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Why 10 Minutes of Focus Can Help You Keep an Outdoor Habit (Christina Dunbar)

You know that intentionality is the foundation of keeping any habit, challenging or not. But maybe we’re overthinking this whole thing. What if there was a way to not only make and keep the outdoor, nature-focused habit you want to create, but also give better focus to your entire day? And what if it was only a matter of setting aside 10 minutes?

That’s the theory that drives the work of today’s guest, Christina Dunbar. Her program, Intentional Ten, works with clients (and a focus on busy moms) to give them the framework to drive focus and success all day long. And guess what? Heading outside is a vital part of that.

In this episode Christina walks us through the simple but powerful Intentional Ten framework while handing us tools for making, keeping or reenergizing a daily nature habit.

Some of the good stuff:

[3:37] Christina Dunbar’s favorite outdoor space

[4:33] How Christina became a person who goes outside

[10:38] Is there a moment where things changed?

[15:35] What is the Intentional 10 method?

[22:49] Why 10 minutes?

[27:01] What are the reasons people struggle to make this happen?

[29:06] Specific steps for creating a habit

[35:36] What role does nature play?

[40:33] How to create daily mindfulness

[45:04] Christina’s favorite and most essential outdoor gear

[47:29] Christna’s favorite outdoor moment

Connect with this episode:

Learn more about Intentional Ten

Christina’s free guide to Intentional Ten

Follow Intentional Ten on Instagram
Follow Intentional Ten on Facebook

Subscribe to the Humans Outside newsletter to win a free decal

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Outdoor Diary: Join Me for 52 Hikes Over the Next Year

Amy is a sucker for a new challenge, but this is one worth doing. Between now and September 2022 she’s going to do 52 hikes as part of the 52 Hike Challenge. Why? Listen to this Outdoor Diary episode to find out.

Some of the good stuff:

[:28] A sucker for a challenge

[1:00] Karla Amador

[2:13] Amy’s newest challenge

[3:00] Join us—from anywhere!

Connect with this episode:

Hear our episode with Karla Amador

Follow Humans Outside on Facebook

Follow Humans Outside on Instagram

Subscribe to the Humans Outside newsletter for a chance to win a free decal

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The Secret Sauce for Your Outdoor Habit (Karla Amador)

When Amy started her daily outdoor habit in 2017 she had no idea there was a whole world of others already tackling an outdoor effort of their own, formed around a different idea known as the 52 Hike Challenge. Through that program participants pledge to complete 52 hikes over a year.

The things its co-founder, Karla Amador, has learned over both her own journey of hiking and by helping people around the world participate in the challenge are about more than just hiking 52 times. They are also perfect for anyone looking to build and keep a new and challenging outdoor habit like the daily one we focus on at Humans Outside.

In this episode of Humans Outside Karla shares what she’s learned about outdoor habits by helping people complete their 52 Hikes, her own journey to spending time in nature and the insight and health it has given her.

Some of the good stuff:

[2:23] Karla Amador’s favorite outdoor place

[4:18] How Karla became a person who likes to go outside

[6:09] Nature as a healing tool

[7:12] How the 52 Hike Challenge was born

[13:41] What derails hikers from their goals

[18:21] Advice for building the habit

[25:16] Habit pitfalls

[31:20] The healing gift of being out in nature

[32:55] How to avoid those habit pitfalls

[37:46] How to get involved in 52 Hikes

[43:23] Karla’s favorite and most essential outdoor gear

[44:35] Karla’s favorite outdoor moment

Connect with this episode:

Follow 52 Hike Challenge on Instagram

Follow 52 Hike Challenge on Facebook

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Outdoor Diary: I’ve Gone Outside Every Day for Four Years

It’s been four years since Amy started her daily outdoor habit. In this episode of her weekly outdoor diary, Amy reflects on how keeping that habit has not just influenced her, but impacted the people around — her friends, family and even you.

