A Doctor Says You Need 17 Minutes Outside Every Day. Here’s Why

11 minutes of daily outdoor activity, y'all, [music]. lowers. risk of premature death by 23%. That is. so shocking. >> even be brisk walking in [music] a park. Your sleep begins to improve. Your focus. begins to improve. >> Really? >> Your mood begins to improve. [music]. >> It's a formula for making your life. better, and I don't [music] have to go. out and buy anything. >> Right. >> I just have to get myself outside in a. green or blue space.

You said soul tired. Oof. From being. constantly plugged in, [music] soul. tired, Chris. Tell us what's going on. Hi, everybody. It is my pleasure to be. with you here on the Oprah podcast. We're outside today, right on my front. porch, and my guest couldn't be happier. about that. Dr. John LaPuma is a. physician and trained chef. They call. him Chef MD, and he's written an. eye-opening book called Indoor Epidemic.

It's about the healing power of nature, and he means healing literally, and says. simply spending intentional time outside. can significantly improve your physical. health and your mental health. It's It's. It's the age-old wisdom that parents. have been telling children all these. years, generations, go outside and play. And none of us are doing enough of that,

right? >> Right. And we're not doing it in green. and blue spaces. >> And we're not doing it in green and blue. spaces. And what does that mean, green. and blue spaces? >> Green spaces are spaces that. are surrounded by plants and trees, anything green. >> So, it's your front yard. >> Could be your front yard if you have. >> Could be your front yard if you have. one. Or it could be a park. >> Could be a park. >> You'd love it if it's a forest. >> I definitely it's a forest. Yes. But. most people don't have forest nearby. >> Yes. >> They do have an urban park nearby.

>> Yes. >> And if we're lucky, we have a backyard. and and a garden. >> Yes. >> Or a community garden. Or any other type of green space. >> Yeah. >> Blue space is just a space near water, preferably running water. A stream, a brook, the ocean, but lakes. and ponds and pools all count. Because. they have. an incredible and direct effect on our. biology.

>> Mhm. >> Green and blue spaces allow us to use. parts of our brain that we currently are. not using most of the time. >> Right. So, a person living in uh a rural. area surrounded by trees, >> Yes. >> I grew up, >> Yes. >> versus a person living in concrete. surrounding by buildings who never sees. a tree, >> Yeah. >> just naturally is going to be healthier. and have a better state of mind than a.

person who is not surrounded by anything. green or anything blue. >> Yes, because they're more likely to get. many of the natural cues that our. biology evolved to understand. They're. more likely to get light, daylight. They're more likely to get have movement. outside. They're more likely to. experience fresh air. >> Yeah. >> They're more likely to have. natural forces including the ability to. see at a distance.

Um you know, our eyes need distance like. our lungs need air. And we haven't. really understood the environment as an. important part of medical problems, preventing and treating medical. problems, until very recently. >> So, I want to jump right in here, Dr. LaPuma. Um. >> Please call me John. >> Okay. Well, it's hard but okay. Okay, John. Let's jump in. >> I'm calling you Oprah. >> Okay, good. [laughter]. Okay. Uh page 86. >> Yes. >> Uh.

I thought you were speaking to the. world. Is your mind a runaway train, you. ask us. A clattering whirlwind of to-do. lists, anxious what ifs, and the endless. ping of digital alerts. Do you feel a. weariness deep in your bones that sleep. cannot touch? >> Wow. >> If that sounds familiar, you're not. alone. You're battling the indoor. epidemic that uh Dr. Lipman talks about. head-on and frankly you're exhausted.

And I think you just described just. about everybody. Tell us about your 7%. solution for the indoor epidemic. >> Well, as you've said, Oprah, the indoor. epidemic is the fact that we're spending. 93% of our time indoors. Which is startling. We only spend about. 7% of our time outdoors on average. >> know. I read that. I was startled. Most. people spend 93% of their time indoors? >> Amazing. And.

the 7% of the time that we spend. outdoors is largely incidental. >> Trying to get to indoors. >> Yeah, exactly. Or maybe picking up the. mail or maybe picking up the DoorDash. outside the door. It's sort of it's. just walking down the sidewalk with your. phone in your hand. That's incidental. time and it's. biologically inactive. Doesn't help you. at all. >> Yeah. Yeah. >> But. if you take just 2 hours a week or 17.

minutes a day, >> 2 hours a week or 17 minutes a day, >> and change that time from incidental to. intentional, >> Mhm. >> specific time in green or blue areas, >> Right. >> you can turn those minutes into a kind. of medicine. and change a lot of what you've just. read that's and so many Americans, so. many people worldwide are affected by. Um and it's not very hard.

