Spending time outdoors

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Is spending time outside in fresh air for roughly 1 hour day enough or for the sake of your health should you be out longer than that?

I don't go out every day. In fact if I didn't have to I probably wouldn't go out at all and I don't consider myself as lacking in fresh air

Being outside without exercising can actually be detrimental, especially if you are in an area with high pollution.

But if you are exercising whilst out, then you can do that at least three times a week and you will reap some benefit, if the exercise it at least a walk lasting 20 minutes or so.

It can make depression worse staying indoors

Usually I walk round my local woodland for 1 hour a day maybe more in the summer

Oh well that's nice getting out in nature. I'd go out a lot more if I lived near the coast or in a forest. You should get out as much as possible then if you enjoy it but I think an hour a day is enough anyway

I agree. 1 hour is well enough.

Yeah I guess like you said being outdoors for to long can be bad as well

The woodland you mention is good to go to for a walk. Anywhere away from vehicular traffic is ideal.

I don't think there's any perfect amount of time per day to spend outside.

It's already been mentioned that some outdoor things such as air pollution can make going outside do more harm than good, though I guess with air pollution it depends on whether or not the indoor air quality is any better. I don't see why it would be if the incoming air wasn't being filtered so as to remove whatever pollutants were around.

There's also the question of UV light, which seems to be getting worse, so you might want suitable sunglasses, a wide-brimmed hat, and depending on how strong the sun is. You can also use sunscreen, but personally I'd rather not, because I don't entirely trust things they sell for rubbing on the skin. Talking of weather, beware of extreme cold, strong wind, lightning, etc.

Ticks are becoming a serious health hazard, so if you're in tick country you might want to avoid the grass. There are other dangerous animals in some areas - e.g. certain other insects, snakes, Deliveroo cyclists, reckless motorists, bent police officers, and muggers.

Still, as long as you know the hazards in your area and successfully mitigate them, being outdoors is a good thing and there's no upper limit on how long to be out there. Houses are for shelter, so as long as there's nothing to shelter from, you're probably better off outside.

Another factor to consider is if you find going outside stressfull. My girlfriend gets stressed going outside because other people tend to be out. She worries about being judged for various things includimg if she has not taken a shower that morning. It's a big ordeal for her to get ready & go out on top of her anxiety while she's out. So she only goes out when she has specific reasons to.

As far as getting vitamin D from sunlight, less would be adequate if you are wearing short sleeves/have skin exposed. As far as benefits for mental health, though, I think it probably varies per individual. I injured my ankle recently and haven't been getting out to take long walks like I usually do and definitely notice a difference.

Unfortunately, what people brought up about air pollution is a legitimate concern. I have some breathing issues that are worsened by high ozone levels or wildfire smoke and find airnow.gov to be helpful here in the US. Maybe the UK has a similar resource. Air pollution, especially ozone, tends to be worse at certain times of the day or year. So, if I am going to be spending a significant amount of time outdoors or doing something physically strenuous outside, I usually try to schedule it for times when the air quality is better, if I can.

If you manage to spend even half an hour outdoors, in a fresh air, you are doing much more for your health than me who very often can't drag myself out from home. That's because I need to go through city noise and crowd to be able to reach some nature where I can recharge. But before I reach it I always pick up nervousness from random and agressive people I meet in bus and on the streets. If you can do it every day just carry on, as long as the air is fresh.