How to Get Outside More: 5 Practical Ways to Increase Your Time Outside
Although most of us, in theory, would love to spend more time outside, actually doing so can be more complicated than it sounds. Do you have three hours every Tuesday during which you sit inside for no good reason at all? If so, then working out how to spend more time outside is pretty darn simple for you. For everybody else, here are five ways to work more outside time into your busy lives.
1. Walk or bike rather than drive
If you have a twenty-mile commute or live 45 minutes by car from the nearest grocery store, this option probably isn’t for you. But if many of the drives you regularly take are ten minutes or less, you might enjoy walking or biking when you have the time.
Besides the health benefits of exercising more, you will likely also notice more about your environment than you would while driving. This makes the journey part of the adventure, too.
Seeing new places and talking about what you see is a great way to help young children learn about the world. It’s also a great way for adults to learn more about the world!
2. Eat meals outside
Do you pack lunch to bring to work or school? If your office or school has an outdoor seating area, eating lunch outside is an easy way to spend more time outdoors without interrupting your already busy day. Or if your family has a porch, a deck, a lawn, or any space outside that could be used for eating, consider moving dinner outside when the weather is nice.
For parents of young children, bringing lunch to a playground or park with picnic benches might provide the perfect balance to give the kiddos space to run and play, give you time to eat a full meal without trying to simultaneously entertain your kids, and give everybody a little extra outside time.
3. Have meetings or classes outside
Chances are good that many of your colleagues would readily agree to have a meeting while taking a quick walk outside rather than sitting down for yet another Monday coordination meeting.
Though some meetings require access to computers or other office equipment, many meetings, especially those between only two or three people, could be moved outside rather easily.
Suggest holding meetings outside whenever possible for a little extra exercise and fresh air.
For students, it may be a little challenging to convince a teacher to move a lesson outside, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be done. You could even propose that the class gets a reading hour outside as a reward for turning in all homework on time or for achieving a tough goal.
4. Choose outdoor seating at coffee shops and restaurants
Many coffee shops and restaurants offer outdoor seating. Although most people take advantage of the outdoor seating only during the warm months, there’s no reason you can’t sit outside in the rain or cold, especially if the eatery has a covered seating area or umbrellas over the tables. This is a great option if you’re eating alone and want to enjoy a little space while you eat your meal or sip your coffee.
5. Almost too simple: go outside
It’s true that there are some activities that can’t be moved outside easily. But many of our day-to-day activities, even ones that we think of as “indoor activities,” could actually be done outside. Granted, this doesn’t necessarily work in all weather or all regions. In many places, though, even an activity like answering emails on your laptop could be done outside so long as it’s not pouring rain and your laptop has good enough battery life. Other activities can be moved outside, too. It will sometimes take a bit of extra preparation, such as charging your laptop ahead of time, but the extra time outside will be worth it.
Do you need to do all of these things all the time? Of course not. There will probably be days and weeks when you find yourself struggling to keep up with life, and spending time outside might drop off your list of priorities.
The point isn’t that you become an Instagram-perfect adventurer who spends more time outside than inside and has no problems in life; the point is for you to focus on spending time outside when you can—to consider your options and choose to be outside as often as possible. As you do so, you’ll most likely find yourself less and less stressed and more and more able to spend time outside freely. So with that in mind, shift your focus and start spending more of your days outdoors.
If you want more activities you can do outside, take a look at our daily outdoor activity prompts. They’re sure to get you inspired.
