Dig in: A little bit of dirt is good for your mood, more
Go on, grab a handful of soil or hike a muddy trail: It can benefit everything from your mood to your microbiome.
Scientists have long known that a little dirt can be good for you. Research has suggested that people who grow up on farms, for instance, have lower rates of Crohn’s disease, asthma and allergies, likely because of their exposure to a diverse array of microbes.
In the 1970s, scientists even found a soil-dwelling bacterium, called Mycobacterium vaccae, that has an anti-inflammatory effect on our brains, possibly both lowering stress and improving our immune response to it.
More recently, there’s been an explosion of interest in the human microbiome — with people taking probiotics, seeking food with live cultures and “rewilding” their microflora. At the same time, scientists have been discovering how broad a role dirt microbes can play in our mental and physical health.
When we’re touching soil or even just out in nature, “we’re breathing in a tremendous amount of microbial diversity,” said Christopher A. Lowry, a professor of integrative physiology at the University of Colorado Boulder.
A recent Finnish experiment found that children attending urban day cares where a native “forest floor” had been planted had both a stronger immune system and a healthier microbiome than those attending day cares with gravel yards — and continued to have beneficial gut and skin bacteria two years later.
It’s not just good for kids; adults can also benefit from exposure to soil-dwelling microbes,
Dr. Lowry said. So this spring, make a little time to go outside and get grimy.
Embrace the dirt while you move
Activities like mountain biking, camping and hiking are easy ways to come into contact with a diverse microbial ecosystem, Dr. Lowry said. “I think we underestimate how much exposure we get from simply being outside.”
The U.S. Forest Service allows you to volunteer for projects like trail maintenance and even archaeological excavations. Or you could try a little forest bathing — a mindful, sensory way to walk in nature — and scoop up a handful of dirt.
“Spend some time looking at it and inhaling the aromas,” said Amos Clifford, the founder of the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy Guides and Programs and the author of “Your Guide to Forest Bathing.” “Sift it through your fingers, then bring your hands to your face.” If Mr. Clifford comes across a stream as he’s guiding a walk, he invites people to take off their shoes and step into the “mushy, muddy bottom,” feeling the textures.
If getting your hands and feet dirty isn’t enough, find a local mud run, where participants race through muck and tackle obstacles along the way.
Plant or pick something
Gardening has long been associated with reduced depression, anxiety and stress, and it calls for plenty of time spent working in the dirt.
When people ask him how
Dirt
your daily physical activity, strolling with a phone may have repercussions for your fitness, said Elroy Aguiar, an assistant professor of exercise science at the University of Alabama.
Looking down at a smartphone while walking — as opposed to standing up straight — can also increase the amount of load, or force, placed on the neck and upper back muscles, which can contribute to symptoms of “text neck.” And research in the journal Gait & Posture suggests all this could reduce balance and increase the risk of stumbles or falls.