It's it's. >> Well, I I think asking me 17 minutes a. day is not like world doesn't feel like. it's like I have to make a big shift in. my life to get 17 minutes a day. >> of things. at that level a lot of things happen. that are good. >> Yeah. >> Your sleep begins to improve. Your focus. begins to improve. >> Really? >> Your mood begins to improve. Even having that much vigorous activity. at that level, that's a 23% drop in.

premature death. Which is amazing. I know. It that's 196. studies, over a million people, British. Journal of Medicine. >> that and I couldn't I found that to be. shocking. That there's a 23% drop in. your death rate? >> Yes, that's that's actually actually. done with 11 minutes of vigorous. activity on average, but if you have. that in a green or a blue space, you. actually stack those benefits. >> Yeah, you say that on page 149 that 11. minutes of daily outdoor activity,

y'all, lowers risk of premature death by. 23%. That is that's just so so shocking. >> even be brisk walking in a park. >> Yeah. >> And what we're talking about is stacking. the benefits on top of that, the. biological benefits. >> Yes. And you know what is so interesting. is that so much of this comes down to. re-engaging with the sun, the sky, the. soil, and your invi- your advice, I.

think, in chapter one was to meet the. morning sun. >> That's right. >> Meet the morning sun. >> Yes. >> What impact does that have and what do. you mean by that? >> What I mean by that is within 60 to 90. minutes of waking, the back of your eyes, the back of the. retina, has light-sensing cells that. will pick up morning light. anywhere. You don't have to look. directly at the sun. Please don't look. directly at the sun. >> Yeah. >> Don't wear sunglasses. Just go outside.

and look at daylight between for 10 to. 15 minutes, even even on a cloudy day, because out outdoor light is 25 to 50. times brighter than indoor light. >> Right. >> And that. does this. It. lets you get a big cortisol boost in the. morning, which you want to be awake. Helps your coffee work better. You can then set your setting your. melatonin timer, which helps you go to.

sleep at night, for about 14 hours. later. You're. most importantly, perhaps, creating deep. sleep for yourself. Deep sleep is slow. REM sleep, in which you. build bone, very important for women who. are worried about osteoporosis. You. repair muscle from the day, and your glymphatic system kicks in. Your glymphatic system is a. brain-cleaning system that's circulating.

spinal fluid around your brain cleans. out beta-amyloid and tau, which are the. proteins that are associated with. Alzheimer's. >> Mhm. >> So, in deep sleep, which we actually get. less of unfairly as [snorts] we get. older, we. you these three things happen once you. set your circadian rhythm. >> Why do we get less of it as we get. older? >> No one knows. >> Yeah. >> And that's one of the parts that we want. to research here, because it makes such.

a dramatic difference in our daily. health. >> Absolutely. So, you write about I say. absolutely cuz I have that aura ring and. I'm always checking how much deep sleep. I get. And it's never enough. It's never. enough. >> No. And but it improves if you get 15. minutes regularly. within 60 to 90 minutes of waking. no sunglasses seeing the sky because the. wavelengths that are blue in the morning.

impinge on the back of your retina and. they tell your brain, "Hey, wake up and hey, let's set our circadian. rhythm.". >> And that's the That's the healing power. of the sky. >> That's the healing power of the morning. sun. >> The morning sun. Healing power of the. sky is something different? >> It is related because of course we're. looking at the sky to get the sun, but. actually you can be puttering in your. garden, you can be doing almost anything. as long as those rays come in the first. 15 minutes. When you're out in daylight. working during the day, you get. reinforcement.

>> Yeah. >> of your circadian rhythm. >> I know this was the best choice to be. out on the porch because the crew wanted. to be inside and I said, "Why wouldn't. you be outside on the porch where you. can see the sky?". >> be on the porch and see green, touch. green, smell green, feel the wind it's. actually biologically active. It is. giving your biology signals. that it is day, you are awake, you are. alert, you are present, you are engaged, you are beginning to use your senses.

because as you know. that's how we experience nature. >> That is. That is. Yes. >> By touching, listening, seeing, smelling, tasting. >> And you say even the color of the sky. and the ocean, the color blue is. healing. Here's what you write on page. 53. When we're in a state of blue mind, you call it, our brain chemistry. literally shifts the sight, sound, and. touch of water activate the. parasympathetic nervous system, dampens.

the hypothalamic stress circuits, and. rebalance neural pathways towards. safety, reward, and connection. Why is. blue so healing? >> Again, not known, but it's thought it's. because it's a key color in nature. >> Yeah. >> The sky is blue. The ocean is blue. It's. thought that those natural signals that. we evolved with that are ancient. are reflected in our.

