Let nature restore your health
Want to burn 500 calories an hour? Feel happier? Knock out stress? Improve your concentration? Decrease your risk of various types of cancer, diabetes, heart disease, glaucoma and stroke? Even reduce your risk of catching a cold?
You can have it all … for free. Green therapy is what you want! In other words, hiking (or take it down a notch and call it walking in nature).
Don’t be scared off by articles that list all the gear you can get. All you really need are shoes and comfy clothing. (Though you can even hike barefoot!) Maybe a water bottle if you’re going to be out more than an hour. That’s it. Things I’m sure you have right at this moment.
If you get to be a real hiking enthusiast and want to take longer and/or more difficult hikes, then you can see what items interest you. But, to start, take it slow; plan short, easy hikes; and see how it goes. Don’t overwhelm yourself. This is about enjoyment and restoration.
Hiking can be as easy and uncomplicated as you want or be as difficult and complicated as you want. With lots of range in between. That’s the beauty of it — you make it exactly what you want it to be.
I love hiking; that’s probably my favorite exercise that never feels a darn bit like exercise in that I must do this to remain healthy. I’ve never been with anyone who didn’t find pleasure in hiking. And, generally, the people you meet along the way seem content and happy to be out, too. The boost from spending time in nature, removed from stress, overloaded schedules and electronic gadgets, shows.
More benefits:
- Even though hiking can be a tough workout (but, again, no worries – it also can be pretty easy), there is minimal stress on your joints since you’re never lifting more than one foot off the ground at a time. The constant leg movement helps strengthen leg muscles which can take some pressure off your knees.
- Your lower body gets a great toning workout, particularly if you choose trails with hills. It is best to start with flat terrain before progressing to hills, though.
- There are all sorts of cardiovascular benefits to hiking. It helps dilate your arteries, which reduces blood pressure and takes some of the stress off your heart. Hiking also helps increase levels of HDL — good cholesterol with heart-protective properties. If you hike at a rapid pace, you’ll also get an aerobic workout that will help tone your heart.
- You’ll experience renewed mental clarity when you hike. There’s just something that restores you when you’re outdoors experiencing nature. Worries slip away as you enjoy the view, get your body moving the way it needs and breathe in fresh air. If it’s sunny, you get a nice dose of vitamin D as well.
- Hiking reduces feelings of depression. A study done by Mind, a leading British mental health charity, found that hiking in the country reduced depression whereas walking in a shopping center increased it. An amazing 71 percent of the people studied reported feeling less depressed after hiking. To add, 90 percent reported increased self esteem, and 88 percent reported an improved mood.
If you’ve never went hiking — or even if you feel like you dislike it — why not give it a try? Choose an outdoor setting that you think you’d like the most, and see what happens. Don’t let the chillier weather settling in some regions deter you either. I’ve enjoyed some of the best hikes even in the middle of winter. A few light layers, coat, hat, gloves, warm socks and boots, and I’m still in heaven.
Look for the fish!
“You can avoid having ulcers by adapting to the situation:
If you fall in the mud puddle, check your pockets for fish.”
~ Author Unknown
Need a dose of energy?
Do you ever (or always) get that mid-afternoon slump? The type where all you can think of doing is crawling into a corner with a blankie and getting some shut eye? Or, worse, do you wake up and endure your day feeling worn out the entire time?
What to do? A nice shot of an energy drink? More coffee? A stop by the vending machine? Yes, all of that may give you a burst of energy, but, after a short time, it’ll just leave you feeling even worse. And set you up for a cycle of crash (feeling tired), then hitting that unnatural energy boost (the mega-coffee drink), then repeat. It’s not a good roller coaster to ride — for your energy or your health.
Better ideas? Try some of these:
• If you’re the type who can engage in a short — 15-20 minute — power nap that leaves you refreshed, indulge if you can.
• Get outside and get some fresh air, even if you only have a short break. Nature (if possible), the sights, the fresh air and the sun will revitalize you.
• Stand up and stretch. No rules needed — stretch your body like cats and dogs and children do! This will help release the muscle tension that occurs when we insist our bodies stay in cramped, unnatural positions for hours at a time.
• Put on your favorite, energizing music. Sing along, even get up and dance a bit if you like. (Sure, your office mates will chuckle, but, hey, you’re doing something good for them then, too!) Even if you remain still, energizing, bright music (no sad love songs!) will lift your energy.
• Find ways to reduce the tension and stress that zap your energy. Take a break to chat with a friend, read a chapter in a favorite book, even play an online game.
• Drink a glass of water. Thirst can sometimes masquerade as fatigue. So can lots of other health issues, by the way. So go ahead and grab the water!
• Sometimes you just need some oxygen. Yes, we truly don’t breathe as we need to a lot of the time. Take just a few moments to sit up a bit taller, breathe in deeply and exhale fully through your mouth. Repeat four times.
• Eating a reasonably balanced diet can help make sure you are getting enough vitamins, minerals and nutrients to keep your body going strong. However, if you do so and find you’re still pooped out, try to get more magnesium. If your magnesium levels are even a little low, your energy can drop because that causes your body to work harder. You can take magnesium, but you also can easily eat a handful of almonds, hazelnuts or cashews, have more whole grains and/or eat more fish, especially halibut.
• Go to bed at consistent times. Yes, I know, I like to play the night owl game, too. But I try to keep it within limits; I’m usually only around an hour off. Your body is a creature of habit; it will more naturally fall asleep and wake up if you’ve created a routine.
• Get enough sleep. Usually around 8 hours for most normal adults. You may do well on 7, but push it under that, and you’re asking for that mid-day slump. Interestingly enough, sleeping too much also can leave you feeling dragged out and even has been linked to various medical problems.
• To prepare for bedtime so you sleep well, put into effect a relaxing routine — a bath, reading, yoga stretches, meditation, something else quiet — so your body can begin to respond. You can’t go from a crazy, high-tech life to bed and expect to sleep as deeply.
You are meant to be unique
“You were born an original. Don’t die a copy.”
~ John Mason
The feel good way to boost your health
“With all the hatred in this world, in this good world, let us be kind to one another.”
Those were the words offered to 100 people invited to celebrate Walter Breuning’s 114th birthday this September. Mr. Breuning is believed to now be the world’s oldest man and though appearing somewhat frail, he asked for tolerance in a strong voice.
If a 114-year-old man wants to offer some wisdom, I figure it’s worth listening. You must learn an awful lot in 114 years of life. Besides that, he’s right. Kindness can only benefit us all, in so many ways.
But let me address the benefits kindness will offer your health:
• Being kind helps you maintain your good health if you already have it.
• Being kind minimizes the effects of any disease or disorder you may be suffering from.
• Being kind offers social connection, reducing any feelings of depression, anger or isolation, which can lead to things such as ulcers and eating too much.
• Being kind releases endorphins, your body’s natural painkiller. People report a decrease in awareness of and intensity of pain after doing a good deed.
• Being kind reduces stress, which can mean a decrease in lung constriction that can lead to an asthma attack.
• Being kind increases your level of happiness, self worth and optimism. Along with that comes the accompanying decrease in helplessness and hostility that negatively affect your body.
These benefits and sense of well being can return for hours or even days when you recall how your good deed felt. That’s a small act that packs a long-lasting punch!
Ready to claim this health benefit? You can do it today. Open a door for a stranger, pay for the toll, coffee, etc. of the next person in line, simply smile at a person and greet them warmly. It’s that easy. Or you can do more, much more. But simple acts, performed regularly and often, can mean the world to someone else … and to you.
