7 Health Benefits Of Outdoor Activities For Seniors

Looking for reasons to get outdoors more in your golden years? This article, the first in our active senior series, explores seven proven health benefits of outdoor activities for older people.

Living rural provides incredible access to outdoor activities for people of all ages.

However, spending active time outdoors offers specific health benefits to older adults, ranging from enhancing longevity to improving mental health.

The good news is, you don’t have to take up mountain biking or strenuous hiking to reap the benefits in your golden years.

Even a simple walk in the woods or tending a flower garden may put years on your life.

For example, a 2012 study found that adults over 65 who spent 30 minutes a day being physically active outdoors experienced less depressive symptoms and fear of falling and reported higher quality of life.[1]

Other studies have shown benefits for heart health, mental health, immunity, bone health, vitamin D levels, physical fitness, and much more.

In this article, we share the top health benefits of outdoor activities for seniors to help motivate you to get outdoors at any age!

This article is the first of a series on outdoor activity tips for seniors living or retiring rural or traveling to rural areas.

Benefit 1: Being Outdoors Protects Your Vision

When we go outdoors, the bright sunlight forces our eyes to “flex their muscles” as we work to focus on objects off in the distance. 

Sunlight also triggers the release of two key neurotransmitters, dopamine and serotonin, through areas of the retina. 

This is key because dopamine is believed to block excessive growth of the eye, which causes myopia; while serotonin is responsible for regulating our sleep-wake cycle, which ensures our eyes get enough rest and recovery time while we sleep.

By contrast, the low, unnatural lighting, blue light from screens and closeness of indoor objects doesn’t afford our eyes the workout and natural light they need to stay healthy.

A study published in JAMA Ophthalmology found the protective effects of natural sunlight can also benefit eye health[2].

Learn more in: How The Great Outdoors Improves Your Vision

Benefit 2: Gardening Can Reduce Your Risk of Cognitive Decline

Gardening is one of the most studied outdoor activities for enhancing health in people of all ages.

Regarding older adults, “horticulture therapy” has been shown to promote better cognitive health and even reduce the risk of dementia.

One study reported that gardening can reduce the risk of dementia by 36 percent! [3]

Other cognitive health benefits include improvements in:[4]

• Memory
• Attention
• Ability to learn new things
• Retention 
• And the reduction of stress hormones.

Learn more in: How Country Living Can Boost Brain Health in Adults and Children

Benefit 3: Moderate Outdoor Activity Can Reduce Your Risk of Stroke and Increase Lifespan

We all know exercise and reducing stress are powerful preventative strategies for heart disease.

However, new research suggests you need not over-exert yourself to maintain a healthy heart. Simply spending time outdoors doing moderate activities, like gardening or puttering around, can have a powerful effect.

A 12-year Swedish study published in the British Medical Journal followed 4000 people over the age of 60 who did NOT exercise vigorously daily.[5]

Researchers found those who exercised modestly through functional activities like gardening, picking berries, walking, cutting the lawn and even fixing up cars had a 27 percent reduction in strokes and a 30 percent reduction in death by any cause.

This means you could increase your longevity by nearly 30 percent by simply tending a garden or taking a stroll around your property, the woods or a park.

Discover more in: 5 Ways Gardening Fights Aging and Increases your Lifespan

Benefit 4: Spending Time In Forests Can Improve Immune Function

You don’t have to be a scientist to know that an hour, a day, or a week in the woods makes you feel good all over.

This is why the Japanese practice of forest bathing, either alone or with a group or guide, has become popular worldwide.

So, what is it about forests that is so rejuvenating?

In addition to the peace, quiet, and space for mindfulness, trees and other plants contain substances called Aromatic Volatile Substances or phytoncides.

These are the tree’s essential oils, which create that lovely forest aroma and support the trees’ natural defenses.

New research on phytoncides has revealed these substances provide powerful immune-supportive benefits.

For example, a Japanese study of a group of adults on a “Forest Bathing” (camping) trip found the group’s natural human natural killer (NK) cell activity was notably enhanced immediately after and for 7 days following the excursion.[6]

Researchers believe this resulted from the combination of the immune-enhancing phytoncides and the stress-relieving effects of nature.

