Last month I was in Phoenix at RW Headquarters filming some instructional videos for RevWild. Between takes I had the chance to chat with Alisa Keeton, Founder of Revelation Wellness. We discussed the outdoors, the point of RevWild, and the value of being outside. But, it wasn’t the abstract value of anecdotal experience, it was the documented, scientifically validated value of being outdoors.

Did you know there was scientific evidence showing the importance of being outdoors? I sure didn’t. It doesn’t surprise me, but I didn’t know the depth at which it had been studied. Alisa shared her research with me and I’m going to pass it on.

The University of Exeter studied nearly 20,000 people and determined folks who spent two hours a week outdoors reported feeling substantially better, both physically and mentally. Just two hours!? Seems so.

Even more surprising: it didn’t have to be all at once. It was simply a combined total in one week. Thirty minutes four times a week? Check. An hour two times in a week? Yup. And all that adds up to feeling better in body and mind? Yes it does.

We shouldn’t be too surprised. After all, God’s initial occupation for mankind was gardening. Gardening without weeds at that!  Imagine being outside, tending a garden without fighting weeds, thorns, briars, and pests. How delightful! It’s no wonder being outside is so good for us. It’s part of our original design.

Did you hide inside during winter? Did you feel the bleh of being cooped up? Maybe this is part of the reason. Now that spring is upon us, let’s get back to our original design and get outside. The best part? You don’t have to be outside much for it to make a difference.