Spending Time in Nature Busts Stress
Sitting in a forest for just 15 minutes significantly reduces your cortisol levels and heart rate variability—while sitting on a urban street does nothing.
This series of hikes is aimed at the goals of the PaRx program - Did you know that you can ask your health care provider for a PaRx Nature Prescription? The main goal of the PaRx program is to connect you with nature, so that you can benefit from what nature has to offer.
Did you know that you can benefit from being in a forest just sitting, absorbing compounds given off by trees? Phytoncides are volatile organic compounds (VOCs) or “essential oils” given off by trees.
When humans breathe phytoncides in, they can produce many fabulous benefits inside the body. Some of the responses discovered by science include:
- Immune response: a 2-hour walk in the forest increases Natural Killer cell activity that can last for days.
- Anti-inflammatory: common forest terpenes temper inflammation and reduce oxidative stress
- Nervous system: forest air creates a relaxation response and lowers nervous system activity.
- Mood enhancing: exposure to forest air reduces cortisol levels and β-pinene has antidepressive properties
- Sleep: phytoncides like α-pinene enhance sleep.
- Blood glucose: exposure to VOCs can reduce blood glucose levels
Whether or not you have a PaRx Nature prescription, we can help.
Here's how:
Our Walk March 25th, 2025
(You must register online to join this walk).
Meet in the Covered Bridge parking lot 114 Gordon St., Guelph by 9:00 AM for a 9:10 AM carpool departure to the trailhead. Google map of carpool location.
Trailhead is the parking lot at Hilton Falls on Campbellville Rd., Halton.
You must join the carpool to participate n this walk.
From the parking lot at Hilton Falls:
- We'll walk a park trail to the Falls - about 1.5 Km. (One steep hill).
- We'll build a fire in the firepit at the Falls.
- We'll explore some of the many trails available from this point, including the Bruce Trail. You are free to participate in this short exploratory walk, or just sit and absorb your surroundings.
Hike length: 6-7 Km. Terrain difficulty: 2. Pace moderate. Walking Time: 1.5 hours.
Hike leader: Ron - ronaldcherry002@gmail.com
Bring water, snacks, lunch, hiking poles. There may still be ice on the trail - bring your icers.
Your admission cost into Hilton Falls C.A. will be covered.
Lunch option after the walk at The Trail Eatery in Campbellville.
