The backyard directly influences how people eat, gather, move and recover. Science shows that if the outdoor living environment is changed, behavioral adaptations follow.
That idea is supported by a growing body of research. A large-scale review published in Environmental Research, analyzing 143 studies, found that exposure to green space is associated with lower cortisol levels, reduced heart rate and improved heart rate variability (HRV), a key indicator of how the body responds to stress. Additional research from the University of Exeter shows that people with access to private outdoor space report higher levels of wellbeing and are more likely to stay physically active.
Above: The design of the kitchen and social spaces at Health Haven is deliberately simple, supporting relaxation after a workout. Photo: Photostetic LLC
This transformation of a one-acre Miami property owned by performance coach and author Justin Roethlingshoefer and his wife Alyse, founders of Own It, a coaching enterprise that helps business owners reclaim and restore their health, illustrates those findings. Now dubbed Health Haven, what started as an overgrown, underutilized backyard became a fully optimized wellness environment built around intentional daily use.
The wellness features at Health Haven include a sauna, pool, cold plunge, weight room and more. Photo: Photostetic LLC
The transformation included an outdoor kitchen, two louvered pergolas with electronic shades for year-round functionality, a sauna and cold plunge recovery area, a converted sea container housing an outdoor gym, a podcast and recovery studio equipped with red light therapy and a hyperbaric chamber, a full-backyard sound system for ambient sound bathing, a dedicated yoga and breathwork space, a pool deck and paver area and a fire pit and seating area designed for evening connection. Perimeter fencing and turf complete the space, creating privacy and smooth grounding surfaces throughout.
“Environments change everything,” said Roethlingshoefer. “It’s how you feel, it’s the emotions you have, it’s the memories you create.”
Outdoor Living Outcomes
For RTA Outdoor Living, the project reflects a belief the company has built its model around: that the backyard is the most underutilized space in the American home, and that the barrier to changing that has always been complexity, not desire.
“If it’s complicated to build or inconvenient to use, it won’t stick,” said James King, VP of design at RTA Outdoor Living. “Our focus has always been on making outdoor spaces simple enough that people actually use them every day because that’s where the benefit comes from. When cooking outside is easier, you do it more. When your space is set up for gathering, you use it. Those small shifts compound over time.”
At Health Haven, simplifying the outdoor kitchen was really about removing as much complexity from the onsite build as possible. With so many elements being coordinated across the backyard, RTA’s ready-to-assemble system allowed the kitchen to be designed and planned in advance, rather than built from scratch onsite using traditional masonry methods. The engineered concrete composite/high-performance concrete panels are manufactured as part of the system and reinforced with composite rebar, so much of the fabrication and problem-solving happens before the kitchen reaches the property. That gave the team a much more predictable installation process and made it easier to coordinate the kitchen with the surrounding zones.
King said, “We also simplified the kitchen design by focusing closely on how Justin would actually use it day to day.” Instead of adding features simply because there was room for them, the layout centered on the cooking appliances, useful prep space and storage. Everything had a defined place before installation. On a project as involved as Health Haven, that kind of advance planning matters. The kitchen could function as a substantial part of the backyard without becoming one of the most complicated portions to construct.
