120 Minutes Outdoors a Week
Half an hour in a park, a forest or by the water, four times a week. For weeks spent indoors.
For people who spend most of the week indoors. Four times a week you spend half an hour in a park, a forest or by the water, and once a week you take a walk without your phone in hand.
A day in the program
Tasks, in order.
Times assume waking at 7:00 and going to sleep at 23:00. In the app, they shift to fit you.
Late morning
- 10:00Walk without your phone30 min · Mind · Sat
When you head out on Saturday, keep your phone in your pocket or leave it at home, and notice what you see and hear.
There is more light outside. Outdoors, even under cloud, there is usually more than 1,000 lux; indoors, 100 to 500. The consensus recommends at least 250 lux at eye level during the day (Brown et al. 2022).
Afternoon
- 16:00Spend 30 minutes outdoors30 min · Lifestyle · Mon, Wed, Fri, Sun
When you finish work or school, spend half an hour in a park, a forest or by the water. A park bench counts too.
An association, not a dose. People who spend at least 120 minutes a week in nature report better health and wellbeing. But these are cross-sectional data, and the authors caution that it is not a proven dose (White et al. 2019).
General suggestions for everyday wellbeing, not medical advice. Adjust the tasks to suit you. If you have a health condition, are pregnant or take medication regularly, talk to your doctor before making changes.
What our programs build onSources
What the program builds on.
Outdoors, even under cloud, there is more light than the recommended 250 lux during the day.
The program takes its 120-minutes-a-week goal from cross-sectional data, where it was linked to better health and wellbeing (an association, not proof of cause).
Time outdoors adds up from shorter stretches, and a missed day is fine, because missing once did not affect habit formation.