Spaces That Improve Your Health

Your favorite outdoor activity, like taking a long walk along the shoreline, or breathing in the aromas of plants and flowers, has measurable impact on your mental and physical health, wellbeing, and longevity.

Green spaces, like forests, gardens, and parks, are at the base of research into what the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries of Japan termed Shinrin-yoku, or Forest Bathing, in 1982. Forest bathing involves walking through the woods and taking in the atmosphere of the forest. Trees emit chemical compounds called phytoncides, or natural oils that plants produce to protect themselves from insects, bacteria, and fungi. When we breathe them in, human immunity improves through an increase in the number and activity of natural killer (NK) cells. NK cells are white blood cells that are thought to kill tumor and virus-infected cells in our bodies. According to one study in Japan, spending just a few days forest bathing can increase NK activity for over a month.

Here at Jones Beach, we have an abundance of what researchers are calling “Blue Space.” Blue space, spaces that occur around and near water, may benefit us just as much as green spaces. A specific property of the ocean involves a phenomenon that some people describe as a sense of time slowing down due to the rhythmic pattern of waves and the long stretches of blue, open areas. Data supports how time spent at the beach can motivate people to take longer walks.

Whether it is a green or blue space, spending regular time outside can be beneficial and restorative!