How to move more outdoors when most time in parks is spent sitting

Key takeaways

• In a RAND study of 174 neighborhood parks in 25 U.S. cities, about 60% of park use was sitting or resting, and older adults made up 18% of the population but just 4% of park users.
• A 2019 study of 19,806 adults in England linked at least 120 minutes a week in nature with better self-reported health and well-being, whether people got it in one visit or several.
• People in trials enjoyed outdoor exercise more than the same workout indoors, but a 2019 review found little proof of bigger physical benefits and rated the evidence low quality.
• In a 2023 review, people given “nature prescriptions” took about 900 more steps a day, though their weekly minutes of moderate activity didn’t rise significantly.
• More than 100 million Americans, including 28 million children, don’t have a park within a 10-minute walk, according to Trust for Public Land’s 2025 ParkScore.

America has more than 100,000 neighborhood parks¹. Most of the time, the people in them are sitting.

RAND Corporation researchers learned this by counting. Observers made repeated visits to 174 neighborhood parks in 25 U.S. cities and recorded whether each person was sitting, walking or exercising harder¹.

About 60% of park use was sedentary: sitting, resting, watching¹. Three of every four courts, fields and other activity areas had no one using them when observers came by¹.

Older adults were nearly missing: they made up 18% of the population but only 4% of park users¹. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute paid for the study¹.

Many people also lack a park to walk to. Trust for Public Land (TPL), a nonprofit that ranks city park systems, reported in 2025 that more than 100 million Americans, including 28 million children, have no park within a 10-minute walk².

This guide takes the movement side: what outdoor exercise adds, a weekly plan, how to find places close to home, and safety rules for heat, smoke, storms and cold. Other articles in this library cover nature and well-being in depth.

Outdoor workouts feel easier, and people say they’d do them again

The best evidence comes from studies that had people do the same walk or run indoors and outdoors, then compared how they felt.

In 2011, researchers led by Jo Thompson Coon pulled together 11 such studies with 833 adults⁵. Outdoors, people reported more energy and revitalization and less tension, anger and depression⁵. They enjoyed it more and said they were more likely to do it again⁵.

The catch is that these were short-term feelings, measured soon after a single session, and the authors found few high-quality studies⁵.

A 2019 update led by Ian Lahart reviewed 28 trials⁶. Blood pressure and heart rate were mostly no different indoors and out, though two small trials found higher heart rates outside⁶. Enjoyment was higher outdoors in three of four short-term trials⁶.

When the team pooled two longer trials, green exercise felt slightly easier, about one point lower on a rating of perceived effort⁶. The review rated the evidence low quality, with a high risk of bias, and found limited proof that green exercise beats indoor exercise⁶. It had no outside funding⁶.

That still matters, because a workout you enjoy and want to repeat is one you’ll keep doing. For many people, the outdoors makes movement more pleasant, and pleasant is what lasts.

Many natural-health traditions treat fresh air, daylight and green places as part of healing. The science here doesn’t yet prove the outdoors is medicine on its own. It does support a humbler point: it helps a lot of people move.

Two hours a week in nature is a useful target, not a proven dose

The most quoted number in this field comes from Mathew White and colleagues at the University of Exeter. In 2019, they analyzed a national survey of 19,806 adults in England⁴.

Compared with people who logged no nature time that week, those who logged two hours or more were more likely to rate their health as good and their well-being as high⁴. The gains stopped growing somewhere between 200 and 300 minutes, and the two hours could come all at once or in several short trips⁴.

Most visits were close to home, within two miles, and local urban green spaces counted, too⁴. The United Kingdom’s National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) paid for the study⁴.

Read it carefully. It’s a survey, not a trial, so it shows a link, not cause and effect, and healthier people may simply get outdoors more.

The pattern did hold even among people with long-term illnesses or disabilities⁴. Still, the authors call for longer-term and intervention studies before anyone sets weekly nature guidelines⁴.

