“When we walk,” wrote Henry David Thoreau, “we naturally go to the fields and woods: what would become of us if we walked only in a garden or mall?”
It would have gone without saying in the 18th and 19th centuries. There were no indoor shopping malls or fitness centers with gyms or, worse still, the ubiquitous treadmill. But Thoreau had more in mind than being surrounded by walls or ceilings; he wanted walkers enveloped in nature, including all kinds of landscapes in all kinds of seasons and weather.
So today I’m thinking about the beauty of trees. Maybe because it’s fall, and some of the red oaks on my daily walk are bursting with color. Just wish there were more of them. We visited West Virginian last month and got a taste of how fall foliage is supposed to look.
But did you know trees do more than just wow us with their beauty? Annabel Streets (52 Ways to Walk) says the Japanese call it “forest bathing.” That is, walking where there are plentiful trees. She says that Japanese physiologists discovered that walking in woodland “lowered blood pressure, heart rate, and stress levels,” while also “reducing inflammation and improving immunity.” The scientific theory is that it has something to do with terpenes, which are highly aromatic compounds that determine the smell of many plants and herbs, such as rosemary and lavender.
I’m not sure the mesquite trees and scrub cedars on my walks have any terpenes, but I suppose one can always hope.