BalanceA 4-minute read
If your days run from bedroom to car to office to sofa, you are typical. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that Americans spend approximately 90 percent of their time indoors. Shifting even a small part of that time outside, to a park, a trail, a garden or a quiet street with trees, is one of the most natural ways to slow down.
Indoors by default
The EPA’s figure comes from its work on indoor air quality, and it adds a second reason to step out: concentrations of some pollutants indoors are often 2 to 5 times higher than typical outdoor concentrations. Sources include combustion from heating and cooking, cleaning supplies, paints and household products, and building materials. The EPA also notes that people most susceptible to pollution, such as the very young, older adults and people with heart or lung disease, tend to spend even more time indoors.
Parks as health resources
The National Park Service runs a program called Healthy Parks Healthy People, founded on the idea that parks can be gateways to good health for people and the planet. The program works with partners in public health, medicine, conservation and recreation to highlight the role of parks as a social determinant of health, and it aims for increased access to parks and open spaces, prioritizing safety for all visitors. The NPS points out that there are more than 400 national parks across the country.
You do not need a national park. City parks, state parks, riverside paths and community gardens offer the same basic invitation: green space, fresh air and room to move.
Outdoor time that also counts as exercise
The CDC recommends 150 minutes of moderate activity a week for adults, such as brisk walking, plus muscle-strengthening on 2 or more days. Outdoor activities can cover both. Hiking, cycling and gardening all get the body moving, and the CDC notes that activity can be spread through the week in smaller chunks.
| Outdoor activity | What it adds |
|---|---|
| Walk in a park | Moderate activity, if brisk; a calm pause, if slow |
| Hiking | Activity outdoors; brisk effort counts toward the weekly goal |
| Gardening | Time outside and a reason to move |
| Birdwatching | A slow, attentive hobby that NIA lists among group activities |
| Outdoor volunteering | NIA suggests organizing a park clean-up through a recreation center |
Nature with other people
The National Institute on Aging encourages joining groups built around an interest, naming hiking clubs and birdwatching among its examples, and notes that being lonely or socially isolated is not good for your overall health. A walking group or a weekend trail club combines time outside with time with others. More ideas are in Making Time for Hobbies: Finding Room for What You Enjoy.
Tip: Make it a fixed appointment. A Saturday morning park walk or a Wednesday evening loop by the water is easier to keep than a vague plan to get outside more.
If you live in a city
- Find the nearest green space on a map and walk there once this week.
- Eat lunch outside when the weather allows.
- Take the longer route home if it passes trees or water.
- Open the windows while you cook or clean, if outdoor air is good; the EPA notes that air exchange with the outdoors is an important factor in indoor pollutant levels.
- Plan one trip a month to a larger park, a beach or a trail.
When you have to stay in
Weather and air quality often decide whether windows stay open. The EPA notes that outdoor pollutants can also enter buildings through open doors, windows and ventilation, for example smoke from chimneys, and that weather conditions influence whether people keep windows open or run air conditioners, humidifiers or heaters. On days when outdoor air is good, opening the windows is an easy way to let some of the outside in.
What the research does and does not show
It is easy to find bold claims about nature and health. The sources used here are more careful. One small example comes from NCCIH, which describes a 2017 study of 159 adolescents before scoliosis surgery: nature sounds or relaxation exercises on the day of surgery helped reduce anxiety before the operation. That is a narrow finding, not proof that a walk in the woods treats anything. The safer reason to go outside is the simple one: it gets you moving, away from screens and out of indoor air.
Bring the attention with you
Time outdoors is calmer if you leave the phone in your pocket. Try a mindful walk, paying attention to sounds, light and the feel of the ground; see Mindful Walking: How to Turn an Ordinary Walk Into a Pause. For the weekly rhythm, add an outdoor block to A Weekend Reset Routine: Rest, Move, Tidy and Plan Without Losing the Weekend, and for ideas on unplugging, see Taking a Phone Break: Simple Rules for the Car, the Bedroom and the Workday.