Your Body Almanac

Spend time outdoors

Get 20 to 30 minutes in a park, yard or green space most days, walking or just sitting.

How often
Daily
Time
20–30 min
Recommended for
21 factors

How to do it

  1. Find a natural spot you can get to easily, such as a park, a yard, a tree-lined street or a green area near work.
  2. Aim for about 20 to 30 minutes. Walking and sitting both count.
  3. Put your phone away for the time you are there.
  4. Fit it in whenever suits you. Morning light can also help keep your body clock steady.
  5. Protect your skin if you'll be in the sun for a while.

Why it helps

In one study, people who spent 20 to 30 minutes in a natural setting had the biggest drop in the stress hormone cortisol. Daylight during the day also supports better sleep at night.

Recommended for

occupation

Airline pilot

Long seated duty days across time zones and through the night.

5 risks · 15 practices
occupation

Call center agent

Headset on, calls back to back, timed and monitored.

5 risks · 12 practices
habit

Caregiving for an adult

Helping a parent, partner or relative with daily life, often nonstop.

4 risks · 11 practices
occupation

Content creator

Streaming, editing and gaming for hours, often late into the night.

6 risks · 18 practices
place

District of Columbia

Urban heat, summer ozone and ticks even inside the city.

4 risks · 8 practices
occupation

Flight attendant

On your feet in a moving cabin, across time zones, lifting bags overhead.

4 risks · 12 practices
habit

Frequent flying

Cramped seats, dry cabin air and crossed time zones, again and again.

5 risks · 11 practices
habit

High-stress periods

Deadlines, money worries, a move, a loss, or all of them at once.

5 risks · 12 practices
place

Indiana

High-radon soil, gray winters, humid summers and a lot of private wells.

6 risks · 11 practices
habit

Living alone

Your own space and schedule, and nobody else around by default.

4 risks · 10 practices
place

Michigan

Long gray winters, lake-effect cold and arsenic in some wells.

5 risks · 8 practices
place

Minnesota

Deep cold, dark winters, high radon, Lyme ticks and arsenic in wells.

5 risks · 8 practices
habit

Night shift work

Awake when your body expects to sleep, asleep when the world is loud.

5 risks · 13 practices
occupation

Nurse

Twelve-hour shifts on your feet, lifting, turning and rarely sitting down.

6 risks · 17 practices
occupation

Office worker

Desk, chair, screen, meetings, repeat.

5 risks · 16 practices
habit

Ongoing sleep loss

Night feeds, early alarms or a busy mind, and never quite enough sleep.

4 risks · 10 practices
occupation

Physician

Long, high-stakes days with little time to eat, move or sleep.

5 risks · 16 practices
occupation

Police officer

Long shifts in a patrol car, heavy gear and moments of high stress.

5 risks · 16 practices
occupation

Remote worker

Laptop on the kitchen table, no commute, no reason to leave the house.

5 risks · 13 practices
occupation

Stay-at-home parent

Lifting, carrying and caring around the clock, with little time for yourself.

5 risks · 16 practices
habit

Working from the couch or bed

Laptop on your lap, pillows behind your back, no commute and no desk.

5 risks · 13 practices