Health & Wellness: Step outside
By Rachel Martin
Did you know that the average American spends only one to two hours outside each day? That’s anywhere from just 4 percent to 8 percent of our day.
That’s a pretty dramatic shift when you consider that much of human history (300,000-plus years) was spent living and moving at least 90 percent of the day outdoors. Today, we spend much of our time inside homes, offices, cars, schools, and gyms.
The investigator in me naturally asks: What has this shift possibly meant for our health?
- Nearly 1.8 billion adults (about 31 percent of the world’s adult population) do not meet basic recommended physical activity guidelines, according to The Lancet Global Health.
- Prolonged, chronic sedentary behavior increases your individual risk of developing cardiovascular disease by 34 percent, the Journal of Lifestyle Medicine reports.
- The Lancet Global Burden of Diseases Study found non-communicable diseases (chronic lifestyle diseases like heart disease, stroke, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) now account for nearly two-thirds of all deaths globally, completely outpacing infectious diseases.
- More than 322 million people worldwide are actively living with depression, making it the single largest contributor to global disability, according to World Health Organization (WHO) Mental Disorders Data.
Now, not all of these facts have a direct correlation to the amount of time we spend outside, and I don’t think we can say that going outside is the answer to every health problem. But I also don’t think we can completely negate the possibility that our increasingly indoor lifestyles are affecting us.
I was definitely part of the demographic that spent maybe an hour of my day outside. And then the whole world shifted in 2020.
Covid got me outside
The fitness industry changed almost overnight, and my business, Connection Wellness Center, was no exception. We had to shift our gym operations online – or not operate at all. I remember feeling so intimidated by the change and first downloading Zoom.
Ha! I laugh about it now.
But something unexpected happened during that season. I had more breaks in my day. I started working later in the morning. And with fewer places to go and fewer things to do, I started using that extra time to explore local parks and find hikes or anything else I could do outside.
I had no idea how many options were right here in Northern Virginia.
I was never a Girl Scout growing up. In fact, my favorite sport was an indoor one: basketball.
But somewhere along the way, I started discovering that there was a whole world outside my four walls.
Related story: Health & Wellness: Top 5 cooling and healthy eats in Annandale
While it’s certainly not hot off the press that getting outside is good for us, I wanted to share how spending more time outdoors uniquely affected my health. My hope is that you might see some overlap with your own life.
It helped me feel less burned out
I find that work – even when you genuinely enjoy what you do – has this magical power of becoming quicksand. Once you’re in, it’s hard to get out.
One thing that helped me was setting a time, or multiple times throughout the day, when I had to leave work and go for a walk.
It gave my brain a chance to reset, but it also gave my body a break from the positions I was spending hours in.
If you sit for your job, this can be especially important. Our bodies are designed to move through a variety of positions, not stay in one for hours at a time. Getting outside gives you a natural reason to stand up, walk, change your environment, and let your body move differently.
And sometimes the best thing you can do for your work isn’t more work.
Along the same lines, being confined to four walls and surrounded by the same people, responsibilities, and problems can make your world feel like it’s shrinking.
And shrinking quickly.
Getting outside helped me disconnect from the urgency and hurry that work – and especially the financial stress that comes with owning a business – can bring. It gave me space to breathe and reconnect with the bigger picture.
There’s something about walking outside that reminds you that the world is much bigger than whatever problem is sitting on your desk.
A walk may not solve your problem, but it probably won’t hurt it either.
It helped me discover new places, new faces – and more shoelaces.
Okay, I had to write that because it rhymed too well not to.
As I mentioned earlier, in order to get outside and explore the trails, I first had to figure out where the parks were. I had to research trails and find ones that matched my level of experience.
It was incredible to discover how many places I had never been – even though I had lived in Northern Virginia for more than 30 years.
And eventually, as restrictions became less severe, getting outside introduced me to something else: people.
I met new friends and reconnected with old ones through activities I might never have tried otherwise: cycling, kayaking, sailing, walking, horseback riding, camping, and pickleball.
Getting outside became about much more than exercise. It became a way to experience something new.
Which brings me to the shoelaces: I had to buy a lot of new shoes.
I’m not sure that’s necessarily a health benefit for you, but for me, it meant something important: I was trying new things.
I was moving differently; exploring places I had never seen; meeting people I might never have met; and discovering activities I didn’t know I enjoyed.
And yes, I got to buy some new stuff along the way, too.
What could getting outside change for you?
My experience during Covid wasn’t some carefully designed wellness plan. I wasn’t setting out to transform my health. I simply had more time, fewer places to go, and a desire to get out of the house.
But that small change opened the door to so much more.
Maybe getting outside gives you a break from your desk.
Maybe it helps you clear your head.
Maybe you discover a park you’ve driven past for years but never visited.
There are several hiking groups in the area if you want some company, including the Trailmixers and the Hiking around Annandale group.
Related story: Health & Wellness: Nature walks
Maybe you find a new activity, meet someone new, or finally try something you’ve always wanted to try. Or maybe you simply take a 20-minute walk and come back feeling a little more like yourself.
You don’t have to become an outdoor enthusiast. You just have to step outside.
You never know what you might discover.
Rachel Martin, a certified personal trainer and life coach, is the owner of the Connection Wellness Center at 4113 John Marr Drive in Annandale.