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.
Who even decided January is the perfect time for fresh starts? Here’s why September makes more sense, and the new habit you should start — or double down on — today.
[:26] The best time to begin
[2:27] Amy’s way to track your habits
[2:55] How to keep yourself accountable
[3:15] Amy’s upcoming surgery
[3:38] This week’s Outdoor Hero
In the beginning she was just trying to save her sanity, says Virginia Yurich, who goes by Ginny. With a passel of little kids she was feeling run ragged brought by all the commitments shuffling children here and there. When her friend invited her to simply spend some time outside, letting her kids explore and live a little, she was skeptical. But after seeing the benefits, her skepticism vanished — and she was hooked.
Now Ginny shares her experience through a vibrant community of parents and families with one goal in mind: getting their kids to spend at least 1,000 hours outside each year. That seems like a huge number, but Ginny says it’s both possible and completely lifechanging for the whole family.
Listen to this episode of the Humans Outside podcast to learn how Ginny makes it happen, and how you can integrate her lessons into your own life.
[1:41] Virginia Yurich’s favorite outdoor space
[3:21] Where her 1,000 hours outside project came from
[14:47] The learning misconception
[24:42] How nature enhances learning
[27:34] How to work towards 1,000 hours outside
[33:11] What they do in the winter
[46:00] How to get started
[43:50] Their favorite and most essential outdoor gear
[46:18] Her favorite outdoor space
1,000 Hours Outside website
Sliding Rock, North Carolina (natural waterfalls)
Johnson’s Shut-Ins State Park, Missouri
Charlotte Mason
Last Child in the Woods
Barefoot and Balanced
Smart Moves: Why Learning Is Not All In Your head
Ripp Stick
Virginia’s Favorite and most essential outdoor gear: klean canteen water bottles; kid backpacks for hiking
Have you ever woken-up to find that things are way harder and more sad than you expected? That’s what happened to Amy this week when she got some bad news about a hip injury she started dealing with over the podcast break. Hear how she’s handling it in this episode of the weekly Outdoor Diary.
[:30] Amy keeps it real
[1:10] Amy’s injury
[2:30] Amy’s plan for outdoor time during recovery
[3:25] Sometimes you need to be sad
[4:10] Last minute camping trip
[4:27] This week’s Outdoor Hero
By studying hundreds of time management logs and interviewing some of the most productive men and women in the country, Laura Vanderkam hasn’t just become one of the most sought-after time management experts in the U.S., she has learned what it takes to get the most of time, whether that means doing more for work or making more time to play.
Vanderkam also happens to be the time management expert who taught Amy everything she knows about productivity and getting the most of her time, one of Amy’s favorite subjects. She also has tried Amy’s 20 minutes a day outdoor time experiment.
What she’s learned about time management and getting the most out of the minutes we have can help you find more minutes in your schedule to spend in nature. Hear her best tips, tricks, and insights on this exciting episode of the Humans Outside podcast.
[1:55] Laura’s favorite outdoor space
[3:04] How she got into time management
[4:03] What she learned from spending time outside
[8:45] The biggest thing she’s personally learned about time
[11:09] The biggest time management mistakes
[21:13] What she tells people who say they don’t have time
[25:05] How to start managing your time
[34:04] Unpacking logistics vs. priorities
[36:44] How to find time to go outside
[40:01] Favorite outdoor gear
[40:24] Most essential outdoor gear
[42:34] Favorite outdoor moment
168 Hours: You Have More Time Than You Think
The New Corner Office: How the Most Successful People Work From Home
Favorite outdoor gear: big fluffy towel
Most essential outdoor gear: rain pants! (we like these)
So what exactly has Amy been doing outside this summer? Probably not what you would guess. Listen to hear all of the exciting adventures she has had, and also how she has dealt with the disappointment of the summer not being what she expected.
[:40] Here’s what Amy has been up to over the season break
[:54] The theme over that time.
[1:51] About our arctic adventure
[2:30] How it feels to be crushed
[3:20] What I’m doing instead
[3:50] This week’s outdoor hero
You’ve heard them mentioned, you’ve seen their pictures — and now you get to hear them on the Humans Outside podcast: Amy’s “running wives,” Clare Shea and Rachel Gernat. In this podcast Season 2 premier, Amy, Clare and Rachel discuss outdoor-based friendship, what makes it special and how, exactly, you, too, can make outdoor-minded friends. What’s the secret sauce? How do you even find great friends?
