Irregularly shaped parks associated with lower mortality risk

While the discovery might sound strange, but the shape of the community parks is linked to the mortality risk of residents living around them.

Some community parks are square, a reflection of the city block they’re located at — and a new study has found that irregularly shaped parks reduce the mortality risk of residents living near them.

“Nearly all studies investigating the effects of natural environments on human health are focused on the amount of a community’s green space,” said the researchers.

“We found that the shape or form of green space has an important role in this association,” they added in the study published in The Lancet Planetary Health.

In the study, researchers performed statistical analyses of Philadelphia land cover data to assess links between landscape spatial metrics and health outcomes.

They found that residents in census tracts with more connected, aggregated, and complex-shaped green spaces had a lower mortality risk.

“Our results suggest that linking existing parks with greenways or adding new, connected parks might be fiscally accessible strategies for promoting health,” said Huaquing Wang, a Ph.D. Urban and Regional Sciences student and Lou Tassinary, professor of visualisation.

Researchers explained that the complexity in the shape of the park was positively associated with lower mortality risk.

“This association might be attributable to the increased number of access points provided by complex-shaped green spaces,” they continued.

While lower mortality risk wasn’t associated with any particular form, the data supports the idea that the more complex the park shape, the better, Wang said.

The relationship between park shape and mortality is important to city designers and planners who seek to create healthier living environments, they said in the paper.

this is only for your information, kindly take the advice of your doctor for medicines, exercises and so on.     
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The Positive Impact that Nature Has on the Brain is Astounding

There's something about being in nature, it has the magical ability to comfort you, especially in times when you need it most. It has the ability to put your thoughts back into perspective and bring about an overwhelming feeling of peace. Have you ever tried it?  Go out on a walk, basking yourself amid trees, grass and all that  nature has to offer, in your lowest of moods, or on your most stressful of days. Personally, I have found that stepping outside, breathing in the natural air on my off days, helps bring me back to my center and  regain my focus. But it's not just my take on things. research too, consistently finds that nature has a profound impact on the brain.
So, what effects does nature have on the brain?
1. Being in nature makes you feel more alive
Spending a day at the park or going on a hike can make you feel incredibly energized, not  just mentally, but physically too, and this theory has been backed by a study conducted by the University of Rochester, which found that spending time outdoors not only makes you happier,  it can also lead to a surge of energy. So next time  you're feeling depleted, head to a park  instead of reaching for a  cup of coffee.
2. Nature has the ability to improve memory
Walking in nature can improve your memory by up to 20%. A study conducted at the  University of Michigan attempted to prove this by giving participants a 35 minute task which involved repeating loads  of random numbers back to the experimenter but in reverse order.  After this they went out for a walk, one group around an arboretum,  and the other down a busy street. They each repeated the memory  test upon their return. Results showed that those who wandered  among the trees improved by almost 20%, while those who  walked down a busy street did not see any improvement.
3. It has the ability to reduce acute stress
There is a practice in Japan called shinrin-yoku, which literally  means forest bathing. This  study proved that 798 people found  shinrin-yoku to be an especially useful  technique among those  suffering from acute stress. The Japanese researchers also  discovered that  forest-bathing reduced hostility and depression  and increased people's liveliness. In another study, the journal Landscape and Urban Planning found that adults who lived in  areas with the most amount of green space experienced lower levels of cortisol (the stress hormone) and reported feeling lower stress than city dwellers.
4. Nature has the ability to improve your sense of focus
It has been found that cities can have a negative influence on the brain (according to a 2011 study). One of the reasons this may be so is due to the numerous amount of stimuli  you encounter in hectic  urban areas. Think about it - traffic, coffee shops, not forgetting to mention the throngs of people. Such distraction may impair the area  of the brain that  controls your directed attention and self-control.  But, there's an antidote: nature! The great outdoors have been  shown to help with attention. A small  1990s study found that women who lived in Chicago apartments that overlooked a grassy area saw better improvements on basic attention.  5. It relieves depressive symptoms
And all it takes is a quick walk in the park, which, as a 2014 study found, can do wonders  for your mind. Walks through nature have a plethora of mental health benefits, including  that of decreasing depression and alleviating moods... there is another perk to this factor too. Walking in nature gives you the additional benefit of  exercise, this too alleviates mental health issues.
6. A walk in nature will prevent you from brooding
Brooding is a mental state that is familiar to most of us, whereby we cannot seem to stop thinking about all the ways in which things are wrong with ourselves and in our lives. In  this study, 38 healthy  adult city dwellers first completed a questionnaire to determine their normal level of brooding, then underwent a brain scan. Half the volunteers were  asked to walk for 90 minutes around a park or a  multi-lane highway. Upon their return, the volunteers repeated both  the questionnaire and the brain scan, discovering that those who  walked amid nature were no longer dwelling on the negative aspects  of their life as  much as they had before.
7. A green space helps boost your creativity  Just looking at the color green may help spark inventiveness! But  going into nature  for an extended period can have a remarkable  effect on creativity. In one particular  study, participants took a four- or six-day trip into the wilderness. The study discovered that disconnecting from multimedia and technology increases  performance on a creativity, problem-solving task by a full 50%. this is only for your information, kindly take the advice of your doctor for medicines, exercises and so on.      https://gscrochetdesigns.blogspot.com. one can see my crochet creations   https://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com. feel free to view for easy, simple and healthy recipes     https://kneereplacement-stickclub.blogspot.com. for info on knee replacement

The Positive Impact that Nature Has on the Brain is Astounding

There's something about being in nature, it has the magical ability to comfort you, especially in times when you need it most. It has the ability to put your thoughts back into perspective and bring about an overwhelming feeling of peace. Have you ever tried it? Go out on a walk, basking yourself amid trees, grass and all that nature has to offer, in your lowest of moods, or on your most stressful of days. Personally, I have found that stepping outside, breathing in the natural air on my off days, helps bring me back to my center and regain my focus. But it's not just my take on things. research too, consistently finds that nature has a profound impact on the brain.