philia, our attraction for the color. blue. >> Mhm. >> And that that being near water is part. of that. It may also be that the the. sound of water, particularly moving. water, can itself. be healing and activate the. parasympathetic nervous system, as you. say. >> Well, anybody who knows me knows how. much I love trees and love to be. surrounded by trees. I even sometimes in. the morning I'm talking to them. What I. didn't know until reading this is that.

they are answering me back in their own. way. So, tell us how being around trees. actually boosts our immune system. >> I love that you do that. I do it, too. Trees. make chemicals called phytoncides. And they make them in their leaves. And. they make them as part of their own. immune system. to. ward off bugs that will eat them. When trees emit phytoncides and send.

them out into the world, other trees. pick them up and also change the. chemicals in their leaves so they won't. be as tasty to insects. And those very. same chemicals, phytoncides, which we. can recognize from some aromatherapy, can. improve our own immunity. An immunologist named King Lee in Japan. in 1985 did studies about phytoncides. He took actually um office workers into. the uh forest and for 3 days and and 2.

nights they just walked gently in the. forest and they came back and measured. how active their immune system was. They. made white blood cells. 56% more. Natural killer cells were 56%. more than they were when they left. >> Wow. >> And these natural killer cells, which. everybody makes, kill cells in you that have viruses. Kill cells in you that are tumor cells. And that effect lasted not just 7 days, but 30 days in those office workers. And.

he went back to the laboratory and. tested these very same chemicals and. found the same thing. >> Well, you write about forest bathing, too, which I just love that term ever. since I first heard it. Explain to our. audience what it is and why we should. all be doing it. >> Forest bathing is not. bathing in a forest. >> But instead bathing in the sensory. qualities of the forest. >> Mhm. >> It's sensory sipping of the forest, if. you will. It's a. kind of.

deliberately cycling through your senses. and asking. the forest in a way to be the therapist, to simply being present. It's going. maybe an eighth of a mile in half an. hour. It's not exercise. It's a way to. breathe the microbial richness of the. forest, to see the wind move, to be in. tune with nature. And this does. >> It's walking through the moving through. the forest with intention and full-on.

presence for everything that you're. experiencing. >> Exactly right. And it has the same. effect as an initial beta blocker for. blood pressure. Drops blood pressure by. 7 mm systolic and 4 mm diastolic. >> Yeah. So, forest bathing is walking. through a park or walking through a. woods or walking through a forest, if. you happen to be around one, and taking. in with all of your senses everything, your feet on the ground, the presence. And I've often heard people say this,

that um. walking barefoot through on grass does. something. Does it? >> You know, I wrote a chapter in the book. on grounding and then I took it out. Yeah. Um also called earthing. >> Yes. >> Because I wasn't persuaded by the data. It didn't rise to the level of gardening. or of looking at the sea and sky. >> been scientifically proven. >> But of the 2,200 studies that I read for. this book, which I needed to do to find. the science for it, I found that the.

grounding studies did not measure up as. as well as the gardening studies, as the. forest bathing studies, as the morning. light studies, as the dusk studies. >> Yeah. >> As as the movement through nature ex-. the studies, which I call. >> All of those have been proven. >> green exercise. I mean, there's really. nothing easier to get. >> want to go barefoot, do it. >> Please. >> Yes. >> Just be careful. >> where you're walking barefoot. >> [music]. >> Everything I do begins with intention.

You become exactly what you believe is. possible. Especially. >> [music]. >> the Oprah podcast. >> You're doing good, ain't you? >> I believe when people share their. personal journeys with authenticity, >> Never thought of it like that. >> I love that you've [music] never thought. of it that way before. >> And with intention, something beautiful. happens. We. >> [music]. >> recognize pieces of our own lives in. theirs. We realize. >> That actually helps, right? >> we are not alone.

Life is a journey, and how we navigate it matters. >> [music]. >> That's why I am so excited to welcome. our friends at GEICO as the official. insurance partner for the Oprah podcast. For 90 years, GEICO has been there for. the highs and the lows, [music] with. people through life's exciting moments. and supporting them when the road takes. an unexpected turn. Geico's protection. [music] has given customers the peace of. mind to keep moving forward. And that support [music] matters at. every point along the way. A first car,

a new home, a teenager learning to. [music] drive, a delay, a breakdown, a claim. [music]. These are the moments that remind us why. it matters to feel protected before life. changes course. And Geico is there to. make the journey more manageable. >> [music]. >> to help guide you with insurance. designed to keep you covered through it. all because. life happens in ways. we can't always predict. And with the.

right [music] support, we keep driving forward. And that, dear listener, is everything. >> So, we have some folks on Zoom with. questions for you. Brooks is a is an ER. doctor who did one of your YouTube video. series called how to treat anxiety with. hiking. Brooks, welcome to the podcast.

