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Transform Your Days with The 1000 Hours Outside Challenge
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Updated: April 12, 2024
There are few circumstances when I choose to stay indoors rather than go outside to work or play. I recently learned of the 1000 Hours Outside and was immediately intrigued. And so I dug a little more…
With the progression of technology, people are spending more and more time indoors and on screens, missing out on amazing opportunities in nature. This trend is affecting all generations equally. In an attempt to turn that around, “1000 Hours Outside” was created.
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What is the 1000 Hours Challenge?
The 1000 Hours initiative was created by Ginny Yurich, mother of 5. The goal of this challenge is to shift time away from indoor screen time and towards the great outdoors.
The target is to spend 1000 Hours Outside over the course of a year.
What is the point of 1000 hours?
The point of 1000 Hours is to encourage outdoor play versus indoor screen time. Although centered toward children, this premise can be applied to anyone.
It seems simple enough, but screen time has started to overwhelm our lives. From TVs, computers, gaming systems, laptops, and phones, screens are everywhere.
The screens themselves aren’t bad. But the balance is off. The 1,000 Hours Challenge can help tilt the scales back to a more balanced relationship between screen time and outdoor time.
My favorite hiking backpack!
Why 1000 hours?
The stats vary depending on where you get them, but MedLine Plus estimates children spend 3 hours a day in front of the TV. Adding in other screen time, those totals can climb to 5-7 hours a day. Some estimates go higher than that. Regardless of the exact numbers, it’s not good.
Based on the 3 hours a day of TV estimate, converted to a full year equals 1,095 hours.
The 1,000 Hours Outside Challenge attempts to replace the 3 hours a day of TV with 3 hours a day of outdoor activity.
How many hours a day to get 1,000 hours in a year?
Broken down, 1,000 hours in a year is equal to 2.75 hours per day. That is 2 hours and 45 minutes as a goal time to spend outside.
This may be tough to hit on some days or certain times of the year, depending on weather conditions. It may be easier to shoot for weekly or monthly goals.
1000 hours / year = 83 hours/ month = 19.25 hours / week = 2.75 hours / day
| Year | Per Month | Per Week | Per Day |
| 1,000 hours | 83 hours | 19.25 hours | 2.75 hours |
How many hours should humans be outside?
The National Recreation and Parks Association states that spending as little as 20 minutes outdoors has benefits.
REI has an article about spending 120 minutes a week outdoors to reap the health benefits.
The Official Book –>
1000 Hours Outside: Activities to Match Screen Time with Green Time
The exact number for each person may vary depending on climate, physical ability, and interests. But all agree that outdoor time is beneficial.
Whatever your baseline is, strive to improve that number for YOU.
EVEN IF YOU FAIL, YOU WIN.
-Ginny Yurich
Challenge Tracker
track your 1000 hours outside
15 Activities for an Awesome Outdoor Adventure {explore NATURE!}
What is the 20-5-3 rule?
If the 1,000 Hours Outside Challenge seems daunting, you can start with another guideline to ease into some outdoor time.
Dr. Rachel Hopman, a neuroscientist at Northeastern University, came up with the 20-5-3 rule for spending time outside.
This rule states that you should spend 20 minutes a day outside (3 days a week), 5 hours a month in nature, and 3 days a year off the grid.
| 20 | Minutes each day to spend outside (3 days a week) |
| 5 | Hours each month to spend outside |
| 3 | Days each year to spend off the grid |
For more on the 20-5-3 Rule, read this Men’s Health article.
How can I spend more time outdoors in the winter?
Winter does not have to dampen your outdoor efforts (depending on where you live).
Our winters range from -10 to 50 degrees. Below 25 degrees puts a halt on most of our outdoor activities, but we still make the best of it and at least drive around to look at pretty scenery and grab some of that vitamin D.
If the weather is above 25 degrees, we layer up properly and take off into the wild.
Hiking in the winter is one of our favorites! As you hike, you warm up and the weather feels quite nice. Just make sure to protect the sensitive body areas (fingers, face, toes).
The Essentials.
Hiking supplies to own.
How can I spend more time outdoors in the summer?
This one seems easy but is actually more difficult for us. Our summers are hot and humid, making outdoor activity exhausting at times.
With our typical summers at 90-105°F and a heat index adding 10-15°, we will spend all of our outdoor time on and in water.
