Most of the time we are concerned with the stuff we have around, and what is most important for our lives to stay healthy. People think about what they should do for their health. First of all, we try to cook for ourselves instead of eating fast food. Secondly, we tend to make some exercises like swimming, running, paddle surfing, etc. those are the first steps for being healthy.
Besides that, the healthiest things for our body of all are being in the forest. We may not realize just how good it can be for our health. Forests contain more oxygen than little villages, and a city that has a 70% pollution. Does it mean that forests contains more oxygen than urban spaces? Yes. Even more and probably the most surprising reason comes from the chemicals plants produce called phytoncides. These chemicals have natural oils that plants use to defend themselves against insects, bacteria, or fungi. These chemicals improves the human immune system by increasing natural killer cell activity that responds rapidly to the virus-infected cells and tumor formation. Therefore, phytoncides include an increase in anti-cancer proteins.
A 20 minutes of walk in a forested area is enough to produce positive changes in the body. This activity strengthens our immune system, reduces blood pressure, increases energy, boosts our mood, and helps us regain and maintain our focus in ways that treeless environments just don’t.
In conclusion, there are 5 different ways forests benefit human health:
- Spending time outside improves mental health;
- Taking a walk through the forest can benefit physical health;
- Forests provide oxygen for our lungs;
- Forest purifies and provides clean water for our communities;
- Trees help smooth out the effects of climate change;
We went for a walk into this forest thanks to this project and we could saw a big lake in the middle of it.
