Andy Devaney
If you’re looking to improve your mental health, the best place to start is embarrassingly ordinary: outside your front door. Not the Highlands. Not a summit. Not a life overhaul involving specialist socks and a personality change. Just fresh air, daylight, and a bit of movement done often enough to make a difference.
That’s the premise behind GO Outdoors partnering with Liv Bolton, author and host of The Outdoor Fix, to share practical ways outdoor activity can support mental wellbeing. Bolton’s message is especially useful for people who look at “getting outside more” and assume it requires grand plans, long drives, and free weekends they don’t possess.
She’s clear that it doesn’t. “Getting outdoors doesn’t have to mean going on a massive hike in the mountains, or travelling up to the highlands of Scotland – it can mean simply exploring a local green space you’ve never been to before with your kids and treating it like a big adventure.”
The outdoors advantage (and why it often beats indoor exercise)
Indoor workouts have their place. But for many people they come with friction: time pressure, cost, crowded spaces, mirrors, noise, and that faint sense you’re being assessed by strangers who have never once struggled with motivation.
Outdoor movement can feel less loaded. The scenery changes, the air is different, and your attention has something healthier to do than counting minutes. If your goal is to move more for mental health, the outdoors often makes consistency easier—because it feels like living, not “training”.
What the evidence suggests about nature and mood
A growing body of research links time in nature with improvements in mood, including reductions in anxiety, stress, and negative emotional states, alongside boosts in self-esteem. You don’t need to treat the outdoors like a miracle cure, but it’s hard to ignore the pattern: people tend to feel better when they spend more time outside, especially when movement is part of it.
Liv Bolton’s 10 practical tips to get outside more often
Bolton’s guidance is built for real life—busy calendars, low energy days, and the fact that motivation isn’t a reliable employee.
1) Start small with a daily walk (15 minutes).
Set a timer, step out, and pay attention to what you can see and hear. It’s simple, repeatable, and surprisingly effective.
2) Join a walking community.
Walking groups such as Black Girls Hike, Adventure Queens, and Blaze Trails add motivation and connection—two things that make habits stick.
3) Set outdoor challenges you can actually win.
Weekly runs, brisk walks, outdoor swims—small goals create momentum and a sense of progress.
4) Explore your local area like it’s new.
Find a nearby park or green space you’ve never visited. Take a coffee flask. Make it a mini-adventure.
5) Use golden hour to make it feel special.
Just after sunrise or before sunset, the light does half the work. It’s the easiest “upgrade” you’ll ever get.
6) Use nature apps to deepen your attention.
Apps like iNaturalist can help identify plants and birds, turning a walk into something engaging rather than routine.
7) Schedule outdoor time like an appointment.
If it’s not planned, it gets eaten by everything else. Put it in the diary and treat it as non-negotiable.
8) Bring wildlife closer to home.
A bird feeder is low effort, low cost, and a surprisingly calming daily ritual.
9) Get outside in all seasons (with the right kit).
Waiting for perfect weather is how people stay indoors indefinitely. Dress for the conditions and go anyway.
10) Take inspiration from people who’ve changed through the outdoors.
Real stories beat vague motivation. Use other people’s journeys as proof that small steps add up.
How to keep it going when life gets busy
If you’re trying to move more for mental health, the goal isn’t occasional big days—it’s regular small ones. Keep the barrier to entry low: shoes by the door, a route you don’t have to think about, and a time window you can defend. The easier it is to start, the more often you’ll do it.
For more details on Bolton’s recommendations, the GO Outdoors’ blog has additional information on her top tips.
