Connecting people to nature through informal physical activity
Green Exercise is any informal physical activity that takes place outdoors: from gardening, cycling and walking in urban green areas, to kite flying and conservation projects in the countryside.
Green Exercise connects people to nature in their local areas and is one of the most cost-effective ways of improving the nation's physical and mental wellbeing.
The physical benefits of an active lifestyle and the mental health gains that come with physical activity are widely recognised. However, there is a growing body of evidence to suggest that the great outdoors (and that can include even small pieces of urban greenspace!) can have positive effects on many aspects of our health. It can encourage us to be more active by providing facilities to walk, cycle and play, but being in nature also helps to reduce stress and generally improve mental health.
The Walking the way to Health Initiative (WHI) has helped to create over 525 local health walk schemes and has trained more than 33,000 volunteer walk leaders. Since 2000, it is estimated that we've encouraged over a million people to walk more.
The physical benefits of an active lifestyle and the mental health gains that come with physical activity are widely recognised. However, there is a growing body of evidence to suggest that the great outdoors (and that can include even small pieces of urban greenspace!) can have positive effects on many aspects of our health. It can encourage us to be more active by providing facilities to walk, cycle and play, but being in nature also helps to reduce stress and generally improve mental health. 
