Julia Bradbury reveals how to avoid "one of the biggest health mistakes" with this habit every morning

TV presenter Julia Bradbury has shared the daily habit she has every morning to start the day and avoid one of the "biggest health mistakes you can make". 

Julia Bradbury, the former Countryfile presenter, appeared on Lorraine with stand-in host Ranvir Singh and shared how she gets outside for just a few minutes every morning to kickstart her day, lower her cortisol levels, and "kickstart" her hormones. 

She also revealed her key tips for general health and wellbeing, as included in her new book Walk Yourself Happy.

Speaking to Ranvir Singh on the Lorraine sofa this week, Bradbury said: "I've always said that walking is my therapist. It's my best friend and it's my outdoor gym. We human beings have evolved to be in nature. One of the biggest health mistakes we make in our lives every day is that we don't spend enough time outside. For example, one of the things that I've changed since I started learning all about my body...I'm not a natural morning person."

At Ranvir's objection, she corrects herself: "Genetically, I'm a night owl and I have switched myself."

"Every morning now, when I get up - if I can only do 4 minutes which is all I could do this morning because of this [gestures to the studio] - I get out on my window sill...and I get daylight into my eyes and I kickstart my hormones. And I also breathe," she says.

Possible alternatives to the window sill include a balcony or garden, adds Julia, so you don't even need to step outside for an early morning walk to reap the benefits of this habit.

"I just get ready for the onslaught, the busyness, the chat, the interaction. I calm my cortisol, I calm myself, and I get ready for the day ahead. I look at the trees, I take it all in. I accept and love Mother Nature, inside me, as part of me," she says.

Walk Yourself Happy: Find your path to health and healing in nature by Julia Bradbury
In this book, Julia (and a host of experts) explain the link between our physical and mental health and the great outdoors. It's available in hardback, paperback, and as a Kindle edition from Amazon.

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Taking five minutes outside at the very start of the day is a routine that our own editor, Kerrie Hughes, has picked up herself recently - and she can attest to the benefits.

"Julia saying to wake up and immediately get daylight on your face really resonated with me. I realised how my day so often starts rushing around from the minute I get out of bed, and so when she said even just a few minutes can make a difference, I knew I wanted to try. For the last week, I have spent the very first five minutes of my day either outside or with my head stuck out of a window, calm breathing and really appreciating my surroundings, and it's just the most wonderful way to wake up. It's quickly become a daily habit that I would highly recommend."

In the chat, Julia also revealed her other tips for mental and physical wellbeing - including relishing discomfort by going outside in the rain, how to experience the benefits of cold water swimming at home, and a way to 'snack' on the fresh air.

"We live in this bubble environment. We're inside, we're warm, we're cosy, we go to put the bins out and we put a coat on. We don't need to," she says.

"There's a lot of talk about cold water immersion. Have a cold shower - switch the shower from warm to cold. I do that three times a week. I love it. I feel amazing afterwards. Discomfort is good and we have fallen into this comfort crisis."

Instead of heading out for long walks during the day, something which isn't doable for many of us, Julia suggests getting out "three times a day if you can". While we've heard all about exercise snacking in recent years, this is a habit she calls "nature snacking". 

"If you can make the morning light one of your things then do it. Lunchtime - get out. Have your lunch outside if possible. Eating your food outside has lots of health benefits. Moving after food is really good. Walk with your colleagues. In the nighttime, if you are struggling with sleep, have a nice calm, gentle walk."

Julia has also shared how getting outside in nature was key to her recovery from breast cancer in recent years. "I remember the first day I came home from the hospital after my mastectomy. It was October 2021, the middle of the afternoon, the sun shone and leaves from the trees were starting to fall. I sat down at my big tree trunk table and felt its grain beneath my fingertips. I was filled with a sense of peace and made a promise to myself that I’d go outside every single day, even if it was just five minutes in the garden," she said in an interview with The Telegraph last year.