A follow-up study also showed that NK cells and anticancer proteins increased immediately after and for 7 days following a shorter day trip to the woods.[7]

Given the immune system’s role in everything from warding off viruses to modulating our inflammatory pathways, it seems a walk in the woods may be excellent medicine.

Learn more in: Want to be Healthier? Live Near Trees, Studies Say

Benefit 5: Outdoor Exercise Offers Double Benefits for Various Aspects of Health

We mentioned some of the benefits of outdoor exercise in the introduction, and here are some more.

• Hiking can help increase core strength, balance, small muscle and tendon control, and stability
• Exercising in nature reduces stress
• Being active in the cold weather may raise metabolic rate and help you burn more fat
• People who exercise outdoors tend to exercise more often and for longer periods of time
• Exposure to morning light, such as during an early morning walk or bike ride, helps reset your sleep cycle
• Exercising outdoors in cold weather can help you sleep

Of course, exercising outdoors may require special shoes and other considerations like bug sprays, sunscreen, and hiking poles.

Also, be sure to take a cell phone with you should you need to contact someone in case of an emergency.

Learn more about how to exercise outdoors from a personal trainer in: Staying Fit In The Country, No Gym Required

Get tips on safety for rural runners in Running Rural: 3 Basic Safety Tips For Country Routes

Benefit 6: Time Spent In Nature Can Combat Feelings of Loneliness, Anxiety, and Depression

Older people are often at greater risk of developing depression and anxiety, which often stems from loneliness.

Feeling lonely as you age isn’t uncommon or unnatural, especially as loved ones pass away and children become busy with their own families and lives.

However, the effects of chronic loneliness have been compared to smoking a pack of cigarettes a day!

This means older folks need to be particularly mindful of how much time they’re spending alone versus with friends, family, and community.

Research shows that spending time in nature has a positive social impact, by enhancing community cohesion.[8]

Getting active outdoors by joining a hiking group, cycling group, community garden, trail clean-up crew, or active adult adventure club is a fantastic way to combat lonliness while also reaping the natural anti-depressant effects of greenspace, fresh air, and exercise.

Not sure how to reach out and get started being social? Check out 8 Ways To Meet Friends and Socialize in the Country for helpful tips.

Benefit 7: Being Active Outdoors Is A Balm To Your Heart

Heart disease is the #1 killer of Americans, with cancer close behind in some states.

The good news is, that spending time outdoors can help protect you against some of the risk factors of heart disease and even some cancers, including:

• Stress
• Mental/emotional illness
• Lack of exercise
• Loneliness (remember that pack-of-cigarettes a day analogy?!)
• Low vitamin D levels
• And even poor nutrition provided you start a garden and eat more fruits and veggies

As you’ve just learned, this doesn’t have to mean signing up for any extreme outdoor sports or committing to hours of yard work.

Even gentle, purposeful movement like yard work, gardening, or strolling through the park, preferably done with a friend or group a few times a week, can have incredible heart-protective and heart disease-preventative benefits.

Learn more about the power of nature for heart health in: 10 Ways Rural Living Benefits Heart Health

Inspired to Spend More Time Outdoors? We Have More Resources Coming

This article is the first in our series on how to stay active outdoors in your golden years.

Upcoming articles will be authored by our very own experienced (and over 60) outdoor sportsman, survival expert, grandpa, primitive craftsman, and wilderness expert, L. Woodrow Ross, and will focus on specific outdoor activities for older adults and how to get started safely.

We also want to remind our readers not to start a new exercise or fitness program without consulting their doctor or healthcare practitioner.

Stay tuned for more active outdoor inspiration, and click the links above to learn more about getting started today.

References:

1: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3546779/ 

2: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaophthalmology/fullarticle/2588252

3: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16411871 

4: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3372556/ 

5: https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/48/3/233 

6: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16873099

7: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20487629 

8 https://academic.oup.com/bioscience/article/65/12/1141/223866?login=false