41. Florence Williams - Why (and How Much) Nature Makes Us Happier and Healthier - Author

Health Gig

Florence Williams is a journalist who writes about the connections between people, health and nature. In this podcast she tells us about the superpowers of nature. Her book The Nature Fix reveals that even five minutes in nature can start to make a difference. The optimal goal is to have 5 hours in nature a month (which is about two 30-40 minutes in nature per week). After 20 minutes in nature our blood pressure starts to drop, our respiration can calm our entire nervous system, we have an expanded perception of time, we move into alpha brain waves and we become less short tempered throughout the day. Studies show that people with views of nature from their hospital bed need less pain medication and prisoners with nature on the walls of the gym have lower incidences of aggression. Studies also show that depression and rumination goes down on a 60 minute walk in nature but not in the city, which makes finding a park or something natural optimal. Williams also teaches us about forest bathing, popularized by Shinrin-yoku. It talks about the benefits of opening yourself up to all of your senses when you are in nature. When you can turn off running through the to-do list and move into a sensory, mindful mode, your blood pressure drops, your mood gets boosted and your heart rate variability improves. Nature is truly a superpower and we all deserve to have a park less than 10 minutes away. Florence Williams is the author of The Nature Fix: Why Nature Makes Us Happier, Healthier, and More Creative as well as Breasts: A Natural and Unnatural History which won the 2012 Los Angeles Times Book Prize the 2012 Audie Award and a notable book of 2012 by the New York Times. Official Website: www.florencewilliams.com Books: The Nature Fix: Why Nature Makes Us Happier, Healthier, and More Creative and Breasts: A Natural and Unnatural History Podcast: The 3-Day Effect and Breasts Unbound Facebook @florencewilliamsauthor Twitter @flowill Instagram @florence999