Elma Carew’s daily step count plummeted as soon as she started working from home. The 40-year-old from Galway, who runs a career and wellbeing coaching business, found that remote working took an unexpected toll on her health.
“I underestimated how many steps I was getting in just going to and from work, walking around the office and getting lunch,” she says. “I went from roughly 6,000 steps a day to between 2,000 and 3,000. My back, neck, and shoulders got sore from so much sitting, and I had to book regular physiotherapy sessions.”
Working from home also meant she spent less time outside. “That affected how I was feeling,” she says.
“My mind was often racing with anxious thoughts, and I’d struggle to sleep.”
It soon became clear she needed to take action and move more. “I incorporated stretching into my day and started going out walking,” she says.
“As a result, things have shifted in a positive way. I haven’t had to see my physio in a while. I feel more grounded and less anxious. And because daylight is great for your circadian rhythm, I’m sleeping a lot better too.”
Patricia Byron, an executive coach and associate lecturer in leadership and management at UCD, brings her work outdoors whenever possible.
“The endorphin boost that comes from spending time in nature is worth the effort it takes to spend some of my working day outside,” she says.
Byron lives and works on the Hook Peninsula, Wexford, and often brings her clients for walks by the sea.
“They always say how much calmer they feel afterwards,” she says. “Walking gets their blood flowing, and being outside heightens their senses and awareness of what’s going on around them.”
When she works with groups, Byron likes to bring them outside too.
“Being outside and away from the formal workspace seems to open people’s minds, make them more relaxed, and connect on a deeper level with others,” she says. “There are so many reasons why we would all benefit from spending more of our working day outdoors.”
A 2023 survey by the Western Development Commission shows that 38% of Irish workers now work remotely and 59% work on a hybrid basis. The flexibility gives many a better work-life balance, but it could also mean spending more time cooped up indoors.
Furthermore, the changing nature of work can pose a barrier to spending time outdoors, says chartered counselling psychologist Niamh Delmar. “We’re stuck inside meeting deadlines, hooked up to technology, and having unhealthy boundaries with our work,” she says.
Like Carew discovered, long hours working indoors can lead to missing out on the health benefits of the outdoors. “Getting out into the fresh air and nature has a significant impact on physical and mental health,” says Delmar.
“Exposure to green and coastal blue spaces lowers stress by reducing our levels of the stress hormone cortisol. Being out in the fresh air oxygenates us and clears our heads. And exposure to sunlight provides us with vitamin D, which is associated with healthier mood, energy levels, and bones.”
Research backs up Delmar’s views. In 2021, a Harvard School of Public Health review found evidence showing that exposure to nature led to improvements in health — including enhanced cognitive function, brain activity, blood pressure, mental health, and sleep.
Leigh Stringer is an American workplace strategy expert and author of The Healthy Workplace: How to Improve the Wellbeing of Your Employees – and Boost Your Company’s Bottom Line.
Leigh Stringer is an American workplace strategy expert and author of .
“For most of human history, we spent our days outdoors, hunting, gathering, and farming in the open air,” she says. “But around 300 years ago, around the time of the Industrial Revolution, most of us started working inside and we haven’t gone back out since.”
New flexible working practices and mobile technology haven’t changed this. “These days, we can easily do part of our jobs in trains, planes, and coffee shops,” says Stringer. “But somehow, working outside remains a foreign concept.”
She suggests this is due to conditioning. “From when we start work, we’re programmed to think of outside time as break time, not time for work,” she says.
“All of this being indoors isn’t good for us. It impacts our work performance with study after study showing that not only does being outside in nature improve our physical and mental wellbeing but it also improves memory and focus, reduces mental fatigue, and increases creativity.”
In 2018, she conducted a study with American retail company LL Bean to find out why more workers weren’t opting to work outdoors. “Of the 1,000 workers we questioned, 96% supported the idea of working outside more often, yet 75% rarely or never took the time to do so,” she says.
Their reasons were varied. Some 56% said they worried about the negative perceptions of managers and colleagues.
“Others struggled with the idea of dragging their equipment outside,” says Stringer.
Summer is the ideal time to make the most of the weather by spending time working outside, says Stringer.
“A surprising amount of work can be done outdoors. Most workers feel more comfortable doing creative or relationship-based work outdoors, so consider taking phone or conference calls outside.
“Schedule a walking meeting with colleagues or a team brainstorming session outside, but bear in mind that work involving technology is a little tougher unless you have access to a covered spot, power, and wi-fi.”
Delmar recommends using break times to get outdoors. “Things like taking the dog for a walk, going for a run, exercising in the garden between work tasks or simply taking lunch or break times outside will all help you reap healthy rewards,” she says.
Byron sets an alarm on her phone, reminding her to get up and out at 3.15pm every day. “That’s when my energy and cognitive engagement is at its lowest,” she says. “I find that getting some fresh air into my lungs helps and allows me to review where I am with my day and prioritise what needs to get done by 5pm.”
She advises her clients to identify their energy low points and, if possible, schedule time outdoors at those times. “Even if it’s raining, quietly standing by an open door looking out can help.”
Our soft Irish weather means Carew is sometimes reluctant to go outside. “Wet days are definitely more difficult,” she says. “But I find the American author and motivational speaker Mel Robbins’ ‘5-4-3-2-1’ method great. I count down from five, get up, put on runners, and grab the dog lead and go.
“If I don’t get out, I really feel it. My thoughts get busy. I feel less grounded. It can be more difficult to concentrate and my sleep suffers. So I know that getting outside has to be my priority.”
