Dr Lucy Loveday: The wild swimming GP championing mental wellbeing in the outdoors

Has the outdoors ever helped your mental health? Wondered why? Listen on to find out! My guest in this episode is Dr Lucy Loveday. Lucy is a GP and medical educationalist, fell runner and wild swimmer who lives on Dartmoor. Her life is focused on the benefits of nature for mental wellbeing. And through her work as a doctor, she’s developed evidence-based Wellbeing Toolkits and a green prescription to show how nature can help mental health. She’s also the founder of Movement and the Mind - a conference exploring the connection between mind, body and planet. The outdoors has played a pivotal role throughout Lucy and her family’s life, most importantly because of her father’s struggles with severe depression. She’s determined to spread the message about why if you get moving outdoors in nature, the benefits to your mental wellbeing can be profound. I hope you enjoy the podcast and don’t forget to listen out for Lucy’s wonderful tips and advice for bringing nature and the outdoors into your life, as well as the special sounds of nature at the end of this podcast episode. If would be fantastic if you could rate, review and subscribe to the podcast – it really helps other people discover it – and please feel free to spread the word to your family and friends! Thanks! Liv x * You’ll find Lucy on Instagram @drlucyloveday The Outdoors Fix is on Instagram and Facebook @theoutdoorsfix * The Outdoors Fix is a podcast produced and hosted by Liv Bolton @liv_outsideuk This episode of The Outdoors Fix was supported by outdoor footwear brand Merrell. Merrell is launching a year-long campaign called #StepFurther to encourage people from all walks of life to get outdoors on a micro-adventure to experience the benefits for both their physical and mental health.