Time in nature also isn’t the same as exercise. The survey counted minutes spent in nature, not how much people moved while there. Use 120 minutes as a weekly target for outdoor time, then make as much of it move as you can.

Park prescriptions add steps, and minutes of exercise are another story

Some clinicians now write “prescriptions” for time in parks. In the United States, a program called Park Rx America helps clinicians add these to patients’ electronic health records⁸.

We found no published evaluation of Park Rx America’s own results. The best evidence on the idea comes from a 2023 review in The Lancet Planetary Health, led by Phi Yen Nguyen with Thomas Astell-Burt and Xiaoqi Feng⁷.

The team found 92 studies of nature prescriptions, defined as a referral or organized program from a health or social-care professional to spend time in nature⁷. Sixteen came from the United States⁸. They pooled 28 studies⁷.

People given nature prescriptions took about 900 more steps a day than comparison groups⁷. Their systolic blood pressure, the top number, was about 5 points lower, and depression and anxiety scores dropped⁷.

Their weekly minutes of moderate activity rose by about 26, but that result wasn’t statistically significant, meaning it could have been chance⁷. Most studies had a moderate to high risk of bias⁷. Australia’s government research council funded the review⁷.

If a clinician hands you a park prescription, treat it as a nudge and pair it with a plan.

Find your outdoor 120: a weekly plan

This plan is our own, built around the 120-minute target. For how outdoor minutes fit into a full week of activity, see our article on weekly totals.

Judge effort with the talk test. Easy means you can chat in full sentences. Moderate means you can talk but not sing.

Hard means you can say only a few words before you need a breath. If you like numbers, rate effort from 0 to 10, where 0 is resting and 10 is your all-out limit. Aim for about 5 or 6 for moderate.

Level	Who it suits	Weekly outdoor minutes	How hard	A sample week
Starting	New to exercise, returning after illness, or older and building up	50 to 75 at first, then 120 by week 5	Easy to moderate	Weeks 1 to 2: 10 to 15 minutes, 5 days. Weeks 3 to 4: 20 minutes, 5 days. Week 5 on: 30 minutes, 4 days
Building	Active indoors, new to outdoor routines	120	Moderate	Four 30-minute walks, bike rides or paddles; make one on hills or a trail
Strong	Fit and active	120 to 180	Moderate, with hard bursts	Two 60-minute hikes or rides, plus two 30-minute sessions with five or six 1-minute hard efforts

Three rules help any level. First, lengthen each session by no more than about 10 minutes at a time. Second, keep at least one session social, such as a walking club or a friend. Third, choose a loop, so you can cut it short and still get home.

Muscle-strengthening work belongs in the plan too, and the outdoors offers plenty of it. Carrying a pack, climbing stairs in a park and bodyweight moves on a bench all count. Our upcoming articles on strength and bodyweight exercise give full routines.

Close to home matters, and many Americans don’t have it

In TPL’s 2025 ParkScore, which ranks park systems in the 100 most populous U.S. cities, 76% of residents lived within a 10-minute walk of a park, up from 68% when the index began in 2012². Quartz’s July 2026 coverage of the 2026 index gave the same 76% and put average park spending at $154 per resident³.

Distance isn’t the only barrier. RAND’s park research shows that design and programs shape whether people move once they get there¹:

• A walking loop went with 80% more visitors and 90% more physical activity. Older adults made up 8% of users where there was a loop and 4% where there wasn’t¹. Only 29% of parks had one¹.
• Each added supervised activity, such as a class or league, went with 48% more users and 37% more time in moderate-to-vigorous activity¹. More than half of parks offered none¹.
• Signs and marketing in and around a park went with about 62% more users¹.
• In lower-income neighborhoods, parks had under half the number of supervised activity areas¹.

These are associations, not experiments, but they point to what to look for. Use this checklist to scout your options.

