Researchers at the Barcelona Institute for Global Health compared the effect on of walking in different environments among 59 adults. The walks each lasted only 20 minutes daily for a week. For one week, the participants walked along a Barcelona beach. The next week they strolled on city streets and during the third week they rested indoors. After the walks, the researchers tested the participants’ blood pressure and heart rate and asked them to respond to questionnaires to assess their mood and well-being. The investigators reported significant improvements in the participants’ vitality, mood and well-being immediately after they walked along water compared with walking on city streets or resting. Study leader Cristina Vert noted that continuous long-lasting exposure to water “might have positive effects on cardiovascular health that we were not able to observe in this study.” She added that the psychological benefits of physical activity “vary according to the type of environment where it is carried out” and in this regard walking along water was best.

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