Humans Outside

Some of the good stuff:

[:32] The origin of the "fall wall"

[:47] Here's one type of "fall wall"

[1:15] Here's another type of "fall wall"

[2:00] My growing concern

[2:30] "The summer we had fun anyway"

[3:08] A few tips for working through the fall wall

320 Outdoor Diary: Taking Time to Seize the Play Aug 08, 2023

Show notes

Are you too grown-up to notice and enjoy play? I don't mean you avoid it on purpose. I mean your grown-up brain just doesn't see it, isn't used to allowing it, crowds it out with other stuff and is just so, well, responsible.

Kids don't have this problem. Play is how they learn and what they know. But adults, on the other hand …

Here's what I learned this week by taking time to seize the play, and what it did for me. Listen now.

Connect with this episode:

Learn more about Dr. Kathleen Wolf

Some of the good stuff:

[:31] Setting the stage on a beautiful summer day

[1:15] And then I forgot this thing

[1:36] The relief of play

[2:00] The burden of being a grown-up

319 Best Of: Why Nearby Nature Is Just as Useful as the Great Outdoors (Dr. Kathleen Wolf) Aug 03, 2023

Show notes

Depending on your background of using nature and heading outside, you might think of spending time outdoors as something you go do instead of something that's on the other side of your front door.

And if you do make a habit of going into the nature that's close to home, you might be tempted to think that the same-old, same-old isn't as good as shaking it up and going somewhere news and different.

Dr. Kathleen Wolf has made a career of researching human use of nature and its benefits as a research social scientist at the school of environmental and forest sciences at the University of Washington. She joined in Season 3 for an overview of how much time in nature is really useful (spoiler alert, it's about 20 minutes a day!). And in this episode she talks about the benefits of nearby nature and how to get the most out of it.

Connect with this episode

Read Dr. Kathleen Wolf's long term project, "Green Cities: Good Health"

Find Dr. Kathleen Wolf on LinkedIn

Some of the good stuff:

[3:54] What Kathy's been doing since we last spoke

[7:54] What is nearby nature? [10:31] What people think of as nature and why making generalizations isn't a good idea

[15:23] What nearby nature factors appeal to people?

[19:44] The role of mindfulness in nearby nature

[22:45] Is there any benefit to doing the same thing in nature over and over?

[25:37] What it's like to stare at the same tree for 70 minutes

[27:33] What Amy has learned by doing the same thing over and over again

[33:33] How people can create a great nearby nature experience no matter where they are

[41:40] Why nature is like nutrition

318 Outdoor Diary: Finding a Taste of Gratitude Outside With This Sense Aug 01, 2023

Show notes

How does your connection to nature change when you focus on experiencing it through each of your five senses? With the chance to literally taste the outdoors at every turn, I leaned into the gifts of the land and explored how experiencing nature through my mouth (and stomach) makes me feel.

Listen now!

Connect with this episode:

Listen to Gretchen Rubin on Humans Outside ("Advice for Making Outdoor Time Better via Life in 5 Senses")

Some of the good stuff:

[:40] The best senses intentions

[1:08] It was a deliciousness emergency

[1:28] A delicious pit stop

[2:31] Blueberries in all the places

[2:40] Even more berries and even more deliciousness

[3:15] Wherein someone else feeds me and I hit my limit

[3:48] And here's the theme

317 Outdoor Diary: Leaning Into My Sense of Sight Jul 25, 2023

Show notes

When was the last time you really noticed your world by focusing on one of your five senses? That's something Gretchen Rubin talked about in her episode with Humans Outside, and it's something I've recently been asking myself as I head outside daily.

What would happen if I spent some time noticing each sense outside? What would I find? What would I experience? Listen now!

Connect with this episode:

Some of the good stuff:

[:35] One of the best parts of podcasting

[:50] Let's talk about Gretchen Rubin for a sec

[1:15] A little bit about "Life In Five Senses"

[1:40] Leaning into "sight"

[2:00] When was the last time I really, truly saw stuff?

[2:25] Sparking awe through sight

[2:42] Finding awe in the everyday sights

[2:59] It went like this

[4:00] But then there was irritation

[4:20] New York City people problems

[4:40] And how they reframed this for me

[5:00] What's next for me

316 Best Of: Simple and Easy Ways to 'Rewild' Your Life by Going Outside (Micah Mortali) Jul 20, 2023

Show notes

It can be easy to think of practices like rewilding and mindfulness as being habits of only extra-zen, nature-based people. But if you're someone who likes to go outside or is building an outdoor habit, they are probably already a part of what you're doing, at least a little.