>> Hi, thanks you guys so much for having. me. What an honor. >> What did getting outside do for you? >> Well, I have sort of struggled with. anxiety my whole life. It's something. that, you know, before I went to medical. school, I was having a lot of anxiety. I. When I went to medical school, I was. able to start hiking. I lived close to. the outdoors, I was close to a. waterfall. I would take my dog, we'd go. hiking, and all of the sudden this. anxiety during what should have been a. really, you know, one of the most. stressful times of my life, all of the. sudden my anxiety is gone. I'm sleeping.

great, I'm feeling great. I'm like, "Wow, this is insane. I feel so. wonderful." And so, fast forward a. little bit, I went to residency, had 3. years of residency, did not get to go outside at all really. And so during this time my anxiety. levels rose. I was working a ton and I. wasn't sleeping and I really felt the. effects. >> Yeah. >> I've been out of residency now 3 years. and and I'm outside and I'm hiking again. and I feel like me again and I just I my. mental health has improved so much.

>> residency is designed to kill people. I mean I I I have one of my girls who is. in South Africa in residency and all I. hear is, "Oh my god, I'm dying. I'm. dying." Yes, yeah. It's a design to. to wear you out, right? >> It's really honestly it's a really tough. part of the training. Really tough. >> And I hear you you're now Brooks you are. prescribing outdoor time for your. emergency room patients. >> I do all the time. I get people with. anxiety and panic panic attacks like. every single day, right? And so they.

come in and once I've ruled out the. emergencies and say, "Okay, I really. think you're having anxiety." I ask. them, "What do you do? How how much are. you getting outside? What do you do?". And the answer is almost all the time. they're really not getting outside. They're really not doing much and I'm I. tell them usually I tell them my story a. little bit. I try to be honest with them. and say this has changed my life. This. has changed my anxiety. As somebody who. knows it personally, I said, "You need. to get outside. You got to walk up some. hills. You got to look at the color. green. You got to This is going to. change your life.". >> Wow. >> Wow. Nice.

>> Well, we're happy for you and happy you. got out of residency and now you're. you're you're walking advertisement. >> Yes, you are. >> Yes, you are. Thank you so much. Good to. see you. >> Thank you. You too. >> So chapter four of Indoor Epidemic is. about. uh movement is medicine. Some of what. Brooks is saying and I could not agree. more. You say it matters where though we. do our moving. It matters as much where. >> Right. >> Yeah. >> That's the major thesis here but that.

you know, in my 30 years of practice the. most underestimated health factor I. think. is where people spend their time. So, it's not simply that you're outside, as I've mentioned, it can be incidental. time. It's. where you walked, where you exercise, where you move. needs to be, for it to be biologically. active, near a green or blue space. Not the same walking down a sidewalk in.

Manhattan, Los Angeles. And yet, the. studies of people walking down a city. street and a meadow show that the. rumination center in the brain is. quieted by walking in a meadow, but. actually slightly activated by walking. down even a pretty city street. Yeah. >> Cuz you all all other things have to be. on alert, also. >> Exactly, right. No matter what what city. street you're on. >> Your adrenergic system is in the high. gear. You're watching for things on. either side. You're paying attention to.

notifications on your phone, most. likely. You're wary of traffic. You're. mindful of your next meeting. So, all of. that doesn't allow you. >> Yeah. >> to pay attention to the to. >> I can tell you that after my knee. surgery in 2021, I would look out the. window and I'd see this tree up on the. hill and I'd say, "God, I hope one day I. could get up there. I hope one day I. could get up there." I actually now call. it the hope tree. >> Cool. >> the first time I did it, it took me an. hour and 38 minutes to get there. Now, I. can do it in 28 minutes.

