Get Yourself Outside: 7 Simple Ways to Embrace Mother Nature

Summer Greetings from Asheville, North Carolina! The photo at the top is my exact haven for several weeks this summer (it’s my best friend’s magical home). The end of this summer will mark seven years since we moved to Texas, and the summers there are unbearably hot. I’m grateful to be an entrepreneur who can work virtually so that I can combine vacation and work and escape the heat for a few weeks each summer!

Having spent several hours each day outdoors for the past few weeks, I can personally attest that Mother Nature is one of our best healers! There are so many benefits to getting outside including:

• Increasing vitamin D intake
• Decreasing stress
• Strengthening your body
• Creating memories with friends & family
• Rebalancing body, mind & spirit
• Unplugging from technology
• Increased mental clarity (which means increased productivity at work!)

If you’re looking to get a little more sunshine in the summer months, here are seven easy tips to inspire you to get outdoors:

1. When planning a summer family vacation, visit national parks and state parks. Skip the man-made places like Disney, Six Flags and other theme parks. And if you really want to immerse yourself in the landscape, go camping, or rent a cabin instead of staying in a hotel. Nature parks invite curiosity, learning, adventure and so much more. Here are two good articles on national parks and state parks.

2. During the workday, pack your lunch and sit on a bench outside your office, then go for a short walk. This is much more invigorating than eating lunch at your desk or at a restaurant. Even better, plan to meet up with a friend a few times a week so you have additional accountability to get out of your office.

3. If you work at home, (it’s even easier to) take regular nature breaks. Enjoy your coffee or tea on your back patio or porch, take stretch breaks mid-morning and mid-afternoon in your garden, and invite a fellow work-from-home entrepreneur over for lunch and sit on your back patio or meet up at a local park.

4. Exercise outdoors sometimes instead of in a gym. Riding a bike or running outdoors is much more interesting than riding a stationary bike or using a treadmill in a studio. If it’s too hot where you live (like Texas!), consider doing your workout in the wee hours of the morning, or after the sun has gone down at night. Or try something different like swimming that will keep you cooler.

5. Bring the outdoors inside—grow a garden and harvest the fruits and vegetables. Teach your children the importance of knowing where our food comes from. Homegrown lettuces, tomatoes, zucchini, and watermelon taste so much better than store bought. And, if you enjoy flowers and plants, get out in your garden, and bring blooms and greenery inside to enjoy!

6. Have a picnic dinner with your family once a week. Get the kids involved with helping to plan it. They can help prepare the food or find the perfect spot to lay your blanket and picnic basket. Picnics can be a playful and creative way to get your family outside more. (Sometimes after school, Riley and I will have a “snack picnic” beside the creek near our house. She loves this time together to talk about her day, get refueled and have some focused time with mom.)

7. Plan a nature scavenger hunt if you have a big summer gathering. Family reunions, family vacations or even a cookout with a bunch of neighborhood families can all benefit by a planned scavenger hunt. Kids love it, but it’s great for adults too! Here are some great ideas or simply use google to find plenty of free printables.

I’d love to hear how YOU are getting outside more in the summer months.

Leave a comment… I’d love to hear from you!

See you Outside,
Elizabeth

P.S. If you struggle with getting outside, check out this super cool program called ReWild Your Life that I found. I don’t have personal experience with it, but it sure looks really fun!