So how can you do it more? And if you don't think you've added them, how can you make them happen while balancing a modern life?

In this episode Micah Mortali, rewilding expert and dean of the Kripalu School of Mindful Outdoor Leadership, shares his insights and tips of rewilding, mindfulness and even meditation. Author of the book "Rewilding, Meditations, Practices, and Skills for Awakening in Nature," Micah's extra-practical tips make a rewilding habit accessible for any outdoor-lover.

Connect with this episode:

Buy "Rewilding, Meditations, Practices, and Skills for Awakening in Nature" by Micah Mortali (affiliate link)

Follow Micah's school, Kripalu, on Instagram Listen to Brene Brown talk with Dr. Amishi Jha about productivity and meditation

Visit Kripalu's website Follow Humans Outside on Instagram Join the Humans Outside Challenge

Some of the good stuff:

[1:52] Why this recording is a little different

[2:41] Micah Mortali's favorite outdoor space

[4:41] Amy's regular moment of mindfulness

[5:16] What Micah thinks about that moment

[6:34] How Micah became someone who likes to go outside

[9:32] The spiritual connection of nature and how it's weird some religions are confused

[10:55] Other Christian faith traditions and nature

[13:42] What is "rewilding?" [20:45] How a nature draw plays out for city-dwellers

[23:35] Mindfulness and task-focus in nature

[29:56] The challenge of meditation for focused people

[32:22] How rewilding and mindfulness fit into a daily nature habit

[37:02] What the pandemic taught us about rewilding

[40:27] Simple tips for rewilding and mindfulness in nature

[42:47] Micah's favorite outdoor moment

315 Outdoor Diary: Knowing When to Push the Outdoor Boundaries and When to Not Jul 18, 2023

Show notes

Heading into nature has a way of bringing plenty of challenges, whether you want them or not. Those can be anything from the weather to the creatures or even people you meet there. And just how good you feel about tackling those things can change day-by-day.

So how do you know when to push outside your comfort zone, and when to simply let it slide?

The answer is a little more complicated than it might seem.

Here's how I've been tackling it as I deal with some challenging outdoor conditions. Listen now.

Some of the good stuff:

[:35] We don't know how this is happening but it is

[1:06] The mantra is reaching its limits

[1:15] Let's remember the goal

[2:15] Ok but what does this actually mean

[2:45] Trying to remember this advice

[3:23] Real life example

[4:30] You have to be the boss of this

[4:45] One more example Connect with this episode:

314 Outdoor Diary: Boldly Facing Yucky Summer Weather Jul 11, 2023

Show notes

The situation is this: I was simply not prepared for the idea of needing to mentally power through summer.

But here we are. Whether it's heat that melts your hair, or chilly rain that requires three jackets, bad weather can really kill the summer good attitude vibe.

The bad news? There's nothing you can do about that.

The good news? This is when that outdoor habit comes in for the win.

Here's how I'm facing less-than-ideal summer weather problems and a few things you can try if this is your problem, too. Listen now.

Connect with this episode:

Follow Annabel Streets on Instagram

Some of the good stuff:

[:32] I just wasn't prepared

[:45] Here's the problem

[1:18] Outdoor habit, coming in for the (sorta) win

[1:50] Now I'm going to complain for a minute or two

[2:47] All done complaining and now on to problem solving

[3:05] What I've learned before

[3:45] Here's what we're going to do about it

313 Best Of: The Many Surprising Ways Going for a Walk Makes Perfect Outdoor Time (Annabel Streets, author) Jul 06, 2023

Show notes

Simple. Boring. Tired. You might think of just going for a regular walk as being something only people with nothing better to do make a part of their daily lives.

But what if going for a walk isn't only an easy way to spend time outside, but also one that's so varied and beneficial that understanding the practice is a matter of scientific research? Author Annabel Streets was so startled by how much better she felt when she started going for walks that she researched the science behind what was happening and wrote a book about it. The result, 52 Ways to Walk, details out -- you guessed it -- 52 different ways to go for a walk and all of the research behind the benefits of each one.

In this Best Of episode of Humans Outside, Annabel shares her least and most favorite ways to walk, her walking journey, and why any of it should matter to you.

Connect with this episode:

Read 52 Ways to Walk: The Surprising Science of Walking for Wellness and Joy, One Week at a Time (affiliate link)

Follow Annabel Streets on Twitter