Evidence for anxiety , psychological stress , psychological well-being , subjective well-being and social isolation and loneliness varied in volume and effectiveness , but no harmful effects were identified .
The setting and context of walking seems to be important variables .
Background / objectives Walking has well-established positive relationships with , and effects on , physical health .
In contrast , while poor mental health contributes substantially to global health burden , an overview of the benefits from walking has not previously been published .
We aim ed to scope the literature and present what is known , and highlight what is not known , about walking and mental health .
Affective responses in mountain hiking—A randomized crossover trial focusing on differences between indoor and outdoor activity
Introduction Affective responses during physical activity ( PA ) are important for engagement in PA programs and for adherence to a physically active lifestyle . Little is known about the affective responses to PA bouts lasting longer than 45 minutes . Therefore , the aims of the present study were to analyse acute effects on affective responses of a three-hour outdoor PA intervention ( mountain hiking ) compared to a sedentary control situation and to an indoor treadmill condition . Methods Using a r and omized crossover design , 42 healthy participants were r and omly exposed to three different conditions : outdoor mountain hiking , indoor treadmill walking , and sedentary control situation ( approximately three hours each ) . Measures included the Feeling Scale , Felt Arousal Scale and a Mood Survey Scale . Repeated measures ANOVAs were used to analyse differences between the conditions . Results Compared to the control situation , the participants showed a significant increase in affective valence ( d = 1.21 , p < .001 ) , activation ( d = 0.81 , p = .004 ) , elation ( d = 1.07 , p < .001 ) , and calmness ( d = 0.84 , p = .004 ) , and a significant decrease in fatigue ( d = -1.19 , p < .001 ) and anxiety ( d = -.79 , p < .001 ) after mountain hiking . Outdoor mountain hiking showed significantly greater positive effects on affective valence , activation , and fatigue compared to indoor treadmill walking . Discussion The results indicate that a three-hour PA intervention ( mountain hiking ) elicits higher positive and lower negative affective responses compared to a sedentary control situation and to an indoor PA condition . Outdoor mountain hiking can be recommended by health professionals as a form of PA with the potential to positively influence affective responses . Trial registration Clinical Trials.gov NCT02853760 . https:// clinical trials.gov/. Date of registration : 08/02/2016 ( retrospectively registered ) . Date of enrolment of the first participant to the trial : 05/01/2014
Evidence for anxiety , psychological stress , psychological well-being , subjective well-being and social isolation and loneliness varied in volume and effectiveness , but no harmful effects were identified .
The setting and context of walking seems to be important variables .
Background / objectives Walking has well-established positive relationships with , and effects on , physical health .
In contrast , while poor mental health contributes substantially to global health burden , an overview of the benefits from walking has not previously been published .
We aim ed to scope the literature and present what is known , and highlight what is not known , about walking and mental health .