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We’re big proponents of getting outdoors here at AoM. <\/span><\/p>\n Spending regular time in nature comes with a whole host of benefits. It reduces stress, fights depression, improves focus, and can even speed up recovery from injuries and illness. <\/span><\/p>\n Spending time outdoors is also just good for a man’s soul. The wild can induce awe and wonder, which keeps us humble and grounded.<\/span><\/p>\n So, how much time in nature do you need to get these benefits?<\/span><\/p>\n In <\/span>The Comfort Crisis<\/span><\/em><\/a>, Michael Easter (check out our podcast interview with him about the book<\/a>) highlighted research from Dr. Rachel Hopman, a professor of psychology at the University of Utah, that provides a prescription for spending time in nature to improve our health and well-being. <\/span><\/p>\n Hopman based her prescription on the idea of a “nature pyramid,” first developed by Tanya Denckla Cobb at the University of Virginia. Hopman simplified the nature pyramid idea into an easy-to-remember rule: 20-5-3.<\/span><\/p>\n The 20-5-3 Rule translates into the following guidelines for spending sufficient time in nature:<\/span><\/p>\n Let’s delve further into how to fulfill each segment of this formula and the benefits of doing so:<\/span><\/p>\n According to Hopman’s research, you can start to get the health-boosting benefits of nature by spending 20 minutes in a green space at least three times a week. These short outdoor jaunts can lower cortisol levels, boost cognition, and improve mental health.<\/span><\/p>\n Here’s the good news about this component of the 20-5-3 Rule: your thrice-weekly jaunts in green space don’t have to take place in a wilderness area to reap the benefits. You can spend your 20-minute allotments in any natural environment nearby \u2014 a pocket park, a community garden, or even a tree-lined street. So, even if you live in a city, getting in an every-other-day dose of nature is very doable. <\/span><\/p>\n That being said, the more leafy and bucolic and the less cement-covered and civilized the setting of your outdoor interludes, the better they’ll make you feel.<\/span><\/p>\n Regardless of where you take your thrice-weekly dips into nature, put your smartphone away when you engage in them; Hopman found “that people who used their cell phone on the walk saw none of [the] benefits.”<\/span><\/p>\nThe 20-5-3 Rule for Spending Time in Nature<\/h2>\n
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Your Weekly Dose: 20 Minutes X 3<\/h2>\n