Healthy Hacks: what one week of fresh air and sunlight during my lunch break did to me

I’m an outdoorsy person, really. I say that despite living in Hamburg – a wonderful city, which, unlucky for me, seems to be dominated by a cold-grey drizzle half the year. As soon as the sun does rear its head, you’ll find me outside. But admittedly, when the gloomy winter months hit with near-zero temperatures, a constant drizzle and grey skies, I’m more drawn to the sofa than the outdoors. That’s about to change for a week.

I’m prescribing myself fresh air! I’ll be spending at least one hour in daylight for seven days – no matter how wet, cold or grey.

The biggest challenge for me will definitely be giving myself permission to spend the time on this. After spending time moving around in the fresh air instead of sitting in the dry indoors, I’m certainly hoping for a noticeable improvement in my well-being and health. While I can’t hope for a vitamin D boost at this time of year (UV-B radiation is still too low for that), I can expect the extra daylight to bolster my immune system [Wacker & Holick, 2013]. And an improvement in my overall mood and cognitive function isn’t unlikely either – studies have shown that both can result from increased time outdoors [Berman et al., 2008; Berman et al., 2012]. But will I really feel a difference in this dreary weather? That’s what I’m hoping to find out.

Day 1 – even colder and greyer than usual

My test week starts on a grey day at an uncomfortable four degrees – the unfortunate winter standard in Hamburg. The sun is nowhere to be found. I can’t even make out individual clouds in the sky. It’s just one grey monolith. Then again, at least it’s dry. That’s not to be taken for granted and makes my start a tad easier. Another stroke of luck: a friend of mine spontaneously announces she’ll be joining me today.
We stroll leisurely along the Alster, chatting and sipping on coffee for just under an hour. Outside, the grey immediately becomes much friendlier and the fresh, cool air does wonders clearing my head. Our conversation takes my mind off things and the exercise fends off the usual midday slump.
After sitting back down at my computer, I wait for said slump – in vain. And it stays gone all day. Success! I’m feeling good about tomorrow.

Daily summary: Weather = cold and grey, but dry. Effort required to go out = low, thanks to my friend’s company. Post-walk mood = refreshed, positive.

Day 2 – colder still (but the cold never bothered me anyway)

On day two, the Hamburg sky once again is in all its grey glory, not enticing me in the slightest to go outside. The temperature of two degrees seems hellbent on making things as difficult as possible for me. But I think back to the liberated feeling I had the day before and venture out after lunch. I combine today’s walk with picking up my son from school, so he also gets to enjoy some (cloud-covered) sunlight on the way back. We stop on a bridge and watch the swans and ducks for a bit until a rowing team fights its way through the black waves and glides through beneath the bridge. After just under an hour, I’m sat at my computer again. I feel a tingling in my feet as they slowly get used to the heater’s cosy warmth. I’m satisfied. I can’t say if this is because of the fresh air, exercise and sunlight – or because I’m kind of proud of myself for braving this lousy weather for the second day in a row. Not that it matters. The bottom line is I’m feeling good.

Daily summary: Weather = grey, even colder, drizzling. Effort required to go out = medium. Post-walk mood = pleasant, satisfied.

Day 3 – slowly getting used to my new midday ritual

As I feared, it’s not that easy to give myself a whole hour off every day. But I was again able to combine my time outdoors with other commitments today. I have an appointment at noon. Instead of taking the car, I set off on foot. By now, I barely think twice about the weather in Hamburg; I look forward to the good feeling that awaits before I’m even out the door. The way there and back takes me a solid hour in total, giving my pedometer a bit more to do. When I get home, I have to dry off. Back at my computer, I feel relaxed. The exercise and fresh air have once again put me in high spirits.

Daily summary: Weather = wet, grey. Effort required to go out = medium, looking forward to the fresh air. Post-walk mood = feeling positive and exhausted.

Day 4 – exhausting but pleasant

The instant I woke up today, I cursed myself for coming up with the absurd idea of going out every day. Why, exactly, did I not at least choose to do this in the summer? It’s my day to go to the office, meaning I can’t afford a long walk during my lunch break. Instead, I use the commute to work to get my hit of fresh air. Time to saddle up and pedal ten kilometres through Hamburg. Google Maps claims that it should take me only 26 minutes ... I can’t help but wonder which racing cyclist set this record. On my old two-wheeled steed, it’s more like 40 minutes (I get in the missing 20 minutes during my lunch break, out hunting for food). Throughout my journey, I remove layer after layer of clothing at each traffic light. By the time I get to the office, I’m drenched in sweat. And yet, that unbeatable feeling of deep satisfaction washes over me again. The more adverse the conditions, the more I seem to rejoice in overcoming them. It gets even better in the evening. Or rather, it first gets worse. Getting on your bike tired and hungry after a long day at the office is no small feat. But I have no choice, and I do at least I enjoy whizzing past all the cars during rush hour. Back home, I’m absolutely exhausted. But in a good way. Here’s the thing: eight hours at the office will have anyone feeling exhausted. But sunlight (at least on the way there), air and exercise leave you feeling pleasantly exhausted.

