Podcast 229: Spend 120 Minutes a Week in Nature, a Hiking Hack, and an Interview with Sheri Salata About “The Beautiful No” | Gretchen Rubin [Skip to content](#content) [  ](https://gretchenrubin.com)
- July 10, 2019
# Podcast 229: Spend 120 Minutes a Week in Nature, a Hiking Hack, and an Interview with Sheri Salata About “The Beautiful No”
Happier with Gretchen Rubin
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Ep. 229: Spend 120 Minutes a Week in Nature and an Interview with Sheri Salata about “The Beautiful No”
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EPISODE NOTES
#### **Try This at Home**
Spend 120 minutes a week in nature. This suggestion came from the *New York Times* article by Knvul Sheikh’s: “[How Much Nature is Enough? 120 Minutes a Week, Doctors Say.](https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/13/health/nature-outdoors-health.html)“
Recently, many books have discussed the value of time spent in nature, for instance, [*The Nature Fix: Why Nature Makes Us Happier, Healthier, and More Creative*](https://amzn.to/30bAtaB) by Florence Williams. (You can read an interview I did with her [here](https://gretchenrubin.com/articles/humans-are-primed-to-love-the-natural-world-but-we-still-have-to-cultivate-it/).)
We discuss the power of the [**Strategy of Monitoring**](https://gretchenrubin.com/articles/video-for-habits-try-the-strategy-of-monitoring/) for helping yourself to develop an important habit.
#### **Happiness Hack**
Speaking of spending time outside, Elizabeth has found that [Fabletics Mila Pocket leggings](https://www.fabletics.com/products/MILA-POCKET-LEGGING-LG1932430-4810?psrc=womens%5Fbottoms%5Fleggings) make it easier to spend time outside. The leggings have big side pockets, so they can hold your key, bar, phone, etc. during a hike. Fabletics has been an advertiser in the past, but this is *not* a paid ad. On the subject of mastering an important habit, we talk about using the [**Strategy of Convenience**](https://gretchenrubin.com/articles/video-for-habits-the-strategy-of-convenience/).
#### **Interview**
**[Sheri Salata](https://thepillarlife.com/the-beautiful-no/).** Among other things, Sheri Salata is the former Executive Producer of *The Oprah Winfrey Show*. She has written a terrific memoir, *[The Beautiful No: And Other Tales of Trial, Transcendence and Transformation](https://amzn.to/2FAQqP0).*
Sheri decided that she needed to reimagine her own future. She details her experience in this book, and also on her great podcast, [*The Sheri + Nancy Show*](https://thepillarlife.com/sheri-nancy-show/) (we’ve both been guests on the show!) and in her venture [thepillarlife.com](https://thepillarlife.com/).
#### **Gretchen’s Demerit**
I’ve been having odd work days, when I feel like I’m working and working, and yet somehow it seems like nothing is actually moving forward. I need to get a better handle on how I’m spending my time.
#### **Elizabeth’s Gold Star**
Elizabeth has embraced arriving early. It’s such a relief.
#### **Resources**
- Check out the [**new page on my website**](/happier-podcast-sponsors/) that has all the promo codes and links for *Happier* podcast sponsors. So if you’re driving while listening, and you want to go back later and order that electric toothbrush but can’t remember the name of it, just go to the show notes for the episode to find the link. Also, you can always go to [**happiercast.com/sponsors**](/happier-podcast-sponsors/).
- If you’re looking for ideas for a **meaningful reading at your wedding**, visit [**gretchenrubin.com/resources**](/resources/) to download the free PDF of wedding readings that were suggested by *Happier* podcast listeners. Scroll down to the “**More Resources**” section. I included some of my favorite readings, too.
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