You notice it on the rare weekend you get out of the city: your shoulders drop, your thoughts slow down, and you sleep better that night. Then Monday comes and the week moves indoors again. Office, train, kitchen, screen.
Getting outside can feel like a luxury you'll get to someday. One large study suggests it may be worth putting in the calendar.
What the study found
In 2019, Mathew White and colleagues published a study in Scientific Reports based on a national survey of 19,806 people in England. They asked how much time people had spent in nature in the previous week and how they rated their health and wellbeing.
People who reported spending at least 120 minutes in nature during the week were more likely to report good health and high wellbeing than people who reported none. Interestingly, people who spent between 1 and 119 minutes weren't significantly more likely to report good health or wellbeing than those who spent none. The benefits seemed to level off after about 200 to 300 minutes a week.
Some caveats: this was a one-time survey, so it shows an association, not proof that nature caused better health. The authors themselves called for more research. And 120 minutes is a pattern in the data, not a prescription.
Time outdoors doesn't have to be an expedition. It can be a habit.
Fitting two hours into a full week
Two hours a week is about 17 minutes a day, or one longer outing plus a few short ones:
- Eat lunch outside in a nearby park or green space a few days a week.
- Make one call a week from a bench or while walking through a park.
- Take the greener route to work or errands, even if it adds a few minutes.
- Plan one longer outing on the weekend: a garden, a beach, a trail, a riverside path.
- Bring your hobby outside. Sketch in a park, read under a tree, take photos on a walk.
Natural spaces aren't equally easy to reach for everyone. Use what's near you, and choose ways of being outdoors that work for your body. Sitting in a park counts.
Where an accountability partner helps
Time outdoors is easy to plan and easy to skip. An accountability partner can help you find realistic slots in your week, and ask at your next check-in how many minutes you got. If you're nearby, you could even meet outside.
This week
Track your time in nature for seven days, counting any park, garden, waterfront or green space. Aim for 120 minutes in total, in whatever pieces fit, and notice how you feel on the days you get outside.