Oprah Winfrey says we spend 93 per cent of our time indoors—here's the fix

If your day looks something like bed, cab, office, cab, sofa, bed, you might be spending far more time indoors than you think. Oprah Winfrey recently shared a video with physician Dr John La Puma, who has been talking about what he calls the “indoor epidemic” and the simple habit he believes could make a difference: spending 17 minutes outside every day.

The idea is rooted in a number that has been doing the rounds for years: research suggests that people spend around 93 per cent of their time indoors, whether that is at home, at work, or travelling between the two. Oprah points to this as part of a larger conversation about how disconnected modern life has become from the outdoors. La Puma adds that our increasingly indoor routines can mean less exposure to natural light, movement, and nature, all of which can play a role in how we feel.

His new book, Indoor Epidemic, explores this relationship between our indoor-heavy lives and everyday well-being, from sleep and focus to stress and that familiar feeling of being permanently switched on. And his solution for all of this is surprisingly low-effort. You do not need to become a morning-hike person overnight; you just need to step outside.

The 17-minute suggestion also has some research behind it. A 2019 study published in Scientific Reports looked at almost 20,000 adults in England and found that people who spent at least 120 minutes a week in natural environments were more likely to report better health and well-being than those who spent no time in nature. The benefits appeared to level out at around 200 to 300 minutes a week, and the 120 minutes did not have to happen in one long stretch. It could be spread across the week.

Divide 120 minutes by seven days, and you get just over 17 minutes. That is where La Puma’s daily outdoor prescription comes from. In his approach, the point is to intentionally spend those minutes outdoors, preferably around some form of nature and natural colours, rather than counting the walk from your office to the parking lot as your daily dose.

The best part is that it does not have to feel like another wellness task you have failed to complete by 6 pm. Oprah’s video suggests thinking about where you can sneak those minutes into a day you are already living. Have your morning coffee outside, take your next call while walking, eat lunch on a park bench, read on your balcony, and take a short post-lunch walk instead of immediately returning to your desk. Even 17 minutes of simply sitting somewhere green and doing absolutely nothing counts.

Of course, 17 minutes is not a magic number. The research does not prove that exactly 17 minutes outside every day will cure burnout, fix your sleep, or transform your health. But what it does suggest is that regular contact with nature is associated with better well-being, and that you may not need hours in the wilderness to experience some of its benefits.

And perhaps that is what makes Oprah’s suggestion worth paying attention to. In a culture obsessed with optimising every minute, this is one habit that asks very little of you. No tracker, no complicated routine; just step outside, look up from the screen, and stay there for a while, 17 minutes, to begin with.

Lead image: Pexels

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