I took this picture at Sognsvann, a place in Oslo where people usually go for a run or a walk around the water. If I was to explain what rehabilitation entails, I would say that it is a process of recovery. It can be recovery from a somatic disease, from mental illness, or simply from stress and strains of people’s daily life. This photo represents a place where many people with different struggle can find peace and get a break from the stressors that they are exposed to in their daily life. Some might go here to clear their head after a stressful day of work or school, others might need a distraction from disturbing thoughts, problems at home, a frightening disease, painful symptoms, and so on. These kinds of stressors will naturally influence our mood, our well-being and our health in general. Many Norwegians uses physical activity in nature as an escape from or a way of reducing these stressors.
In Norway most people use public transport or travel by car when they need to get from one place to another. We don’t use walking much as transportation here, instead we use walking as recreation, in our spare time. There is a big tradition of hiking in the woods or in the mountains here in Norway, and this is also a frequently used activity in Norwegian rehabilitation programs.
In Norway we have a social welfare system in which important aspects of the inhabitants’ standard of living, education and health care are funded through general tax revenues. Public benefits are offered to all, and the government has the primary responsibility for the welfare of its citizens (Samfunnskunnskap.no, u.d.). The welfare state is mainly financed by taxes and duties paid by inhabitants. The government also uses export income from, for example, the sale of oil and gas, to finance social benefits. Even though the government has primary responsibility for social benefits, the ability to take responsibility for oneself, and utilize resources in the individual, is an important part of today’s public health policy. For instance, the government can facilitate physical activity by giving all citizens access to places like the trail around Sognsvann, but it is up to each individual whether he or she chooses to make use of this opportunity.
Within environmental psychology, it has been found that contact with nature has a restorative effect on humans, and studies indicate that physical activity in nature can have greater restorative effect than indoor exercise (Martinsen, 2018). The benefits of physical activity go much further than those related to improvement of health-related physical fitness, including heart and lung capacity, muscle strength and endurance, flexibility and body composition. It is also well documented that physical activity can contribute to improvement of self-esteem and body image, protect against stress reactions, result in improved sleep quality and duration of sleep, and reduce muscular tension with associated pain. Many also find that they have access to more creative thinking and problem-solving through physical activity (Martinsen, 2018).
For people suffering from depression, physical activity can cause significant improvements in cognitive, physical and emotional problems (Martinsen, 2018). Studies from both Norway and abroad show that physical activity has an antidepressant effect. Several studies have demonstrated that state anxiety is reduced after physical activity and that physical activity is useful in the treatment of anxiety disorders. Also, in many treatment programs for addicts, physical activity is an important part of the treatment. In Norway, the Bergen Clinics have been pioneering institutions in this area. Studies indicate that patients who are physically active have better treatment results and fewer relapses.
A survey of nature and outdoor life in rehabilitation from Norway, has investigated 73 rehabilitation institutions, questioning about the surroundings of the institutions, extent of outdoor activities, types of activities, what employees that participate, circumstances and attitudes towards the use of nature in rehabilitation. 73 percent of the participants answered that they took systematic use of nature, and the most frequently used activities were hiking in the woods, fields or mountains. Physiotherapist were among those who were most likely to participate in activities in nature. The conclusion of the survey was that nature and outdoor life can contribute to faster recovery, at the same time it might also improve quality of life and health. This study improves the understanding of Norwegian institutions use of nature in rehabilitation (Morstad, 2011).
Resources:
Martinsen, E. W. (2018). Kropp og sinn: fysisk aktivitet, psykisk helse og kognitiv terapi. Bergen: Fagbokforlaget.
Morstad, E. B. (2011, August 25). Master Thesis. Hentet fra Webområde for University of Life Science: https://brage.bibsys.no/xmlui/handle/11250/186059
Samfunnskunnskap.no. (u.d.). samfunnskunnskap.no. Hentet fra webområde for Kompetanse Norge: http://samfunnskunnskap.no/?page_id=420&lang=en
One thought on “Slokvik, Kristine, Physical activity in nature as rehabilitation”
Overall I definitely think that your article was very informing and easy to read. Your photo related well to your article, however I do think that you could have gone into more depth regarding your explanation of your photo. As well as maybe some person experience regarding your physical activity and how the Norway system has impacted on the amount of physical activity you do. Lastly, I think that you should conduct a short conclusion at the end. Other than that your report is well thought out and well-constructed, I thoroughly enjoyed it.