They say spending time in nature can change your life. But in a world packed with indoor life pressures, how can you make getting outside just a part of who you are?
Welcome to the Humans Outside podcast, where we explore life in the great outdoors from our perch in Alaska, all while hearing from fascinating outdoor-minded guests.
When was the last time you let curiosity be your guide as you headed outside? It can be easy to stuff that sense of wondering down and fall victim to box checking or making it to the destination. Curiosity, as cliche as it sounds, is what lets you enjoy the journey.
In this Outdoor Diary Amy explores the simple way she’s been working to let curiosity drive her decisions outside — and why you might want to do the same.
Some of the good stuff:
[:45] The destruction of a windstorm leads to curiosity
[1:21] What this meant near Amy
[1:50] Getting dirty and into it
[2:26] Adults are bad at this
[2:46] What might happen if you’re fueled by wondering
[3:13] Why Amy is thinking about this
[3:54] Following curiosity to a debris field
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 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.
[2:59] Annabel Street’s favorite outdoor space
[3:36] How Annabel became someone who likes to go outside and also go for walks
[7:07] Why she started researching walking
[8:14] Was it hard to find 52 ways?
[8:52] Why people avoid walking
[9:23] Her favorite new way to walk
[12:19] Amy’s night experience
[16:44] What people always think about walking
[18:43] Her least favorite way to walk
[19:39] Another perfect and underappreciated walking favorite
[24:18] Ways to walk that didn’t make it into the book
[30:38] Want to start walking? Here’s how.
[35:06] Annabel’s favorite outdoor gear
[36:49] Annabel’s favorite outdoor memory
Spending a lot of time outdoors? You might find that you’ve started caring about the environment more than you used to. While Amy was a kid, “environmentalism” was seen by her family as a bad thing. But today she knows loving nature means taking care of it. And so she’s started doing some simple tasks to put those feelings into action.
[:50] What environmentalism was to Amy growing up
[1:58] How she thinks about environmentalism now
[2:14] Why spending time outside makes you care about the environment
[3:00] The selfishness of loving the environment
[3:22] What this has to do with “leave no trace”
[3:45] What it has to do with buying used stuff
[4:00] What it has to do with how you spend your time
No matter where you live you probably regularly see at least one kind of animal outside your window: birds. City or country, birds serve the ecosystem while providing humans with beauty, curiosity and entertainment.
And if you spend any time noticing them, you are already participating in birding. Feeling curious and want to learn more about these feathered friends? That’s where today’s guest, Yamina Nater-Otero, comes in. As a program coordinator for Audubon New York based in New York City, she knows that you don’t need to live somewhere with big forests or nearby mountains to learn about and watch birds. And in her role as secretary for Amplify the Future, she knows you also don’t need to look a certain way or come from any special background to participate. Birding and all of nature is for everyone.
In this episode of Humans Outside Yamina talks to us about how literally anyone can become a birder and the importance of birds in the use of nearby nature.
[3:04] Yamina Nater-Otero’s favorite outdoor space
[4:11] How Yamina became someone who likes to go outside
[5:39] How she got into birding
[7:12] What is her favorite bird and, also, is it possible to have a favorite bird?
[8:09] Amy’s favorite bird
[11:46] How birding was an outdoor gateway
[13:58] Misconceptions about birding
[18:20] What is a birder?
[22:49] Useful bonus items for birding
[24:17] What kind of binoculars to buy if you want some
[26:39] How to create a happy bird space
[29:48] How to get started with birding
[32:07] How birding might be a gateway activity
[35:17] Birding can even make you love this place
[38:10] Yamina’s favorite outdoor gear
[39:24] Yamina’s favorite outdoor moment
As so many faith traditions celebrate holy days in the spring, Amy has been thinking about the spirituality of heading outside and the ways her faith background misses the boat on understanding and appreciating spirituality in nature.
[:47] Is nature spiritual?
[1:03] Why we rarely talk about spirituality on Humans Outside
[2:05] The mistake of some faith traditions
[3:27] Where the Bible talks about the spiritual connection of nature
[3:58] A scripture connection to nature
Listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts or wherever you find your favorite podcasts. The following is an edited transcript of this episode of Humans
Listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or wherever you find your favorite podcasts. The following is an edited transcript of this episode
Listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts or wherever you find your favorite podcasts. The following is an edited transcript of this episode of Humans