Daily summary: Weather = uncomfortably cold and damp. Effort required to go out = great. Post-walk mood = proud, satisfied and physically done.

Day 5 – walking alone

Friday! The week is almost over and I’m once again really motivated to soak up some rays over lunch. So far, not a single day of my experiment has gone as I’d initially suspected. That is, going outside during my lunch break for an hour – by myself. It’s a good thing I didn’t define this as an official condition, or none of my previous days would likely count. But it’s alright. After all, my main goal was to get outdoors and get in some daylight. Today, I want to experience what I’d initially imagined. So, between 12 and 1 p.m., I decide to hike through the nearby moor all by my lonesome. I won’t bother mentioning that the weather still leaves a lot to be desired – and leaves me wondering if just one proper ray of sunlight will ever peek through the clouds. Even so, I enjoy my hour of undisturbed time very much. During my walk, I’m already looking forward to the familiar feel-good feeling back home. When I step through my door, the warm air really hits me in the face. It’s fascinating that you don’t notice how dry and uncomfortable the heated air actually is if you don’t spend any time outside.

Daily summary: Weather = grey, reasonably dry. Effort required to go out = low, because it’s a real break today. Post-walk mood = recovered, relaxed, feeling calm inside.

Days 6 and 7 – a weekend in the fresh air

The work week may be over, but my experiment isn’t. I don’t have a lunch break on the weekend, but I still want to go through with my fresh-air-and-sunlight plan for the next two days. But it won’t be a leisurely stroll this time around. My son’s friend is staying the night, meaning I have two rambunctious six-year-olds for the weekend. My parental survival instinct tells me I’ll need to put them through a good workout if I want to stand any chance of somehow tucking them into bed at night. So, off to the football field we go! Lo and behold, even the sun peeks through every so often. I kick the ball around with the boys for a while, then leave them to continue playing on their own and enjoy the warming rays of sunlight. Unfortunately, what I thought was a brilliant plan to get the two bundles of energy into bed in the evening failed miserably. While my eyes were snapping shut at around half past nine, the boys didn’t fall asleep until 11 p.m. But, thanks to the sun and fresh air, my overall mood is relaxed enough to overlook that.

The next day, I persuade my son to go for a bike ride. He gets to choose the route (that was his condition) ... and leads us right back to the football field. I don’t mind – at least I don’t have to worry about not reaching one full hours outdoors. In the afternoon, we even make our way over to the Elbe beach and enjoy a few more rays of sunshine along with the priceless view. In total, I end up being outside for over four hours – not a minute too long, and a fitting end to my outdoorsy week.

Weekend summary: Weather = cold and grey with the odd beam of sunshine. Effort required to go out = low. Post-walk mood = content, balanced.

What now?

Admittedly, I found it much easier than expected to get out on the daily. I’d expected it to be difficult to set aside an hour of time each day. Allowing myself to combine the outdoor time with other errands (like getting to work) certainly helped me successfully get through the week. And, to be honest, I really didn’t find it difficult. All this to say, using «lack of time» as excuse won’t fly in the future.
My other realisation is that even with the weather acting as a hurdle, I still felt better after going out. It wasn’t always easy to overcome, but it paid off every time in the end.

My subjective verdict after seven days is clear: this experiment lifted my spirits and helped me achieve a calm, serene state of being this week.

Whether that was due to the natural light, fresh air, exercise, getting out, lifestyle change or simply my joy at being able to overcome my own reluctance is up in the air. Maybe – or even probably – all that played a part. I’ll definitely try to get out whenever I can in the coming weeks and not let grey clouds or a busy schedule stop me.

What’s your relationship to the outdoors in winter? What do you find more tempting: your cosy sofa or fresh air and sunlight? Let me know in the comments.

Healthy Hacks – one week at a time

Dear reader,
I want to try out habits that could have a positive impact on my well-being – be it going (almost) smartphone-free for a week, doing a daily round of yoga or getting around without a car, bus, or train. What else would you like to see my try? Drop your (hopefully pleasant) suggestions below!

Sources:

Berman MG, Kross E, Krpan KM, Askren MK, Burson A, Deldin PJ, Kaplan S, Sherdell L, Gotlib IH, Jonides J. 2012. Interacting with nature improves cognition and affect for individuals with depression. Journal of Affective Disorders 140(3): 300-5.

Berman MG, Jonides J, Kaplan S. 2008. The cognitive benefits of interacting with nature. Psychological Science 19(12): 1207-12.

Wacker M, Holick MF. 2013. Sunlight and Vitamin D: A global perspective for health. Dermato-endocrinology 5(1): 51-108.