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.
At what point is heading outside for your daily habit really, truly just a part of who you are? That’s a question Amy tackled this week when she realized she’d skated right by the 1,900 day outdoor habit mark without even noticing. Hear more on this episode of the Humans Outside weekly Outdoor Diary.
[:45] How I usually keep track of my day tally
[1:01] For a long time, this was important
[2:20] Why this was a surprise
[2:35] Here’s a quick tally of what that means
[3:06] Is this what happens after this much time?
[3:30] It’s just a part of who I am, I guess
[4:37] Here’s how you get this, too
We all know that spending time outside in the winter is a major key to getting through the season happy and healthy. Winter temperatures and not knowing how to get comfortable in it might be one of the things keeping you inside. And that makes sense. Why in the world would you want to go outside if you know you’re going to be uncomfortable, cold and miserable?
With a little help from an expert, heading outside in cold weather doesn’t have to be an impossible and really uncomfortable challenge. Today’s guest, Sarah Histand, works to make winter recreation accessible to everyone, and that starts with learning the simple basics on how to stay warm and happy when you’re out there. She breaks down exactly what to wear when it’s cold outside in this helpful and practical episode. Listen now!
[3:22] Sarah Histand’s favorite outdoor place
[4:16] Fun and weird fact about Valdez
[4:59] How Sarah became someone who likes to go outside.
[7:28] The connection of mind and getting uncomfortable
[12:12] The first thing people need to know about dressing for cold
[15:12] The basic steps staying warm outside
[18:24] What we mean by layers
[22:30] Does getting dress for cold weather have to be expensive?
[25:57] An actual example of getting dressed for a cold day
[30:11] The glory of the buff
[32:33] The biggest cold weather dressing mistake Sarah sees
[33:54] The magic of snacks and peeing (yes really)
[36:24] Amy and Sarah’s favorite underappreciated gear
[39:19] Mistakes that were made
[42:19] Why it’s important to be gentle with yourself
[45:54] Sarah’s favorite outdoor moment
It’s not exactly a low stress time of year — and if it is now, let’s be honest, it probably will be at least a little stressful soon. That’s just how the holidays go for so many of us. It’s part of life.
But dealing with it can also be a part of life. And Amy has found that heading outside is perfect for that. In this episode Amy talks about why this time of year is so stressful for her and what she’s been doing about it.
[:50] The body does, in fact, keep the score
[1:00] Here’s what’s wrong with November
[2:28] And then there comes the holidays
[3:09] Here’s some not so good tools
[3:40] But what about going outside?
[3:55] Make a container out of it
[4:30] A recent example
Military injuries and combat trauma are part of our origin story here at Humans Outside. It’s why we started looking to nature for healing. It’s why we moved to Alaska. And it’s why we ended up spending at least 20 consecutive minutes outside every day, no matter what.
The weeks around Veterans Day are the perfect time to talk about the power of getting outside to address war wounds and the weight of military service. But there’s one thing we’ve never done: bring Luke on the show to talk about it himself.
That seems really silly, so in this episode we fix that. Hear Luke Bushatz gives his own perspective on what he experienced serving in the U.S. Army, how heading outside helped him deal with it and what he’s done about it since through his work with the veteran-focused nonprofit Remedy Alpine. This is an episode you don’t want to miss.
[3:06] Let’s just make this awkward as quickly as possible
[3:50] Luke’s favorite outdoor space
[5:01] How Luke became someone who likes to go outside
[7:52] A view into Luke’s war trauma
[13:54] The moment Luke realized heading outside helped his war wounds
[17:44] All about Remedy Alpine
[21:48] Watching nature heal veterans
[31:00] How Luke has seen nature help Amy
[33:00] How we’ve seen nature help our kids
[36:18] Luke’s favorite outdoor gear isn’t boring to him
[38:00] Luke’s favorite outdoor space
Amy hasn’t always been OK with falling. Once upon a time it was exactly what she was avoiding. But since she started spending more time outside, she’s realized that falling is a somewhat inevitable part of life — plus she’s so very good at it.
So how does that help with non-outside things? In this episode Amy addresses what she’s learned from getting comfortable with falling in all the ways. Listen now.
[:46] A new thing I’m saying
[1:10] I do not have a good background with this thing
[1:20] A brief of history of a lot of falling
[3:14] Falling immersion therapy
[3:35] Getting OK with falling (not really) inside
[4:10] And now these are my options
[5:30] Help a friend out and fail a little please
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, 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, Google Podcasts, or wherever you find your favorite podcasts. The following is an edited transcript of this episode