HEEP PhD student, Matt Putland, presents at ISBNPA 2026!

Big congratulations to Matt, who presented a poster at his first ever external conference, at the International Society for Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity (ISBNPA) annual meeting!

Matt's poster, entitled "Running Wild: Forest running enhances performance, enjoyment, mood and future exercise intentions”, shared findings from a Loughborough-based field study testing whether forest running outperforms urban running, not just on how it feels, but on actual performance too. Forty-seven participants completed a 30-minute self-paced run in both a forest and an urban environment at matched perceived effort, and the results were striking: participants covered significantly greater distance in the forest, with heart rate and effort comparable to the urban setting. Forest running was also significantly more enjoyable, improved mood afterwards and left participants with far greater intention to exercise again, both in the short and long term.

The work - a collaborative effort involving HEEP masters students and collaborators - is currently under review at Evolution, Medicine, and Public Health, so watch this space.

A brilliant first outing on the conference circuit, well done, Matt!