Thursday, January 8, 2015

Outside Magazine on taking 5 minutes outside a day

Take Five—Minutes or Days

Photo: Daniel D. Snyder/Ivan Pavlov/Dimedrove68Shutterstock
Five minutes is all that’s required to achieve the minimum effective dose of nature immersion to raise your spirits. So says Jules Pretty, professor of environment and society at the University of Essex, who synthesized the results of nearly a dozen studies for a comprehensive 2010 review of nature’s effects on the body. “All outside activity offers mental and physical benefits,” says Pretty, adding that the majority of them are gained by simply walking out the door. The first five minutes have the greatest impact, his review found; people’s moods continue to lift from minute six on, but not as much.
If even short outdoor breaks can reduce stress, imagine what a week in the wilderness can do for your mind. In a 2011 pilot study of 57 adult Outward Boundparticipants, University of Utah psychologist David Strayer and University of Kansas scientists Paul and Ruth Ann Atchley found that, after four days in the backcountry, subjects scored 50 percent higher on tests measuring creativity.
DO: Build outdoor moments into your schedule. “Park the car at the far end of the lot,” suggests Pretty. “Take your coffee in the courtyard. Walk the long way around. Have meetings outside. The key is to make green time a part of daily life.”
DON’T: Neglect prolonged, uninterrupted nature excursions. In Pretty’s review, a second significant spike in mental-health benefit occurred when people spent an entire day outdoors. Meanwhile, the Outward Bound research suggested that three days in the wild was enough to boost cognition. Several long weekends in the wilderness may be more beneficial than one extended two-week journey.

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