Walking Exercise, Forest Bathing and Weight Loss Retreat at FitFarms

This week at the FitFarms fitness and weight loss holiday retreat in Dorset we took a number of walks and were able to appreciate the lovely autumn colours on the trees. It has been a really nice autumn for the leaves this year and they have been looking especially vibrant around the lanes and villages where we have been walking this week.

Having lovely colours and scenery is one of the most overlooked benefits of walking outdoors but there is a good scientific evidence base to support the health benefits of spending time in nature. In Japan there is a practice called ‘forest bathing’ where people spend time in forests to help recover from stress and illness. It is so effective that it is offered on some insurance plans!

The weeks at FitFarms usually include several walks of between three and six miles. For those of you who are hoping to be pushed in terms of exercise there is always the option to run all or part of the route. For those of you who feel daunted by walking long distances, there are also options for shorter walks, and everyone is free to go at there own pace and we make sure that no one gets left behind.

Image Credit: Fitday.com