1,000 Hours Outside and Health Report Cards

Is nature medicine? How do your "health grades" compare to optimal versus "recommended" levels?

The Cultured Warrior #037

1,000 Hours Outside

#1000hoursoutside isn't just a hashtag, it's a pretty good rule of thumb.  While 2-3 hours / day might seem daunting, there are ways to chunk it down.  Additionally, there arguably isn't a better use of your time, especially considering that many of the would-be contenders can also be done outside.

I am writing a short essay for a work presentation to the tune of Battlefield of the Mind: Therapy vs. Pharmaceuticals vs. Nature.  A little tongue-and-cheek click bait?  Perhaps.  However, as I contemplate the sources I'm more and more convinced that more better things happen the more time we spend outside.

A short list, in no particular order, might include:

• Grounding,

• Microbiome,

• Brain Function (theta and alpha waves),

• Stress (cortisol) Reduction,

• Meditation,

• Strength Training,

• Elevated Mood (happiness),

• Self-Confidence,

• Better Relationships,

• Reduced Anxiety,

• Cardio,

• Creativity,

• Vitamin D, and

• Boredom (yes, you need this!)

Many of my "goals" this year are "90 hours of X."  90 - 100 hours of something is about 15 minutes / day or 2 hours / week.  I don't think those arbitrary numbers are magical.  What I think is magical is the transformation that happens somewhere between here and there.  Pick a thing and do it!

Bloodwork:

I've had to postpone the next part of my annual health review because I made the error of getting my labs drawn while I was sick (salmonella from Dean's food!).  So, some things were out of whack.

In the meantime I created a cool tool for folks to use:  Health Report Card.  Check it out, save, and share it for free!

P.S. Thanks to everyone for reading and keeping this project alive.  At present The Cultured Warrior has an open rate of over 40%, the average from a few sources is a little over 20%.