Brian and Kelley Buttrick walk out their back door and down a stone path to a pair of kayaks waiting to be launched onto Lake Oconee. Energy radiates from them the way it radiates from the morning sun: with warmth and promise.
"It's a great day, isn't it?" Kelley says.
Who cares that the day is only 40 minutes old, or that it's a Monday? The proper answer is "Yes, it is a great day," and 98 percent of today's impossible blend of enthusiasm, serenity, nature, community, and honest-to-goodness wellness is still to come.
"There's something different about living here," says Brian, repeating a sentiment heard often among Reynolds Members. But is it simply that - a sentiment? Or is there something actually, scientifically, naturally different about life at Reynolds?
Since the Buttricks moved to Reynolds from Athens three years ago, Kelley has gotten into a routine of paddling along the edges of the lake at 6:00 a.m. and escaping for three hours. If she doesn't start her day on the kayak, she'll start with a 30-minute walk on a nature trail.
"On the mornings when I don't get outside right away, I feel it mentally and physically, all day," Kelley says. "Spending time in the natural environment at Reynolds gives me more clarity in my work, and here it's as easy as stepping outside."
Kelley is a professional voiceover artist. She's responsible for setting positive vibes in TV and radio commercials. The mood you hear in her voice is an exhale of the goodness she breathes in.
"She can be stressed like anyone else," Brian says, "but she goes outside and comes back a completely different person."
The Buttricks represent all Reynolds Members who experience first-hand what study after study tells us about being active outside. Cedric Bryant, PhD, is chief science officer at the American Council on Exercise and says, "It sounds a bit fantastical, but it's true - outdoor activity makes you happy. It results in mental and physiological benefits beyond what you experience by completing the same workout indoors."
It doesn't take much, either, because research shows that the first five minutes of "green exercise" has the biggest impact on mood, which helps explain the positive aura at Reynolds where walks in nature are woven into the daily fabric. In other locations, however, outdoor activity requires more effort. For example, the term shinrin-yoku, or "forest bathing," grew a following in Japan and has become the topic of case studies around the world. It's the idea of going into nature to combat the negative health implications of technology and an indoor lifestyle. Participants in forest bathing studies consistently show marked decreases in pulse rates, confusion, and fatigue.
Consider that more than 90 percent of Reynolds property could be called "forest bathing land" and you begin to understand why people feel healthier here. Also consider how some of the most highly acclaimed hospitals of the 19th century were created. They were essentially outdoor spas where patients were encouraged to move around among foliage, water, and sunshine.
"They relied on the properties of nature for optimum healing and health," says hospital historian Des Cummings. "That might seem like a radical idea today, but the basic concept is as true as ever: being active in nature makes us feel better."
Brian and Kelley have heard about the research, but more important to them is the indisputable evidence they've seen. "We can look at our own lives since moving to Reynolds. We're living proof."
