Nature Deficit Disorder
By
September 16, 2015
With a partner, alternating rounds:
40 Rounds for time
5 Pull ups
10 Push ups
15 Air Squats
“At his office in Washington, D.C., Robert Zarr, a pediatrician, writes prescriptions for parks. He pulls out a prescription pad and scribbles instructions—which park his obese or diabetic or anxious or depressed patient should visit, on which days, and for how long—just as though he were prescribing medication.”
— The Atlantic
When people ask me about the demographic of athletes at CrossFit Catacombs, one of the things I usually end up talking about is that many of our athletes use CrossFit to be better at the "the other things" they like to do. We have a few athletes that just really like CrossFit for the sake of CrossFit, but most of us will identify ourselves as skiers, hikers, bikers, runners, climbers, or "all around mountain people" before identifying ourselves as "CrossFitters". We do CrossFit to make our other activities more enjoyable and to be all around healthier and happier.
Most of us who live in Durango understand the magical power of a day spent in the mountains or on the river. In fact, we make sacrifices to live in such a beautiful place and have access to these things. There are the physical benefits of grappling with natural obstacles, the underlying health benefits of a dose of natural Vitamin D, and the mental health benefits of close contact with our natural environment. We intrinsically know that getting outside for some fresh air and experiencing nature will lower our stress levels and improve our mood.
Mainstream medicine may be catching on to what we have already figured out. Beau passed on this article to me from The Atlantic entitled The Nature Cure. It is a good read and an even better reminder of the natural remedies out our door for the things that ail us. At a time when prescriptions and pharmaceuticals are dominating the healthcare scene, there is increasing evidence that a walk in the woods may yield significant health benefits. As a former nurse and one who has been steeped in the practices of western medicine for a very long time, sometimes my first impressions are tinged with skepticism. But who can argue with the idea of improved health via interacting with the natural world? It was encouraging to read about doctors prescribing outdoor activity as a treatment mechanism and the health improvements that have been made using this strategy.
Read for yourself and let me know what you think.
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