Get outdoors to reduce your stress

Our increasingly comfortable lives are the leading cause of our most urgent physical and mental health issues. 

I’ve been reading the book ‘The Comfort Crisis’ by Michael Easter which explores that while we are more comfortable than ever before, our sheltered, temperature controlled, overfed and under challenged lives is causing many of our biggest health challenges. 

And while taking on a major physical challenge and testing ourselves provides a range of benefits, it has been shown that a simple dose of 20 mins outside, 3 times per week is enough to significantly reduce our levels of stress. 

Just 20 minutes has been proven by researchers to drop levels of the stress hormone cortisol and generate positive changes to the neurological structure of the brain.

And the good thing is, you don’t need to be out in the bush or the wilderness to achieve this - 20 minutes in an urban setting such as a park of green space will also produce the same response.

Mountain biking in the Perth Hills

A bit of unseasonal rain in Perth over the weekend was the perfect opportunity to switch up the regular road ride to get back out on the mountain bike.