that was required to make a difference in a person's self-esteem was five minutes of green-time.

The implications of the study are significant in light of the fact that short term improvements in a person's mental health can have far-reaching benefits for their overall physical health. With this in mind, society as a whole could benefit from more time spent surrounded by green, which could be thought of as an economical as well as desirable way to self-medicate.

The challenge then becomes how to translate this information into an active and viable form or public policy, with guidelines that would apply to the public as a whole. This might be especially relevant if scientific recommendations are ignored when they are a question of choice, but might be given more credibility with the backing of the government, though when you really get down to it, spending time in a naturally verdant setting is not such a bad situation.

After all, most of us, even the most devout urban enthusiasts, can appreciate being amongst trees and grass. Given that the time required to obtain some psychological and emotional benefit is only five minutes, there are not too many excuses to getting in a little green time every day.

This post was included in the blog carnival Staying Young - From the Inside Out, All Things Eco Blog Carnival Vol. 104, and the 149th edition of The Homesteading Carnival.