The local-access checklist

• Distance: Is there a park, trail or greenway within a 10-minute walk? TPL’s ParkScore rates the 100 largest cities³, and your city or county parks department lists local parks and trails.
• A loop: Is there a marked walking or bike loop, ideally with distance markers?
• Programs: Does the parks department run free walks, fitness classes, senior programs or adult leagues?
• Getting there: Are there sidewalks, safe crossings, bike lanes or a bus stop?
• Comfort: Is there shade, water, restrooms and benches for rest stops?
• Access: Are paths paved or firm enough for a cane, walker, wheelchair or stroller?
• Light and safety: Is it lit, busy enough to feel safe, and open when you’re free?
• Backup: Where will you go on lightning, smoke or extreme-heat days?

If your park scores poorly, tell the parks department. RAND’s findings suggest loops, programs and signs could help a park get more use¹.

Heat, smoke and storms: the outdoor safety rules

Outdoor exercise carries risks a gym doesn’t, but most are easy to manage with a quick check before you leave.

Hazard	Check before you go	What to do out there	Get help if
Heat	Forecast; plan for cooler hours	Ease in: most heat adaptation happens over about 10 days of daily exercise. Sweat can reach a liter an hour; thirst alone may not prevent mild dehydration, but don’t force water you don’t want11	Severe confusion, seizures or collapse, with a body temperature of 104°F or higher: heat stroke is an emergency; cool the person now and call 91111
Air quality	The Air Quality Index at AirNow.gov9	Healthy adults can usually exercise when air quality is moderate; older adults and unusually sensitive people should avoid long, intense workouts at moderate or worse9	Chest pain or trouble breathing: stop and seek care
Lightning	Thunderstorm forecast	If you hear thunder, head for a building with plumbing and wiring or a hard-topped car with the windows up. Stay put until 30 minutes pass with no thunder10	Someone is struck: call 911 right away
Cold and wet	Temperature, wind, rain	Wear layers and stay dry; wet clothing pulls heat away fastest11	Shivering that won’t stop, confusion, slurred speech or drowsiness12

A few numbers explain the lightning rule. Thunder usually carries about 10 miles, and lightning can strike 6 to 10 miles from a storm¹⁰. Rain shelters, dugouts and sheds don’t protect you¹⁰. The National Weather Service counts about 30 lightning deaths a year, and roughly two-thirds involve outdoor recreation¹⁰.

Smoke and smog deserve a closer look if you have heart or lung disease. The Environmental Protection Agency notes that even easy walking may matter for these groups, and advises asking your clinician⁹.

Two other hazards get their own coverage. Our hiking article covers ticks and trail safety, and an upcoming article on sunlight covers sun exposure.

Winter: dress for the work, not the thermometer

Cold weather doesn’t have to end your outdoor routine, but it changes how you dress and how hard you push.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends three layers¹²:

1. A base layer that holds warmth without soaking up sweat, such as wool, silk or polypropylene.
2. An insulating layer, such as fleece, wool or down.
3. A wind- and water-resistant outer shell.

Peel off a layer when you get too warm, because heavy sweating makes you lose more heat¹². Wet is the real danger. The CDC says hypothermia can set in even above 40°F when rain, sweat or cold water chills you¹³.

Shoveling snow is outdoor exercise, and hard exercise at that. The CDC notes that cold adds strain on the heart¹². If you have heart disease or high blood pressure, ask your clinician about shoveling before the first storm, and if you shovel, go slowly¹².

Some winter ideas, our own suggestions: walk at midday, when it’s warmest and brightest; try snowshoeing or cross-country skiing on a groomed trail; and pick routes with salted or cleared paths. Traction cleats that slip over your shoes can make icy sidewalks safer.

How strong is the evidence?