On the hottest days (120° heat index this year), we opt for only sunrise and sunset activities (usually kayaking) to avoid the heat of the day.
Float the Illinois in Arkansas
What to expect on this beautiful adventure.
Float the Illinois in Oklahoma
How to Kayak 101. A beginner’s guide + FAQs
TIPS to get started with the 1000 Hours Outside Challenge:
- Start small. If you’re not used to spending a lot of time outdoors, start by aiming for 30 minutes of outdoor activity each day. You can gradually increase the amount of time you spend outside as you become more comfortable.
- Find activities that you enjoy. Find activities that you and your family find fun and engaging. This could be hiking, biking, camping, fishing, swimming, gardening, playing sports, having picnics, birdwatching, stargazing, or simply spending time relaxing in nature.
- Be flexible. There will be days when you can’t spend as much time outside as you’d like, due to weather or other commitments. Don’t beat yourself up about it. Just try to make up for it on the days when you can.
- Make it a family affair. Involve your children in planning and choosing activities, and make it a fun and memorable experience for everyone.
Will you be participating in “1000 Hours Outside” this year?
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I think this is a very good challenge! Spending more time off-screen and outside is good for your mental health, physical health and a lot of other things 🙂
Love it!
I love this idea! I totally agree it’s so important to spend time outside. And I love that you outlined tips for going outside in the Winter. Winter hikes always make me feel so much better about the gloom of the season. Thank you for sharing!
Winter hikes are the only thing that keep me sane in the gloomy weather!
For a homebody like me, I’d come up about 700 hours short each year LOL! But I am trying to spend less time in front of my computer/phone and more time outside!
And that’s the goal- more time outdoors. Like the quote says- “Even if you fail, you win.” So even if you don’t hit 1000 hours, you still get more time outdoors.
Love this idea and will definitely try to incorporate some of these tips with my two little ones!
This is great 👍🏽
I need to definitely work my way up to this challenge. I’ve been wanting to get outside more so I’ll start off with walks in the mornings for sure.
I agree that spending time in nature is super good fo humans, especially children.
I’ve never purposely done the 1000 hour challenge, but we have farm animals and a garden, so we go outside atleast 30 minutes every day, even in winter, to feed and water. And some days we have more work out there, like cleaning stalls.
In summer we also spend many hours outside, tending to the garden and many outdoor projects and we also love going to local lakes and rivers to play.
I’ve tried my best to show my kids many fun things to do outside, so it doesn’t feel like a chore to have to go outside, but something they truly enjoy…and I hope they’ll carry that joy of spending time in nature into adulthood.
That’s great! And I think that’s the trick with kids- make it fun and lead by example
I love how this is broken down into chunks and easy to do. Being from Florida, the beaches are huge motivators to get outside!
I love this idea of 1000 hours outside! Great ideas for things to do!
I love this concept. I tried keeping track one year and failed , but it at least kept me concious of the attempt. I think we will try again!
I am just starting it for the first time. I’m not sure I can focus for a solid year, but hopefully it will kick start the habit.
Less screen time is always a great idea.
Agreed!
What a wonderful challenge idea! I prefer to be outdoors as opposed to sitting inside. However, when the weather changes I migrate indoors. Thank you for the reminder to continue enjoying the new season outside.
I think this is a great idea! Love it!
This is such an awesome idea! I can’t wait to try it with my kids next year. Thank you for sharing and giving some awesome winter ideas!
Great idea! This 1000-hour outside challenge will be a wonderful experience.
I love the idea of a 1,000 hour challenge. I know that living in MI I’m definitely guilty of not getting outside as much in the winter as I could. Thanks for the helpful activity suggestions, a winter bonfire sounds wonderful!
Such an important reminder, and a great way to organize the concept into a routine. I’m all in for giving it a go this year!
Great idea! I will definitely be thinking about this!
My family is also doing the 1000 hours outside challenge! It’s awesome to meet other like minded individuals who know the importance of getting out and being in nature. Great tips! I’ll definitely utilize these ideas to help us reach our goal!
This is a great activity for National Nutrition Month. “Screen time for Green Time” is a great slogan. Thanks for sharing.
I have heard of this challenge! My littles and I are outside most days any ways, I think we are going to try it!
Great read, thanks!
Wow, What a great thing to do, I never thought a challenge like this, it is so exciting and adventurous. This motivate me to do things like this, you know what I am really gonna do this, it’s in my bucket list now,…. Thank you for this…