Should We Really Spend 1000 Hours Outside Every Year?

Do you keep reading how important it is to spend time outdoors each and every day? There seems to be a new study released every week urging us to get outside more.

They’re probably onto something…

Have you heard of the 1000 Hours Outside Movement, started by Ginny Yurich and family? It started off as a challenge to meet the recommended 4-6 hours of outside play for her children. It seemed daunting but they took the challenge on and haven’t looked back!

1000 hours seems a bit extreme…right? Maybe not…

Despite the aggressive goal, the 1000 Hours Outside Challenge has been taken a step further as a full blown movement. There are even tracking sheets available on the Yurich’s website for FREE!

One thousand hours may seem like a lot until you realize the average American spends 1200 hours a year on SCREENS. TV, phones, iPads, computers, the movies – almost 4 hours every single day! And this is even higher for people who have to work on a computer all day. Ouch!

Surely, we can try and counter balance this scary statistic with time outside, given all of the benefits nature provides?

What are those benefits exactly?

Here are 5 of the many reasons to OPT OUTSIDE:

1 – Gives you a daily dose of Vitamin D

2 – Reduces stress hormones and decreases heart rate

3 – Improves creativity and overall mood

4 – Increases alertness & promotes mindfulness

5 – Boosts immunity

Given these convincing benefits, backed by science, why wouldn’t we aim for as many hours outdoors as we can for ourselves and our families? 1000 hours is a nice, rough, even number we all can remember. We love the idea of “cancelling out” hours spent on screens as well!

There’s no better way to practice mindfulness than to soak up time in nature (appropriate sunblock usage please!). But is 4-6 hours a day even remotely possible?

Before you feel too overwhelmed with a 4 hour hike in the middle of winter, remember this goal can be spread out throughout the entire year, and just sitting outside for periods of time counts. One camping trip in the summer could easily take care of over 100 hours in just one weekend! We can do that!

So who is with us? Who’s willing to give this a try? Think about how good this could be for us and our families, and our WORLD. What if this was the new norm and we have a whole new generation of kids growing up among nature again? Could have a pretty amazing impact on all of us.

CHEERS to 1000 Hours Outside for our mind, body and soul – thanks Yurich Family. Good luck and HAPPY MINDING…outside!