Claim	Rating	What it rests on
Exercise outdoors feels more enjoyable than the same exercise indoors	Promising but early	Short-term trials, low quality56
Exercise outdoors feels slightly easier	Promising but early	A pooled result from two longer trials6
Outdoor exercise lowers blood pressure or heart rate more than indoor exercise	Not enough evidence	Mostly no differences found, in small studies6
About 120 minutes a week in nature goes with better health and well-being	Promising but early	One large survey, cause and effect unproven4
Nature prescriptions raise daily steps and lower blood pressure	Promising but early	Pooled studies with moderate to high risk of bias7
Nature prescriptions raise weekly exercise minutes	Not enough evidence	Result not statistically significant7
Walking loops and programs draw more active park use	Promising but early	Observational park studies1
Hard exercise on bad-air days is fine for everyone	Evidence says no, or unsafe	EPA advises sensitive groups to cut back9

Questions readers ask

The bottom line

Outdoor exercise is still exercise: most of the benefit comes from moving, wherever you do it. But many people find the outdoors makes moving easier to enjoy and easier to repeat, and two hours a week of outdoor time is a reasonable target, even if the research behind it is early.

Plan your week, scout the places near you, and check the heat, air and storm forecast before you go. Then get up off the park bench.

Related reading

• Walking clubs work, and you need fewer steps than you were told
• Your heart counts the weekly total while your habits count the repeats
• Wellness advice is written for an average person who doesn’t exist
• Home gardens save money until you count your hours, but a trial found other payoffs
• Hiking can double a walk’s workout, and the way down needs a plan too

Sources

1. Cohen DA, Leuschner KJ. “How Can Neighborhood Parks Be Used to Increase Physical Activity?” RAND Corporation, RR-2490-NHLBI, 2018. rand.org
2. American Community Media. Report on Trust for Public Land’s 2025 ParkScore index. May 28, 2025. americancommunitymedia.org
3. Quartz. “The Best U.S. City Park Systems of 2026” (on Trust for Public Land’s 2026 ParkScore index). July 28, 2026. qz.com
4. White MP, Alcock I, Grellier J, et al. “Spending at Least 120 Minutes a Week in Nature Is Associated With Good Health and Wellbeing.” Scientific Reports, 2019 (University of Exeter news release, via Neuroscience News, June 13, 2019). neurosciencenews.com
5. Thompson Coon J, Boddy K, Stein K, et al. “Does Participating in Physical Activity in Outdoor Natural Environments Have a Greater Effect on Physical and Mental Wellbeing Than Physical Activity Indoors? A Systematic Review.” Environmental Science & Technology, 2011 (research summary, NAAEE eePRO). eepro.naaee.org
6. Lahart I, Darcy P, Gidlow C, Calogiuri G. “The Effects of Green Exercise on Physical and Mental Wellbeing: A Systematic Review.” International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2019;16:1352. eprints.staffs.ac.uk
7. Nguyen PY, Astell-Burt T, Rahimi-Ardabili H, Feng X. “Effect of Nature Prescriptions on Cardiometabolic and Mental Health, and Physical Activity: A Systematic Review.” The Lancet Planetary Health, 2023;7(4):e313-e328 (University of Wollongong repository). pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
8. Natural Medicine Journal. “Prescription Nature.” February 2024.
9. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. “Should You Exercise Outside in Air Pollution?” Science Matters, updated July 30, 2026. epa.gov
10. National Weather Service. “Lightning Safety and Outdoor Sports Activities.” NOAA. weather.gov
11. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Heat and Cold Illness in Travelers.” CDC Yellow Book. cdc.gov
12. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Safety Guidelines: During & After a Winter Storm.” CDC, August 25, 2026. cdc.gov
13. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Preventing Hypothermia.” CDC, August 25, 2026. cdc.gov
14. Riebe D, Franklin BA, Thompson PD, et al. “Updating ACSM’s Recommendations for Exercise Preparticipation Health Screening.” Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 2015;47(11):2473-2479. digitalcommons.uri.edu
15. Leeds Beckett University, Carnegie School of Sport. “Health Screening Guidance” (applying ACSM preparticipation screening guidelines). Www.Leedsbeckett.Ac.Uk