The Great Outdoors

I had the pleasure of working a wedding this weekend in beautiful Aspen, Colorado. It was a stunning setting under a tent on a ranch with the iconic Maroon Bells peaks in the background. There are always challenges to working outdoor events, and in this case walking all night on uneven grass took it’s toll on all of us. With that being said, there was something energizing about being outside. It certainly helped that the sun was shining, a group of white tailed deer wandered by on the adjoining hillside, and that we were in a gorgeous setting. It all got me thinking how important it is to be out in nature, so I did a little digging.

Park Rx America is a nonprofit organization that works to reduce chronic disease through environmental stewardship and prescribed time in nature. They have found that simply being outside in a park or near trees can help children become more social and resilient, can lower anxiety and depression, and it can improve weight, blood pressure and overall health. If you primarily work inside, you’re in luck because in a study done at the University of Michigan, they found that only 20 minutes in nature was all it took to see a reduction in stress hormones among participants. Time outside has also been linked to faster healing, improved focus, and some studies have even shown that time outside can improve memory loss.

As restrictions are being lifted around the country, and business for the hospitality industry comes roaring back, many companies are struggling to staff back up. While I think we can agree, it’s a better challenge to have than what we were faced with last year, it is creating a tremendous amount of stress for leaders and their teams. This weekend was a great reminder for me of just how important it is to spend some time outside each week to help recharge my own proverbial battery. And the timing couldn’t be better because as the weather gets warmer, the outdoors become even more inviting (at least in Colorado - maybe not so much for my friends in Florida and Arizona). Now I have even more motivation now for evening walks, patio drinks, bike rides, hikes and picnics in the park. No matter how busy our schedules are, we can all make some time to venture out into the Great Outdoors, and when it happens while working, I know I will have a renewed appreciation for that opportunity.