Some of the good stuff:

[:28] How it all began

[1:40] The impact of four years outside

[2:16] Heading outside as a spouse

[2:59] Spending time outside as a parent

[4:08] How heading outside impacts those around us

Connect with this episode:

Follow Humans Outside on Facebook

Follow Humans Outside on Instagram

Subscribe to the Humans Outside newsletter for a chance to win a free decal

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What I Learned from Spending 20 Minutes Outside Every Day for 4 Years (Holly Wise)

When Amy first started her outdoor challenge it wasn’t to inspire anyone but herself to make getting into nature a daily habit. It wasn’t even because she had found heading outside to be so transformative she had to do it every day. Originally, the 20 minute daily challenge was born of a question: how would her life change if she went outside for a certain amount of time every day for a year?

The experiment started September 1, 2017. And there at the beginning was Amy’s friend Holly Wise, helping her develop the concept just as she had for all of Amy’s big ideas since 2004.

Today, four years after starting her experiment hundreds and hundreds of hours outside as part of her daily practice Amy and Holly discuss what Amy has learned over the course of her habit — and what you can learn, too.

Some of the good stuff:

[2:42] Amy’s favorite outdoor space

[4:37] A question no one is asking

[5:47] What Amy has learned over the last four years

[9:02] Was this a surprise?

[12:00] The importance of incremental changes

[16:24] How doing hard things outside helps with life inside

[20:45] How she gets herself to do hard things

[31:49] The stories we tell ourselves and why they matter

[37:49] The going outside pep talks

[49:02] Amy’s relationship with nature

[51:28] Amy’s favorite and most essential outdoor gear

[55:51] Amy’s favorite outdoor moment

Connect with this episode:

Follow Amy Bushatz on Instagram

Follow Humans Outside on Instagram

Follow Humans Outside on Facebook

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Outdoor Diary: How Do You Make Yourself Go Outside?

Even in summer in Alaska it can be hard to make yourself do things outside when inside life is calling or the outside isn’t exactly what you want it to be. So how do you get yourself out there?

In this episode of Humans Outside’s Outdoor Diary Amy talks through three situations she recently faced where she didn’t want to go outside, and thinks through what it takes to get out anyway.

Some of the good stuff:

[:28] Deciding to make an effort

[2:43] The Lost Lake Race

[4:43] Worth it

[6:11] How do you take risks?

[7:14] Awareness

Connect with this episode:

Follow Humans Outside on Facebook

Follow Humans Outside on Instagram

Subscribe to the Humans Outside newsletter for a chance to win a free decal

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Outdoor Diary: How Spending Time Outside Made Me Love My Small Town

Do you love where you live? If you’ve been listening to Humans Outside you know Amy loves her small town, Palmer Alaska. But she hasn’t always lived there — or loved it.

In this episode Amy reflects on how spending time outside has helped her love where she lives, and why that matters.

Some of the good stuff:

[:30] Do you love where you live?

[1:37] Palmer, Alaska

[3:14] The Alaska State Fair

[5:17] Where to find Humans Outside

Connect with this episode:

Check out Melody Warnick’s book on loving where you live

Listen to Melody on the Humans Outside podcast

Follow Humans Outside on Instagram

Follow Humans Outside on Facebook

Sign-up for the Humans Outside newsletter for a chance to win a free decal

Subscribe, follow & review on

Outdoor Diary: How I Used Nature as a ‘Container’ for Big Feelings

When trauma or difficult events seep into your life, it’s easy to get angry or sad — and hard to process them. Thanks to some advice from a past podcast guest, this week Amy hit the great outdoors to process some tough stuff going on, and use nature as a “container” for that work.

Some of the good stuff:

[:26] Some current events and emotions

[1:46] Using the outdoors as a safe place

[3:23] Brainstorming outside

[4:30] Changing seasons

[4:56] Where to find Humans Outside

Connect with this episode:

Listen to Humans Outside with recreational therapist Judith Sadora

Follow Humans Outside on Instagram

Follow Humans Outside on Facebook

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Outdoor Diary: What Failing My Race Taught Me About Having a Growth Mindset

When Amy headed outside to run again in January following a rehab time from her September surgery, she had one goal: get ready for the Resurrection Pass 100 ultra trail race. Crazy? Maybe.

The race was July 30, and while it didn’t go exactly as Amy hoped it would, she learned plenty about herself, nature and doing hard things along the way.