How would you like to lower your blood pressure, stave of depression, cure your lower back pain, and prevent cancer? Guess what: It’s easy. Just go outside!

At least that’s what some of Japan’s leading scientists suggest you do. And they should know: Japan is one stressed-out country. Between long hours at work, extreme societal pressure to succeed in school and life, and the never ending fear of another huge earthquake, the Japanese need copious ways to relax. In the 80s the Japanese government invented the concept of shirin-yoku, aka forest bathing. Since then, the government has invested huge amounts of time and money into preserving forests in which its citizens can hike and relax, and now they’re pushing the country’s scientists to prove empirically that it works. “We have to validate the ideas scientifically, through stress physiology, or we’re still stuck at Walden Pond,” says Alan C. Logan, an American author.

This is such an interesting article, and totally worth a read. And if it just happens to inspire you to get outside and get lost in the woods, might I humbly suggest a stroll amid the centuries-old trees of the Thain Family Forest? But, I’m sure you knew that was coming, didn’t you? ~AR

(via The Nature Cure: The Surprising Health Benefits of the Great Outdoors | Wellness | OutsideOnline.com)