3 Tips to Spend More Time Outside When You Work in an Office
Human beings are meant to be outdoors. Over millennia, our bodies have evolved to be able to run over open plains, hunt predators, climb trees, and make tools with our bare hands. But nowadays, all these evolutionary traits are going to waste. The majority of people in the Western world spend the vast majority of their days sitting down indoors, usually hunched over a computer screen.
If you are an office worker, you spend around eight hours a day inside. Add to that the time you spend at home in the evenings and on weekends, this adds up to quite a substantial portion of your life with a roof over your head. Sure, you might go on a beach holiday once a year or taking your kids to use the outdoor play equipment in the park on a sunny day, but this isn’t enough. Our bodies crave the outdoors, and spending time in nature is proven to have huge benefits on our mental health. Spending less time inside will not only reduce your stress and boost your happiness, but the increased activity will also make you fitter and stronger.
If you are committed to spending less time inside and more time enjoying the beauty of the outside world, here are three tips you can use to make it happen.
Take your lunch outside
Are you the sort of person who eats lunch at your desk while staring at your phone, or worse yet, carrying on working without a break? You probably get either thirty minutes or an hour for lunch every single day, so don’t waste it cooped up indoors. Prepare your lunch at home in the morning and take it outside with you. If there is a park near your office, sit on a bench and watch the world go by, or relax by the lake and feed the ducks scraps from your sandwich. Go for a little stroll to get your blood flowing and try to mix up your route every day to make things interesting. By making this part of your regular routine, your stress levels will plummet and you’ll return to work much happier and more productive.
Change your commute
Do you drive or get a bus to work? Your commute adds up to a significant portion of your day, so is there a way you could use this time to your advantage? If you live within a reasonable distance from your office, could you cycle to work, or even walk or run it? Traveling to the office by bike or foot is a much more enjoyable way to commute than sitting in rush hour traffic or squeezing onto a packed train, and will get you fit at the same time.
Make the most of your weekends
You work for five days a week, so the weekends are all yours to use as you wish. Your free time is limited, so it’s important you don’t waste it. It may be tempting after a busy work week to sleep late on a Saturday and spend two days catching up with your favorite TV show, but you’ll be letting the world pass you by. Plan adventures for your weekends such as going for a long bike ride, hiking in the mountains, or trying a new activity like rock climbing or paddleboarding.
