The Word is Out--It's Healthy to be Good

"Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does." -- William James

While running the trails of Burchfield Park in Holt with my wife one weekend, we noticed a bustling group of people with shovels and other hand implements of labor interspersed throughout the extensive trail system. When we had completed our run circuit and were exiting the trails for the parking lot, I noticed a hand-lettered sign indicating that it was a designated "volunteer" work day for the Michigan Mountain Biking Association (MMBA), to maintain and improve the existing mountain biking trails that meander throughout Burchfield Park.

It made me think about the various organizations that I belong to and the different volunteer efforts I participate in. River clean-up efforts to make rivers navigatible by all. Working on organized kayak floats to insure safe passage by all regardless of their skill levels. Coaching youth sports. I know why I do it but watching those volunteers made me start to think about what benefit volunteering offers besides the obvious enjoyment of doing good for selfish reasons, like enjoying spending the time improving the hobbies and recreation you participate in.

So, I set out to do a bit of research and came across a recent fascinating study by the Corporation for National and Community Service. This study called "The Health Benefits of Volunteering: A Review of Recent Research, shows a strong connection between volunteering and significant health benefits. It summarized that people can achieve happier and healthy lives by putting in 100 hours of service a year as a volunteer.

"Volunteering makes the heart grow stronger," said David Eisner, CEO of the Corporation. "More than 61 million Americans volunteer to improve conditions for people in need and to unselfishly give of themselves. While the motivation is altruistic, it is gratifying to learn that their efforts are returning considerable health benefits."

These healthy benefits from volunteering may include:

• increased sense of accomplishment an purpose
• lower mortality rates
• reduced risk of suffering depression
• greater physical functionality later in life
• less incidence of heart disease

A fact sheet put out by UnitedHealthcare titled, Volunteering And Your Health: How Giving Back Benefits Everyone, further identified some key elements to health benefits for those who choose to volunteer their time:

• Volunteers agree that volunteering helps them lead healthier lives. They agree that volunteering helps them feel physically better, have an improved sense of well-being and feel that it lowers their stress level. In addition, a lower proportion of volunteers (31%) were identified as obese when compared to non-volunteers (36%).
• Volunteering seems to correspond with higher levels of life satisfaction, including a greater sense of meaning and purpose and higher levels of optimism.
• Volunteering also has significant meaning when coupled with the relationship to work. More people would volunteer if employers encouraged or had in place volunteer activities. Most people also agree that they feel better about their employer do to their involvement in volunteer activities.

A lot of this made sense to me, after all how can you not be healthier and happier when you are participating in something that helps people and the communities we are constantly trying to build and improve. Everything that I have read has indicated that a positive attitude will trigger changes within the body that promote health and healing. Feeling positive about the volunteer work you participate in is a terrific way to support what Dr. Albert Schweitzer, the famous medical missionary commented about altruistic service as "the essential element of becoming truly healthy."

Thomas H. Sander, executive director of the Saguaro Seminar at Harvard University, commenting on social capital research said, "Civic engagement and volunteering is the new hybrid health club for the 21st century that's free to join. This research shows it miraculously improves both your health AND the community's through the work performed and the social ties built." 

So next time you are looking for an alternate way to improve your health without a specific diet element or clever new exercise routine, try seeking out a volunteer position. The intangible benefits alone such as pride, satisfaction and accomplishment may be an important building block to creating a healthier and happier you.