[1:51] Rachel Gernat’s favorite outdoor space
[2:20] Clare Shea’s favorite outdoor space
[4:12] How Amy met her Running Wives
[4:34] How Rachel and Clare met
[6:12] What makes us such great friends
[9:19] Favorite memory of the wives together
[16:30] The importance of finding friends who push you
[18:15] What brought us to Alaska
[23:00] How to find outdoor friends
[34:16] How doing hard things outside helps you find friends
[47:22] Clare’s favorite outdoor gear
[48:30] Rachel’s favorite outdoor gear
[50:04] Clare’s favorite outdoor gear again
[51:00] Rachel’s favorite outdoor gear
[55:57] Amy’s favorite outdoor moment
[56:35] Rachel’s favorite outdoor moments
[57:59] Clare’s favorite outdoor moment
Follow Clare Shea on Instagram
Follow Rachel Gernat on Instagram
Palmer, Alaska (the best little town ever, in our opinion)
Kate Arnold (Humans Outside Podcast episode 32)
Clare’s favorite outdoor gear: Sockwell compression socks
Rachel’s favorite outdoor gear: Her Frosty Bottom marathon hat
Clare’s most essential outdoor gear: Buff
Rachel’s most essential outdoor gear: Montbell down pants (“The Pants.”)
Season 2 of the Humans Outside podcast is coming August 20 — and we are so excited for you to hear what we’ve been working on. From an outdoor therapist, to a time management expert to Amy’s “running wives,” this season is packed with fascinating conversations about and hacks for getting outside. Subscribe now so you don’t miss a thing.
[:01] Coming soon on Humans Outside Podcast
[:50] Humans Outside Season 2 preview
[1:48] What Amy has been doing since the end of Season 1
[2:20] How to support the podcast
Listen in as Amy recaps the first season of Humans Outside and gives you the lowdown on how you can keep up with us even during our summer podcast break!
Register for our newsletter to win a decal: https://humansoutside.com/contact-us/
Follow us on Instagram and share your outdoor life with the hashtag #humansoutside365.
[:30] A break
[:45] Our pre-corona beginnings
[1:25] Getting outside in a pandemic
[1:48] The many seasons of Alaska
[2:45] Some of our favorite episodes
[3:19] An Alaska summer
[4:12] Outdoor Hero
[4:57] How to keep up with Humans Outside
Episode 02: Cancer Couldn’t Keep This Gold Medalist Indoors (Kikaan Randall)
Episode 15: How This Amputee Is Going from Victim to Victory (Adrianne Haslet)
Episode 20: The Powerful Connection of Movement and Grief (Lisa Hallett)
Episode 26: Heading Outdoors to Conquer Challenges Indoors (Nailah Blades Wylie)
Episode 28: Be Right Back, I’m Forest Bathing (Michelle Abbey)
Episode 32: Surviving Addiction and Living Boldly (Kate Arnold)
Episode 34: How Spending Time Outside Makes You a Better Leader
Episode 38: How Type 1 Diabetes Inspired Him to Move
There’s something about working with the earth, about hearing the birds sing and about producing in the sun. It’s more than just the physical labor, says this week’s guest Peter Scott, it’s about creating and being a part of something bigger.
Peter Scott can’t talk about a lot of what he did and saw while in the military. But he can talk about the farm he now uses to help veterans like himself heal from the wounds of war and to grow food for local military and veteran families. Listen to this compelling episode now!
[1:40] Peter’s favorite outdoor space
[2:49] How Peter ended up farming
[10:18] How working with the earth helps heal
[13:02] What draws Peter to farming
[17:11] How farming helps heal PTSD
[21:46] How Peter is helping others through his farm
[27:39] How to get started with a farm project
[30:27] Peter’s most essential outdoor gear
[31:37] Peter’s favorite outdoor gear
[32:58] Peter’s favorite outdoor moment
Register for our newsletter to win a decal: https://humansoutside.com/newsletter Follow us on Instagram and share your outdoor life with the hashtag #humansoutside365. Here’s an edited
Register for our newsletter to win a decal: https://humansoutside.com/newsletter Follow us on Instagram and share your outdoor life with the hashtag #humansoutside365. Here’s an edited
Here’s an edited transcript of our conversation on The Humans Outside Podcast. Listen to the episode on iTunes, Google Podcasts, or wherever you find your