>> awesome. >> That hike. >> That's great. >> But I can tell you that the difference I. feel, cuz I've worked out, you know, my. whole life, but the difference I feel. working out outdoors, hiking, you know, on the mountain, through the hills, in. the. >> I can't I can't even tell you the change. it's made. >> It's a There's a great biologic reason. for it. One of the most famous studies. here, it was done in 1984, published in. Science magazine, it's been cited over. 5,000 times, where people who had the. same operation, staying on either side.

of the hallway, I mentioned it in the. book. Have. >> Some had half had a view of greenery. like you did of that tree, half had a. good view of a brick wall. The people. who had view of greenery outside their. hospital room window. >> that study. >> I know. Had half the opiate requirement. Had stayed in the day in the hospital a. day less. And the nurses thought that their. hospital stay was so much better than. the one people exactly across the. hallway with exactly the same operation.

and exact exactly the same. medical care. And that changed hospital. architecture. I mean, design and what's now being. called neuroesthetics is really. an important part of. determining behavior, not just. intention. But how your environment encourages. behavior one way or the other. determines really whether you respond. biologically. >> I I I get that 100%. We're joined now by.

Chris who wrote in to the podcast saying. lately I have to admit to myself. something. is going on. I'm tired, not just. physically tired. You told us, you said. soul tired. >> Ooh. >> From being constantly plugged in. Soul. tired, Chris. Tell us what's going on. >> I'm this one for you. Hi Dr. LaPuma. Thank you so much for having me. It's a. pleasure to be here. Um yeah, I guess what I mean by that is. like when I think back on just all the.

things competing for our attention these. days from like constant scrolling, the. alerts, the non the non-stop. notifications, that that pressure to. always be on. I've noticed. that it's left me feeling overstimulated. and somehow at the same time empty. Even. when I tell myself I'm resting, I catch. myself still staring at some sort of. screen. And honestly, the more I I I. feel like that I'm connected online, the. more disconnected and distant I feel. from myself and it kind of creates this.

quiet kind of depletion. So, you know, my question to you is like I would. really love and some of the statistics. at the beginning of this conversation. has been so great already, but I would. really love your advice on just. emotional regulation because sometimes. something as simple as an email or text. can send me spiraling and feel so. stressful. >> Oh, I'm sorry. >> And I know we live in a digital. communicative world now. It's all a part. of our lives, but how do we shift our. perspective and not let it control our. emotional state? >> Yeah. Well, Chris, I'm really sorry for.

this. I I know how hard that feels and. how difficult that must feel for you. And and you must know you're not alone. A lot of people feel exactly the same. way, right? >> Yes. I was describing you in the intro. Your mind is a runaway train. >> Yeah, that's right. Actually, I we're. calling this condition digital obesity. Where. >> Wow. >> you are just so overwhelmed by pixels. Like too much sugar burns out your. metabolism, too many pixels burn out. your brain and that's kind of what's. happening to Chris here. And and so.

there are a couple of things. One is. um when you feel like you're spiraling, you get an email and you want to punch. somebody or you. feel like I just can't take it anymore. >> Or just agitated. Just agitated by it. >> Just agitated. >> Yeah. >> You can bypass the thinking part of your. brain, which is processing this. by doing something called the dive. reflex. So, you go into the bathroom and. you. splash cold water in your face for 15.

seconds. What that does is take. tell the nerve, the trigeminal nerve. that innervates your face, that gives. your face feeling. to go directly to your vagus nerve. which. then will shut off, force quit your. stress response. Your blood pressure. drops. Your pulse drops. You just feel. better right away. >> Splashing cold water on your face? >> 15 seconds. And that's because it just goes directly. to the brain stem, it to the vagus.

nerve. It doesn't involve your cortex, which is where your thinking and and. ruminating. So, if you need a forced quit, that's what I. would do. And then just come back and you'll be. you'll the stress response will have. gone away. and you'll be able to begin to make. sense of your inbox, but you'll probably. need to prevent. >> thing as well. >> Yeah. The preventive thing might be. to. listen at night. or in the morning before work.

to um. natural regulating sounds. And I like. the the babbling brook sounds, the light. rain sounds, the ocean wave sounds at 50. or 60 decibels because just 5 minutes of. that. allow. the brain to relax. A- and and feed your sleep. If you're. doing it before sleep, and in the. morning give you calm if you're doing it. before work. And my guess also, Chris, is that you're not. you may not be spending a lot of time.

outside. >> Yeah. Are you in that 93%? 90 Are you 93% indoors? >> I'm definitely in that 93%. It's not. intentional, you know, sometimes I just. catch myself off guard and I was like, "Wow, I don't think I've stepped foot. outdoors today just because of how busy. the day was or kind of constantly I'm. living through, you know, multiple. devices. So, yeah, I'm definitely. >> And you're one of those incidental. people, you just going from your car to. the garage to the building to the da da. da. Yeah. >> Very much so, yeah. >> I would start there. I mean, I would I.

