The Real Benefits of Walking in a Winter Wonderland

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“Summary: Spending time enjoying white spaces by taking a walk in the snow this Winter can have a positive effect on your bodily appreciation, a new study reports.

Previous studies have found that green spaces, such as parks and forests, and “blue environments,” such as being at the coast or close to a river, can improve body image. Now new research, published this month in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, has discovered that white spaces, in this case a snow-covered woodland, can have a similar effect.

Led by academics from the Medical University of Silesia, in Katowice, Poland, and Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) in the U.K., the research was carried out last winter and involved 87 women, with an average age of 24, who took part in small groups. Before and after walking in a snowy woodland in the Silesia region of Poland, the participants completed a measure of their body appreciation. Before the walk, they also completed measures of connectedness to nature and self-compassion. The study found that spending a short amount of time in nature—in this case approximately 40 minutes—results in greater body appreciation. Additionally, people who scored highly in the trait of self-compassion displayed greater improvement in body appreciation.

“These findings demonstrate the importance of ensuring that everyone can access restorative natural environments, which may be a cost-effective way of promoting healthier body image, and highlight that there are significant benefits of being outside in nature, whatever the weather.”

Read the whole article at Neuroscience News.

#BodyImage #PhysicalActivity #Winter #Benefits

💬 Do you like taking walks in winter? Have you ever noticed some of its benefits?