UF100 Emotional Well-Being Presentation

1. Happiness is Right Outside
Your Doorstep
Does taking advantage of Boise’s many outdoor activities positively affect
the emotional health of Boise State Students?

2. BACKGROUND
Bogus basin -Since opening in 1942 bogus basin has been one of Boise's biggest attractions offering
recreational skiing and snowboarding for all to enjoy.
Cascade Raft Company -Cascade raft company has been providing whitewater adventures since
1985 out on the payette river
Greenbelt -In 1971 the first ordinance for the greenbelt was adopted and started to break ground. The
greenbelt offers 30 miles of recreational trails open for the public to enjoy
Outdoors Program - Opening in 2002 the outdoors program offers many student discounts and
rental gear to suade people to go out and enjoy all of the recreational activities Boise has to offer.

3. IMPORTANCE
College is a stressful time of late nights in the library,
packed social lives and sometimes seemingly unreal
expectations from professors, bosses and parents. Feelings of
anxiety, depression and even impulses of addiction and eating
disorders, are just a few examples of the common, mental
health challenges college students face. Luckily, for Boise State
students, the prescription for peace of mind is waiting right
outside their doorstep.

4. WHAT INDIVIDUALS CAN DO….
We are lucky enough that we go to a school surrounded by
many outdoor opportunities, such as….
7. Rafting
8. Floating
9. Swimming
10. Camping
11. Backpacking
12. Rockclimbing
1. Skiing / Snowboarding
2. Snowshoeing
3. Hiking
4. Mountain Biking
5. Biking around the city
6. Kayaking / Surfing

5. Where individuals can access these great
outdoor activities1. Bogus Basin Mountain Resort is the
closest mountain to us that gives students
the opportunity to Ski and Snowboard.
They also offer lots of hiking trails before
the snow hits! You can also go
snowshoeing up bogus. There is a shuttle
that will pick you up from campus and
take you to the bottom of bogus.
2. There is the Cycle Learning Center (CLC)
they have bicycle sales and repairs,
rentals, offer information about bikes, and
they have self-service station
3. During the winter there is an indoor rock
wall at the REC Center for all those who
love to climb.
4. Table Rock is good hike for beginners!
And there are plenty of other hikes you
can enjoy around boise as well.

6. IMPACT ON POPULATION
Getting physical activity outdoors, promotes good emotional health for students.
Even something as simple as a walk in Ann Morrison Park can help eliminate stress. In
a journal by Geoffrey Godbey, a Penn State professor, a research study reveals that
“the more often a person visits urban green spaces, the less often he or she reports
stress related illnesses.” Boise State students should take advantage of Boise’s wide
range of outdoor activities if only for the sake of their mental health. An article from
the US National Library of Medicine explains that “all types of green exercise
activities… improve self esteem and negative mood subscales, such as tension, anger
and depression.” My advice to the 20,000 plus student body of Boise State University is
to free your minds of stress and go on a hike.

7. WHAT DID HANNAH
LEARN?
WHAT DID JAKE
LEARN?
WHAT DID ANNA
LEARN?
I found it interesting
to know that Boise
State University was
ranked as the third
most outdoorsy
university in The
United States by
The Outbound
Collective, a well
known, outdoor
adventure promoting
website.
I learned that getting
outside and
engaging in physical
activities like hiking
and snowboarding
is not only fun but
good for your
mental health!
Something that I found
super interesting is
how many trips and
offers you have to
explore not only boise
but other places to
thru the REC center
outdoors program. IT
was also pretty cool to
learn more about what
all there is to do with in
the city and outside
the city of boise.

8. Works Cited
● Godbey, Geoffrey. “Outdoor Recreation, Health, and Wellness: Understanding and Enhancing the
Relationship.” SSRN Electronic Journal, 2009, doi:10.2139/ssrn.1408694.
● “Top 5 Mental Health Challenges Facing College Students.” Best Colleges, 7 June 2017,
www.bestcolleges.com/resources/top-5-mental-health-problems-facing-college-students/. Accessed 26
Sept. 2017.
● Siegrist, Claire. “The Top 20 U.S. Colleges For Outdoor Adventurers.” The Outbound Collectives Journal
RSS, 7 Apr. 2016, www.theoutbound.com/claire-siegrist/the-top-20-u-s-colleges-for-outdoor-adventurers.
Accessed 26 Sept. 2017.
● Gladwell, Valerie F, et al. “The great outdoors: how a green exercise environment can benefit all.” Extreme
Physiology & Medicine, BioMed Central, 2013, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3710158/.
Accessed 26 Sept. 2017.