Being in the gym is great for your physical health, but spending time outside might be that missing puzzle piece to achieving all-around well-being. Nature is therapeutic in many ways, and time in nature can not only benefit your physical health, but your mental and spiritual health too.
Key Benefits of Spending Time in Nature
The sights, sounds, smells, and textures of nature are calming and healing for the body and mind. Regularly exposing your senses to calming sounds of nature can help to rewire your brain via neuroplasticity to signal “safety” to your nervous system [Schreiber-Pan, 2025]. Sounds of nature help reduce stress, as noise pollution can contribute to oxidative stress and inflammation in the body [Schreiber-Pan, 2025]. Oxidative stress and additional inflammation can inhibit your recovery in the gym, leaving you feeling drained and inhibiting the body’s recovery [Cuevas-Budhart et al., 2025]. Visually, fractals (a type of pattern that occurs naturally in nature), are just one visual that calms the mind and reduces stress levels [Schreiber-Pan, 2025]. Open spaces with scattered trees, and bodies of water do the same, which make your next run through the park or by the harbor an even better idea.
How much time should you spend in nature?
In short, you really can’t spend too much time outside. So long that you are protecting yourself from extended sun exposure or other hazards like bug bites, the more time the better. However, many people may ask instead what the minimum should be, as it can be difficult to start incorporating outdoors time if that has not been a part of your routine. Break your nature time down into four chunks: daily, weekly, monthly, and annually/bi-annually nature experiences.
Daily: Aim to spend 30 minutes a day outside. This doesn’t have to be pretty. Just somewhere with fresh air and a little greenery will do the trick. If you find yourself strapped for time, I’m gonna call you out for a minute: look at the screentime on your phone. How many hours a day are you on your phone, and how much of that time could be reallocated to spending a few minutes in nature? Everyone can find 30 minutes. Whether it’s eating a meal outside, walking the dog, or even breaking it up into 3, 10-minute chunks throughout the day. One of my favorite ways to experience nature each day is to listen to the birds chirp in the mornings. Birdsong is one of the three most calming sounds to the human brain, next to water and gentle breeze [Schreiber-Pan, 2025].
Weekly: Spend two continuous hours outside per week, preferably in a larger green space with less urban disruption. A quick hike, swim in a lake or ocean, or even having a meal in nature can connect you with the outdoors for longer.
Monthly: One weekend per month, try to spend time in a larger landscape such as a national park.
Annually/Bi-annually: Once or twice a year, spend a few days out in nature away from civilization. Travel trekking (which I just wrote another blog on) is a great way to see the world and spend time in nature. Earlier this year, I did a multi-day hike in Peru which had me averaging 12 miles a day and virtually 0 minutes on my phone (aside from taking pictures). This is the kind of interaction we need with nature at least once a year–and it can be local, too.
References
Cuevas-Budhart, M. A., Sánchez-Garre, M., Sánchez-Bermúdez, A., Sobrino-Rodríguez, A., Arniella-Blanco, M. M., Renghea, A., Crespo-Cañizares, A., Cavero-Redondo, I., Gallardo, J. M., & Gómez Del Pulgar, M. (2025). Oxidative stress and postoperative outcomes: An umbrella review of systematic reviews and meta-analyses. Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland), 14(11), 1349. https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox14111349
Schreiber-Pan, H. (2025, November 14). Nature informed therapy training [PowerPoint slides]. Hood College Blackboard.
