Time spent outdoors is one craving well worth the indulgence

Whenever you unplug to spend time outdoors, like when heading to Riverside Park to set on a bike ride on the Schuylkill River Trail, you’ll likely experience a decrease in stress and anxiety, and feel as if you’re feeding your well-being something it desperately needs.

When it comes to looking at our self-care regimens, ample research supports the benefits of time spent outdoors and its effects on mental health, making it apparent that it’s well worth prioritizing a nice chunk of outdoor time in our daily lives.

Since your days might already be filled to the brim, instead of feeling you need to add on yet another thing to your wellness to-do list, consider switching up the location of your already-established routine, such as exercising outdoors instead of in the gym, or eating daily dinners with the family outside on the patio instead of indoors.

The key to feeling refreshed on a daily basis, according to the results of a 2024 poll conducted by Talker Research on behalf of RVshare, is to spend, on average, a total of 67 minutes outside each day. It doesn’t cost a cent to spend time outdoors and gives us so much in return, such as elevating our moods, clearing our heads and making us feel relaxed. Conversely, it found that spending more time indoors than preferred can lead to feelings of depression, sadness and loneliness.

Physical and mental healing

According to Berks Nature, the non-profit in Berks County centered on the conservation of the environment, physical and mental healing awaits in the great outdoors.

“Berks Nature advocates for time spent outdoors to both reap the health benefits of nature and to foster a deeper connection with our wild surroundings,” said Regan Moll-Dohm, Berks Nature’s director of communications.

Celebrating 50 years of serving nature this year, the non-profit’s focus is centered on land preservation, water protection, trail management, community gardens, education programs, State of the Environment, Eco-Camp, Nature Preschool and partnerships.

Nature is essential to our health and quality of life, which explains why 57% of the 2,000 adults in the recent Talker Research poll are craving to spend time outdoors more now than ever before.

Favorite outdoors activities

Some favorite outdoor activities, according to the poll, include cooking or grilling outside, hiking and camping. With summertime vacations coming up, the study found that those planning on vacationing outdoors are apt to see benefits to their mental health through reduced stress, mental recharging and gaining a perspective of gratitude for the things they have.

“Spending time in nature isn’t a cure for everything that ails us, but mounting evidence suggests that time spent outside in nature has clear, preventative and therapeutic benefits,” Moll-Dohm said, citing evidence from a 2019 study published in Scientific Reports, that it takes just 120 minutes of outdoor activity each week to reap nature’s innate health benefits.

She added that children especially have a lot to gain by heading outside. Berks Nature’s summer Eco-Camp gets children outdoors to learn and explore the natural world.

“The free and unstructured play that comes naturally in outdoor environments is essential for helping children reach important social, emotional, and cognitive developmental milestones,” she said.

Easy access

Those who live in Montgomery, Chester and Berks counties can greatly benefit from easy access to outdoor opportunities.

“It is with great fortune and the tireless dedication of the County’s conservation partners that Berks County is home to an abundance of trails, parks, and open spaces that are free and accessible to the public,” Moll-Dohm said.

One of the wonderful things about the outdoors is that there’s no signing up and no fee to hold you back, so there’s no time like the present to begin reaping the benefits you deserve to have to feel the most optimal in your everyday life.

“It’s never too late to change your routine,” Moll-Dohm said. “This year, make time for the outdoors and be nourished mentally, physically, and spiritually by nature.“

For more information, visit www.berksnature.org