Why Outdoor Living Spaces Are Essential for Your Health and Happiness
Health benefits of outdoor living spaces go far beyond just meeting your style and social needs — they directly support your well-being. Expanding the footprint of your home by adding outdoor living spaces creates more opportunities to enjoy the outdoors every day. The truth is, being outside is really, really good for you. Even without vigorous exercise, stepping outdoors into natural light and shade can noticeably improve your health and happiness at an accelerated speed.
Nature: One of the Fastest Ways to Feel Better
Jamie Ducharme, a health and science correspondent for TIME magazine, explains:
“Spending time outdoors, especially in green spaces, is one of the fastest ways to improve your health and happiness.”
Just 20 minutes outside can lower stress, blood pressure, and heart rate. It also encourages movement and lifts your mood and mental health.
The Measurable health Benefits of outdoor living spaces
Time outdoors doesn’t just make you feel better — it changes your body in measurable ways. Michelle Kondo, a research and social scientist with the USDA Forest Service, says the impact is real.
Being outside helps balance your sleep cycle, boosts your immune system, and reduces inflammation. It can sharpen your memory and help you focus more clearly.
A Happier, More Connected You
People who spend time outside say they feel happier and more connected to others. Many feel more confident and at ease with uncertainty. Some people notice improved eyesight, weight loss, and more energy.
And if you like to exercise, taking your workout outdoors makes you feel happier and more motivated than exercising inside.
Nature’s Benefits Don’t End When You Go Back Inside
The restorative power of fresh air and sunshine lasts long after you come indoors. A good night’s sleep often starts with exposure to natural light. Sunlight helps regulate your body’s internal clock and supports deeper REM sleep. That helps your brain release stress and reset for the next day.
Science Proves Being Outside is Medicine
New research by Yoshifumi Miyazaki from the University of Chiba and Qing Li from the Nippon Medical School in Tokyo shows that nature’s effects work on the molecular level. Hormone tests and brain scans prove that spending time outdoors really is medicine for your mind and body.
You Don’t Need a Forest — Just a Garden or Balcony
Miyazaki says you don’t need to live near the ocean or a deep forest to benefit from nature. Even a small garden, patio, or balcony can do wonders for your health.
“It’s great to go to the forest, but you might only do that once a month or once a year,” Miyazaki says. “Use your garden — or even a balcony — as your daily outdoor space.”
An Outdoor Living Space is the Perfect Solution
Even though we know the benefits, the EPA says Americans spend about 90% of their time indoors. As daylight hours shrink toward the end of summer, it’s harder to get enough sunlight.
Adding an outdoor living space makes it easy to enjoy fresh air, sunshine, and the calming effect of nature — right at home. It’s one of the best investments you can make for your body, mind, and soul.