would Why don't you start do what Brooks. did and put yourself on this program, the 7% Why don't you give yourself the. 7% solution? It's not going to be hard. 17 minutes a day, you really just clock. yourself on your watch. 17 minutes a day. outside intentional in some green space. >> That's exactly right. And it could start. with just 10 minutes of morning sun. Because that 10 minutes. it'll let you sleep better at night and.

it will give you the energy in the. morning to face the inbox and power. through it. It will set all of the. clocks in your body. And actually, this. is one of the leading theories of aging. that each organ has a clock and the. circadian rhythm is. managed through the master clock in the. brain. So, by doing this you synchronize. all the clocks in in your all of your. organs. and you then have a chance to.

begin your day in a way that's organized. and logical. And as Oprah says. reinforce that with time outside. And I. like that you're beginning with the. green exercise with movement. >> Yes. >> Yes. >> I'm beginning with that cuz that's what. I do. And I know that it's work I know. that it works cuz it works for me. And I. was one of those people who for 25 years. in Chicago, I literally went from one. garage to the next garage. I would get. be picked up at 5:30 in the morning. I.

would go to the gym. I would get leave. the gym and then I would go to the. garage at the studio and then I wouldn't. leave till 10:30 at night. I never saw. the sky. I never saw the sun. So, I I I. know the difference between now being. outside and and and forest bathing. taking it all in whenever I can. Huge. difference. >> I'll definitely be taking some of these. notes and cues into practice. So, thank. you for sharing that. And um this went. further point just taking 17 minutes. Like if you don't have 17 minutes, we. have issues.

>> Yeah, I was going to say you don't have. 17 minutes and you don't want to get. better. >> Right. Exactly. So, I think just. penciling that in and just being very. intentional about that. I will for sure. um I'm put that on my calendar moving. forward. >> Well, thanks Chris. Thank you so much. >> Chris. Hope you're better. >> Thank you. Thank you. So, Steven is a CEO and serial. entrepreneur. Steven, welcome to the. podcast. Hi. >> Hey, Oprah. It's nice to meet you. And. John, it's great to see you. How are you. today? >> How are you? >> I hear you've known John for about 2. years. Tell us about your CEO reset you.

had. >> Yeah, so John, um. I I knew I needed to make a I needed to. make a change cuz I just wasn't thinking. as intentionally as I as I needed to be. thinking. I mean, leaving a early-stage. college sports company, it just I just. it wasn't as sharp as I wanted to be. And and if if you can't tell, I'm not as. young as I used to be. So, um that reset time wasn't uh where it. needed to be. So, at the same time. though, I really I wasn't looking to add. more to my schedule, and I wasn't.

looking for more things to do. Um so, I'm looking for clarity, but I'm also. looking for something that would travel. >> Mhm. >> because I'm on the road a lot. So, what. I loved about John's book was it allowed. me to repurpose time. that I already had. So, for example, I. used to start my day on my phone reading. emails, reading the news, and that would. set my agenda. >> Mhm. >> Now, when I'm in California, I start my. day and I'm up and I'm walking my dogs. in beautiful Santa Barbara, and I'm.

thinking about what I want to do and. what are the most important things that. I've got to get done that day, and I'm. setting my priorities versus the screen. setting my priorities for me in the. morning. And it just starts my day off. better and it allows me to make better. decisions, and I'm sharper on that. And. I feel and that's helping me quite a. bit, and I can take that on the road. with me. I can't take the dogs on the. road with me, but I can I can take that. on the road with me. Um. and then I reset it with a um afternoon.

meeting that uh that I take on a walk. Normally, it's a low-stress meeting. And. then the last thing I'm doing, John, um. that we talked about is I'm shutting the. screens down 30 minutes before I want to. go to sleep. And I'm thinking about what I want to do. and what are the most important. priorities that I have and I'm reading a. book. So, what I love about it is really. the same hours just different inputs, but I'm getting better outcomes, right? Like better focus, better sleep. And.

really. less reactive decisions. So, it's. working great for me. >> Wow. Well, I would say wow [laughter] at the. same time. Wow. >> That's great. >> have a question though. >> Oh, all right. >> Okay. >> Yeah. >> So, So, John, sometimes I mean we're not. all perfect, right? So, sometimes you. get out you know, you get off you get. off the rails. So, my question for you. is like if you get a little bit out of. whack and you've fallen a little bit out. of the routine cuz you get an early. flight into New York and you land it at. 3:00 in the morning and that thought of.

