Why spending time outdoors can improve your health

If you've ever felt better after going for a walk, you'll know that spending time outside - especially in green spaces - is one of the fastest ways to upgrade your health and happiness.

Lee Chambers, a wellbeing consultant says that spending time outdoors is a full sensory experience, which anchors us in the present moment. It helps us to feel connected, grounded and a part of something much bigger than ourselves.

"You get the benefits of sunlight, honouring our circadian rhythm and stimulating serotonin secretion," he explains. "Being outdoors, you are likely to be moving, which has the ability to elevate your mood. You are also likely to be interacting with a natural environment and not bombarded with stimulation, which can lower your cortisol levels and give you pleasant biophilic patterns and colours to focus on."

Why is being outdoors so good for us?

Physical exercise is known to release brain chemicals such as endorphins, which help to relieve discomfort and boost your mood. However, research shows that simply being in a green space and reconnecting with nature can do wonders for your health.

In fact, being outdoors is so good for us that the ancient Japanese tradition of 'forest bathing' has become increasingly popular in the West in recent years. Known in Japan as shinrin yoku, this simple method of being calm and quiet amongst the trees, observing nature around you and breathing deeply can help us to de-stress in a natural way.

There is also growing evidence that gardening is particularly therapeutic as it combines physical activity with exposure to sunlight and nature.

Green Gym

Many people turn to 'Green Gyms' to pass the time and switch off. Green Gyms are free outdoor sessions run by the UK organisation The Conservation Volunteers, where people are guided in practical conservation activities like planting trees, sowing meadows and establishing wildlife ponds.

Green Gym activities can curb social isolation and give volunteers a sense of achievement and purpose - while allowing you to give back to your communities.

A moment of calm

Sally Brown, a BACP-registered therapist says: "Anecdotally, most of us would say being outside just makes us feel calmer, and we know that reduced stress has a significant impact on wellbeing. Other theories point to the release of specific phytoncides by trees - airborne chemicals that plants emit - which when breathed in have a similar effect to aromatherapy on the body, boosting the immune system.

"There might also be a mindfulness effect - perhaps we're more likely to pay attention to our surroundings when we are somewhere green and pleasant which takes our focus away from our thinking and worries for a while."

Psychotherapist Alivia Rose says that even the act of moving indoors to outdoors - and experiencing fresh air - can be symbolic to us.

"Being outside allows you to step away from your worries and concerns when you see the wider world," she explains. "It helps you move out of your inner emotional and over-thinking mental life, connecting you more with your body.

"It helps you change your perspective and sense of well-being, in the realisation that there is a bigger world out here - bigger than your inner more difficult world. It helps shift your introspection."

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How to spend more time outdoors

Not everyone has access to their own private garden to enjoy, but there are plenty of other ways to spend more time outside.

Try gardening

Gardening is good for you for many reasons. Firstly, gardening is a deeply mindful activity that requires you to focus and be in the moment, allowing you to let go of worries and stress. Cultivating plants is also a creative outlet that provides satisfaction too. Watching a seed grow into a flower or a plant bearing vegetables is satisfying and rewarding - whether in your own back garden or community garden, or getting your hands dirty filling up some window boxes.

Brown says: "According to the biophilia hypothesis, humans have naturally evolved to spend time in green spaces so we function best close to nature. Gardening means we're very physically close to nature. It's perhaps the ultimate grounding activity. It also feels like a safe space to be outside - especially if you're on your own - taking away any anxiety about who you might meet, what you need to wear or how you look."

Join a 'green gym'

Green Gyms are a great way to meet other people and learn more about wildlife conservation. Although there is an emphasis on health and fitness, the sessions are suitable for all abilities.

Chambers explains that Green Gyms are a structured way to garner the well-being benefits of being outdoors, giving us a platform to increase our confidence by learning new skills.

"Taking part is a form of exercise and activity that offers the benefits of movement in parallel with the impact of being in a natural environment, he says. "They are also fulfilling, as we give something back to nature, we connect with others taking part, and we become enveloped in the task we are carrying out."

Go walking

Walking in a green park is a great way to exercise and gain the benefits of being outdoors. Search for routes nearby that take you through green spaces, flowers and trees and try to stay in the moment as you wander. Even a short walk in your lunch break can be enough to boost your mood.

Join a community gardening club

With many people living in rented accommodation where outdoor space can be a rarity, organisations like Social Farms & Gardens allow people to track down local horticulture groups.

Brown says: "Many volunteer groups are doing similar projects across the country, and nature prescriptions continue to gain traction as a great way to achieve a range of wellbeing benefits while making a difference to our local area.

"Whether you find your own or go through your doctor, just getting started will be a great way to get socially connected and outdoors."