Hi friends:
So many of us have spent so much more time apart from one another during the past year than we normally experience. One of the best ways to combat that “solitary fatigue” has been to experience the outdoors, whether close to home or on rivers, trails and with other natural resource opportunities.
What we’ve heard from so many experts is that the more we can enjoy the outdoors in ways we love, the better it can be for our health, both emotional and physical. The benefits of communing with nature are ample, with better health for both body and spirit among them.
OLT staff, board and volunteers outdoors engaging in healthy outdoor activity at a Work Day at Schulze Nature Reserve, Washington, MO (COVID protocols observed)
The studies demonstrating these health connections from a research perspective are so ample we don’t need to cite them all here. But did you know that doctors are actually prescribing time in nature as part of a healthy overall lifestyle?
https://natureconnectionguide.com/us-doctors-are-prescribing-nature-in-34-states/
It’s true! As the linked article shows, the benefits to healthy mind and body are enormous. Reducing stress, increasing energy, better sleep and lower blood pressure are just some of the amazing ways the outdoors help make for a better lifestyle. Which is why programs like the Park Rx Initiative can make such a great difference in patient outcomes.
The great thing about outdoor health outcomes is they’re not limited to those who can take grand vacations in remote national parks or conservation areas. Local parklands, trails, open space and other often locally available resources can form the basis for an effective prescription.
You already know how OLT’s work dovetails with conservation goals like permanent preservation of great natural resources. But we also want to share with you some of the great benefits of conservation that don’t always get mentioned, and how our protection efforts can have great secondary impacts relating to health, the economy, and more.
We always want to hear from you, so if you have any ideas about conservation topics, especially how protecting lands helps us all is so many ways, let us know! You can write me and we can have a dialogue about great conservation info we can share with our supporters, and vice versa!
Good lands, good health, good bodies, good minds, good feelings. All connected to the work OLT does on behalf of conservation in our beloved Ozarks. Thanks for all you do on our behalf to make that possible!
Sincerely,
Larry Levin
Executive Director