I just I'm just like I don't know if I. can do it. Like what what makes a real. difference? What's that one thing that. can make a big difference if I can't fix. everything and I got to get it back on. the rails? >> That's a good question. >> a good question. I like that. >> And especially important for. someone in a senior leadership position. like you are who responsible for other. people and needing to guide them and. help them with their work. Um and let's. say that Steve is way ahead in many. ways, right? You know, he's already.

walking his dogs. He's already getting. outdoor meetings, walking meetings with. people. He's already um he's already. walking the talk literally and it's. reflected in his productivity and. performance. But when something falls off the rail. and this is not about being perfect. I. mean 17 minutes is a minimum effective. dose and it actually optimally goes up. to 5 hours a week which is about 42. minutes a day for a longevity benefit. To get back on track, it depends what's derailing you. But if.

you're having trouble getting to sleep. and a lot of executives are, I like a breathing exercise, a 4-7-8. breathing exercise, which is sort of a. tranquility breath, where you're. allowing CO2 to build up a little bit. and you're allowing your um your. parasympathetic nervous system to kick. in, which is inhaling for four through. your nose, holding for seven, and. exhaling through your mouth for eight, and doing five reps.

Um and it doesn't take long, takes a. minute uh uh. for each, and that's less than 5 minutes, really, four 7-8 breaths. The second thing I like during the day, if you get off track and you're just you. started and you didn't get your 15. minutes outside, and you and you didn't, you know, do the things that you would. normally do, cuz it stuff happens. >> Yeah. >> Is anytime in the morning that you can.

go out, because you're in charge, you have. yourself for the boss, um say, "I need 5 minutes.". Just go outside and look at daylight. Because those blue that blue wavelength. will tell your eyes, "Uh you're awake. It's good to make. cortisol. You might not be making. melatonin tonight the way that you. should, but during the day you can. recenter yourself by getting a little. cortisol boost.

And that 5 minutes of daylight, which is. all you need, and especially if you can look at a. horizon. >> Hm. >> If you can look as far away as you can, that does a couple things for you right. away. It relaxes your ciliary muscles, the. muscles around your eye that are so. focused on a device like this normally. It relaxes them, so that. a lot of the fatigue that you might be. feeling, the headache that you might be.

feeling, the tension that you might be. feeling when you get off track, a lot of that begins to dissipate with. just 5 minutes. of looking at a horizon. In fact, 5. minutes an hour can help to stall. myopia. And myopia is nearsightedness, which there's epidemic levels of in. Singapore and much of Asia. Almost 90%. of people are. kids with myopia. Myopia, excuse me. And. that's because there's so much what's. called near work. Device work that looks.

like this. >> Mhm. >> So, Steve, 5 minutes of daylight, five reps of the 4-7-8 breaths, and when. you're in daylight, look at the horizon. as much as you can. If you happen to be. uh in urban canyon, among office. buildings, and you're it's not an easy. thing to do, um. walk to the end of the block and see if. you can see further there. It's as far as you can see. There's no.

wrong answer for this. Um it's just as. far as you can see because it resets you. both physically, uh medically, and. psychologically. >> Wow. >> it to work next week. I'm going to be in. Manhattan, so I'll put it to work. >> All right. >> That's a good place to put it to work. >> yeah. >> Thank you so much. Thank you so much, Steven. >> Nice to see you, buddy. >> Okay. Uh one of the things What are What. How does this impact kids too because. you write that I remember you saying in.

the book that kids spend less time. outdoors than prisoners. >> That's in a maximum security prison. That's right. >> Kids today. >> I know. I know. >> Well, they spend less time outdoors. >> Antidepressant prescriptions are up 69%. in teenagers in the last 6 years. That's how it's affecting them. It's affecting them with isolation, with. loneliness, which in adults has the same.

mortality risk as 15 cigarettes a day. >> Oh my goodness. >> I know. And. kids need help. >> That's why you yeah, you need to read. this indoor epidemic. It's so shocking. It's one thing after another. I couldn't. even believe that stat about kids. spending less time. You know, maximum. security guys are looking for that one. day one that time out on the yard. >> Right. They get an hour sometimes. >> an hour out in the yard. And now kids. today aren't even spending that. >> No. And it's affecting their mental.

health. And you know, this time, this minimum effective dose. of 17 minutes a day, >> Yeah. >> makes everything else you're doing. for your health work better. >> Yeah. >> It makes It's an improvement. It's an. enhancement. >> And you say that sleep is a crucial. component. of this book. You suggest a I think you. call it. Nightfall. ritual, what is that?

