It’s called shinrin-yoku. The English translation: Forest bathing. It means to engage – or bathe as it were - all of your senses in the magic of the outdoors. Tasting the air, experiencing the sweet scent of the greenery and flowers, hearing the babbling of a brook, and reveling in the visual spectacle around you. Yes, you can wear clothes. It’s not that kind of bathing.
Call it the Asian equivalent of stopping to smell the roses – literally.
According to a joint study published in Leisure Sciences, researchers at Penn State, National Open University, Taiwan, and Lunghwa University of Science and Technology, Taiwan, concluded that seniors who regularly partake in outdoor activities – including but not limited to forest bathing – are potentially reaping mental, physical and emotional rewards.
It may have something to do with biophilia, says the NIH National Center for Biotechnology. Literally translated as “love of life”, biophilia is the premise that the human tendency to connect with nature and other living things is actually rooted in our DNA. So that instant serenity and energy boost you experience when you feel the sun on your face or look up at a crystal blue sky is not just a fluke. It’s science.
For seniors, spending time outdoors can:
· Stimulate the Brain
Evidence suggests that exposure to nature can sharpen focus, reduce anxiety, enhance the sense of wellbeing and improve the overall quality of life of seniors. It can also alleviate some of the aggression and agitation associated with dementia.
· Promote Socialization
Enjoying nature with friends can boost the spirits and strengthen social connections.
· Improve Physical Health
Even pulling up a park bench to enjoy the sunshine will positively impact senior health. All you have to do to benefit is sit still and soak up that vitamin D.
If you are motivated to venture off the bench the options for communing with nature are unlimited.
Grab the Binoculars
Birdwatching checks all the boxes for a fun, relaxing and engaging outdoor experience. It’s a perfect way to connect with nature – and other bird enthusiasts.
Pack a Picnic
A picnic makes a meal an outdoor adventure. Whether you prepare a picnic for two or invite your gang at Overture to enjoy one of the many green spaces on a balmy spring day, an outdoor meal is a wonderful way to socialize in the sunshine.
Pick Your Own Fruit
Combine the outdoors with exercise and healthy food and voila! There you have fruit picking. There are pick your own fruit farms all over. Find one that appeals and make an afternoon of it. It promises to be fun, and well…fruitful.
Make Your Container Garden Grow
Container gardening is the gift for senior apartment dwellers that keeps on giving. Combining light exercise with fun, creativity, social contact, and – voila - a finished product, it is the best of all outdoor activity worlds.
Tee it Up
Seniors love golf. It is as simple as that. And the best part about golf is it’s a game of personal goals. No matter what your playing level, golf is the ideal way to spend hours outdoors with friends. Fore!
Hang with Your Friends at Overture
Once you rightsize into the Overture senior apartment complex, you’ll have an entire community of friends with whom to share the joys of the outdoors.
Seniors. Sunshine. Socializing. It’s the spring trifecta at Overture.