So, what effects does nature have on the brain?

1. Being in nature makes you feel more alive

Spending a day at the park or going on a hike can make you feel incredibly energized, not just mentally, but physically too, and this theory has been backed by a study, which found that spending time outdoors not only makes you happier, it can also lead to a surge of energy. So next time you're feeling depleted, head to a park instead of reaching for a cup of coffee.

2. Nature has the ability to improve memory

Walking in nature can improve your memory by up to 20%. A study conducted at the University of Michigan attempted to prove this by giving participants a 35 minute task which involved repeating loads of random numbers back to the experimenter but in reverse order. After this they went out for a walk, one group around an arboretum, and the other down a busy street. They each repeated the memory test upon their return. Results showed that those who wandered among the trees improved by almost 20%, while those who walked down a busy street did not see any improvement.

3. It has the ability to reduce acute stress

There is a practice in Japan called shinrin-yoku, which literally means forest bathing. This study proved that 798 people found shinrin-yoku to be an especially useful technique among those suffering from acute stress. The Japanese researchers also discovered that forest-bathing reduced hostility and depression and increased people's liveliness. In another study, it was found that adults who lived in areas with the most amount of green space experienced lower levels of cortisol (the stress hormone) and reported feeling lower stress than city dwellers.

4. Nature has the ability to improve your sense of focus

It has been found that cities can have a negative influence on the brain (according to a 2011 study). One of the reasons this may be so is due to the numerous amount of stimuli you encounter in hectic urban areas. Think about it - traffic, coffee shops, not forgetting to mention throngs of people. Such distraction may impair the area of the brain that controls your directed attention and self control. But, there's an antidote: nature! The great outdoors have been shown to help with attention. A small 1990s study found that women who lived in Chicago apartments that overlooked a grassy area saw better improvements on basic attention.

THIS IS ONLY FOR INFORMATION, ALWAYS CONSULT YOU PHYSICIAN BEFORE HAVING ANY PARTICULAR FOOD/ MEDICATION/EXERCISE/OTHER REMEDIES.                                    PS- THOSE INTERESTED IN RECIPES ARE FREE TO  VIEW MY BLOG-                                                                                           https://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com/                                                                                                                                                FOR INFO ABOUT KNEE REPLACEMENT, YOU CAN VIEW MY BLOG-                                                                       https:// kneereplacement-stickclub.blogspot.com/                                                                                                                     FOR CROCHET DESIGNS                                                                                                   

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Seeing greenery reduces cravings for alcohol, cigarettes, harmful foods

There are numerous benefits of connecting with nature. New research showed that being able to see green spaces from your home is associated with reduced carvings for alcohol, cigarettes and harmful foods.

The study is the first to demonstrate that passive exposure to nearby green space is linked to both lower frequencies and strengths of craving.

It builds on previous research suggesting exercising in nature can reduce cravings, by demonstrating the same may be true irrespective of physical activity.

Researchers say the findings add to evidence that point to the need to protect and invest in green spaces within towns and cities, in order to maximise the public health benefits they may afford. They also suggested the causality of this link needs to be investigated further.

The study is the first to investigate the relationship between exposure to natural environments, craving for a range of appetitive substances and the experiencing of negative emotions or feelings.
It has been known for some time that being outdoors in nature is linked to a person's well-being. But for there to be a similar association with cravings from simply being able to see green spaces adds a new dimension to previous research. This is the first study to explore this idea, and it could have a range of implications for both public health and environmental protection programs in the future, said the lead author of the study.

Among other things, the study measured the proportion of green space in an individual's residential neighbourhood, the presence of green views from their home, their access to a garden or allotment and their frequency of use of public green-spaces.

The results showed that having access to a garden or allotment was associated with both lower craving strength and frequency, while residential views incorporating more than 25% green-space evoked similar responses. 

The study also measured physical activity undertaken within the same time frame that cravings were assessed, showing the reduced craving occurred irrespective of physical activity level.

Craving contributes to a variety of health-damaging behaviours such as smoking, excessive drinking and unhealthy eating. In turn, these can contribute to some of the greatest global health challenges of our time, including cancer, obesity and diabetes. Showing that lower craving is linked to more exposure to green spaces is a promising first step. Future research should investigate if and how green spaces can be used to help people withstand problematic cravings, enabling them to better manage cessation attempts in the future, added one of the researchers.

THIS IS ONLY FOR INFORMATION, ALWAYS CONSULT YOU PHYSICIAN BEFORE HAVING ANY PARTICULAR FOOD/ MEDICATION/EXERCISE/OTHER REMEDIES.                                    PS- THOSE INTERESTED IN RECIPES ARE FREE TO  VIEW MY BLOG-                                                                                           https://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com/                                                                                                                                                FOR INFO ABOUT KNEE REPLACEMENT, YOU CAN VIEW MY BLOG-                                                  https:// kneereplacement-stickclub.blogspot.com/                                                                      FOR CROCHET DESIGNS                                                                                                                                                                                     https://gscrochetdesigns.blogspot.com