I’ve always loved the outdoors but it was only until I wasn’t able to spend time outside that I started to realise how much I actually needed it…. as they say, absence makes the heart grow fonder. 

It was during the winter months when I first started working as an NHS foundation Doctor. There would be some days where I woke up in the dark, drove to work in the dark, spent the day inside & then drove home from work in the dark. I wouldn’t see any daylight and unless I went for a night time run with my brother, I wouldn’t spend ANY time outside in the fresh air. 

I started to crave going to the beach, spending the day in the garden or going exploring in nature on my days off. It made me wonder why and it didn’t take me long to realise. I wasn’t spending ANY time outside whilst working as a doctor. 

It was worse than this though… I wouldn’t even be able to see outside most days (there aren’t many wards with windows where I was working). It could have been snowing outside and I wouldn’t have known.

I’ve since spent a lot of time reading out why this was having such a big impact on me and I now try to spend some time outside every day, even if it is just 10 minutes.

There are huge benefits of spending time outside for our health & well-being. These can largely be divided into 3 categories. 

1. The exposure to natural light & sunlight: The exposure to natural light benefits us in a number of ways including regulating our sleep patterns, improving mood and reducing symptoms of depression and anxiety. You can’t easily replicate the impact that natural light has on our brain & body with artificial lighting! The exposure to sunlight is also beneficial in the sense the UV exposure is needed for Vitamin D synthesis. This has an important role in bone health & immune function. It’s important to note that exposure to UV rays increases the incidence of skin cancer which is important to consider when deciding how much time to spend outside. You could arguably easily supplement your diet with vitamin D and spend time outside with UV protection to minimize the negative effects of UV exposure but still benefit from time spent outside in natural light.

2. The association with physical activity: It’s been demonstrated that time spent in nature & outdoors is also beneficial for our health & well-being as it encourages physical activity. It is associated with running, walking, gardening or other outdoor activities. As I will cover in a later blog, physical activity improves our overall health & well-being; in particular it improves our cardiovascular, metabolic & mental health. 

3. The time spent in nature: It didn’t really surprise me when I discovered that we’ve got hard-wiring from our ancestors which associates time spent in nature surrounded by trees, birds & other animals as a “safe” & “stress-free” environment where there is an abundance of places to live & food sources to eat. Through evolutionary psychology, we are programmed the same way as our ancestors to associate nature as a safe place. There are studies which show it reduces our stress levels & improves cognitive function (including improvements in attention, memory & creativity). There are other studies which have demonstrated that periods of as little as 10 minutes connecting with nature have been linked to improved mental health outcomes, including reduced symptoms of depression & anxiety. 

There are a few different ways I try to incorporate time outside into my day. It would be nice in a “dream world” to go outside for a long walk every day but the reality of my life (and likely yours too) is that I don’t have time to do this every day, let alone every week. I try instead to find other ways to get outside which fit more logistically with my life. Here are a few different examples:

• A slow morning: It might not be possible every morning (especially during the winter when it is likely dark) but during the summer months I try to enjoy a moment outside in the morning fresh air with a cup of tea. It might mean I need to wake up earlier, spend less time scrolling on my phone or avoid my snooze button but it is worth the sacrifice. It always helps me to start the day feeling fresh & ready for whatever it might throw my way. 

• A “lunch time lap” during my lunch break: This is where I take some time at lunchtime to get outside, even if it is just to walk to my car to get my lunch on days when I’m working in the hospital. I find that my day needs to pause at lunch time anyway in order to eat some food and it makes sense to maximise this…. A short walk outside during this part of the day always makes me feel more refreshed, energized and ready to keep working through the rest of the day. It’s as if someone has replaced my batteries!

• A “habit stack” during my day: It might be that there are times when I can’t quite factor in dedicated time to being outside and when this happens I try to use habit stacking to help me. This is a productivity method where you stack 2 different habits on top of each other, typically one that you are already sustaining with another that you are trying to get into the habit of doing. As an example, it might be a habit for you to go somewhere on a particular day where you need to park up (e.g. meeting someone, dropping off kids, running errands). It could be that instead of parking exactly where you need to be you could park a little bit further away which forces you to walk a little bit and spend some well needed time in the fresh air. This will obviously make your journeys a little bit longer which is something you will need to factor in and it is only appropriate to use this example if you are parking in a safe neighbourhood. I wouldn’t do this if I was somewhere unfamiliar and/or it was dark. 

I hope you’ve found this post a helpful reminder of why you should really try to spend some time outside each day. 

I feel understanding the “why” of things can really help motivate us to actually do those things…. 

I personally know how I feel when I don’t manage to get outside and I really do value the benefits it brings me. 

I hope these tricks on “how” to incorporate time outside into your day are helpful. 

Please don't hesitate to send me an email (elle@gabrielletodd.com) about anything I discuss on my blog and don't forget you can click here to join my "Thursday Thoughts" weekly newsletter where I share my thoughts to help you navigate life, along with links to my latest blog posts.