>> It's a cooling [snorts] down ritual. before bed because. bright light within. um really within 30 minutes of bedtime. and there's some data about even. earlier, but at least 30 minutes like. Steve is doing, but I like even an hour. Bright blue light. suppresses your melatonin by 80% for an. hour and a half. And that makes it harder to get to sleep. and stay asleep. So, we want to not have.

screens before bedtime. Night shift on. your phone can help, >> Mhm. >> but it's not actually enough because you. That's why you want to look at dusk, by. the way, because you those red amber. wavelengths of the sun tell your brain. that you can release release melatonin. that night and that the day is ending, that your temperature needs to cool. So, we want to avoid bright light at night. before bed. And 40% of us go to sleep.

with a lamp or a TV on. Turns out. that. bright The people who get the most. bright light between 12:30 in the. morning and 6:00 in the morning have a. 50% increased risk for heart attack. and A-fib and 30% stroke and heart. failure. This is data just from JAMA. last year of hundreds of thousands of. people followed for 9 years in the UK. It was stunning. It has some of the same. risk factor for heart disease. Bright.

light between 12:30 in the morning and. 6:00 in the morning. Be- And the reason. is not because you're getting fewer. hours of sleep. The reason is that it's disrupting your. circadian biology. >> Ah. >> And that is what we want to give people. back. So, don't go to sleep with a light or a TV. on. Don't look at bright light before. bed. Read do this nighttime ritual.

>> up in the middle of the night and pick. up your phone and start reading the news. like I did. Yeah. >> No. Instead, do some of the things that. Steve was talking about. We want a cup. of tea, read a book, write a journal. >> Yeah. So, it's not the that it's just. keeping you awake or not letting you. sleep. It's interrupting the circadian. rhythm. >> Right. The way that your body is keeping. track of its normal metabolic processes. Almost half of our genes turn on and. turn off with at the right time of day.

>> Ah. >> But they're not activated actually. unless our circadian rhythm is set. >> Did you feel like a sense of. what? Urgency or need or great desire in. in writing this book End of Epidemic? Why Why did you want to do it? >> I wanted to do it because I myself was. caught in somewhat the same kind of. schedule you were where um I just was.

going going going all the time. I was in. New York and I was on a book campaign. I. should be scheduling a dozen things to. do in the time I'm there cuz I live in. California. But I wanted to come back. right away and I did. I like wasted this whole trip. But I. didn't know why I wanted to come back, but I had to. I felt like I needed to be. outside on the little abandoned nursery. that I had bought and I needed to figure. out why I felt that way. And I that's. why I read these 2200 studies. I figured.

out the science for this and. I I wrote a scientific road map so other. people could do it. Um you know, nature. is not that easy to commercialize. I. didn't do it because I'm have a widget. and need to sell it. >> [laughter]. >> I did it because. people. in the indoors are you know, immune-deficient. They have insomnia. They have insulin resistance. They have. arthritic creaky joints. They have. sedentariness. They have cognitive fog, brain fog. They have reduced attention.

and attention fatigue. I mean, these. things are all and loneliness. These. things are all directly a result of the. indoor epidemic and people don't realize. that it is impacting their longevity as. well. It's causing their telomeres, the. caps in their chromosomes, to shorten. more rapidly. >> Well, one of the reasons I appreciate. what you've written here is because. it's a formula for making your life. better and I don't have to go out and. buy anything.

>> Right. >> I just have to get myself outside. >> deliberately. >> deliberately, intentionally. specifically, >> in a green or blue space. In a green or. blue space. That's what you have to do. Dr. John LaPuma, thank you so much for. being here. >> What a pleasure. Okay, thank you. >> eye-opening book. Brooks and Chris and. Steven, thank you all for joining our. conversation. And thank you all for. listening. And I hope that listening. will get you to buy the book. And also not be among that 93% of people.

who are indoors. Get outside and have. the 7% solution. Thank you so much. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Go well, everybody. >> If you want a copy of Indoor Epidemic. [music] by Dr. John LaPuma, you can scan. the QR code that's right on your screen. We didn't have time to get into all of. it. This book is packed with [music]. practical science-backed strategies to. help you harness the healing power of. nature to lower your [music] stress, improve your sleep, and even extend your. life. Take good care of yourselves,

listeners. >> Go well. Our listeners [music] tell us. that the podcast is resonating with you. and is serving as a bright spot in your. day. That means a lot [music] to me. So, here's the thing. I would really. appreciate it if you like and subscribe. to the Oprah podcast on YouTube or. wherever you podcast. [music]. It's It's just a quick tap of the. subscribe button. And that way, you. won't miss an episode in your queue. You. don't [music] have to pay anything. I. know subscribe usually means you're.

paying something, but this time it means. you just [music] are notified when. there's something new. There are many. more to come that we're excited about. [music] So, thank you for watching and. listening.