Live Well Strategy #7 - Take a Nature Break!

“Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.”
- Regina Brett, 90 years old, of The Plain Dealer, Cleveland, Ohio

What a great quote.  One of my personal goals this summer is to take a nature break every day – no matter how busy I “think” I am.   I’m going to get outside in the sun and soak in natural vitamin D, walk barefoot in the sand, breathe lots of fresh air and use the earth, sky, water and green plants as a grounding and restorative force.

Sun, fresh air and nature have the ability to nourish us our body at a deep level – and yet “the easiest thing to do, is the easiest thing not to do” (one of my favorite quotes by Jim Rohn).

Of course, there are so many excuses that can prevent us from not getting outside at least once a day…I’m too busy, it’s raining, I’m tired etc.  I remember one of my excuses during a glorious Denver summer a couple of years ago, "I need to get the Live Well website up".  And before I (and Liz Rider, my co-conspirator for the Live Well Website) knew it, the summer was gone. 

After that experience of seeing a whole season fly by, I promised myself I would appreciate every summer forward...and luxuriate in the outdoors at least once a day.  As Thoreau says, “Nature is a tonic for the soul.”

What are some ways that you can easily get outside every day?

1. Lunch breaks – sit outside. Make it a goal that every lunch hour possible you sit outside with a friend – to enjoy sunshine and great conversation.
   
   
2. Take a 10 min break during the day to get outside – 10 min can make all the difference, and like meditation, will actually give you MORE time throughout the day.
   
   
3. Go for a walk after dinner with a family member or friend.
   
   
4. Look for chances to get outside – restaurant patios, waiting for your car to be washed, etc.
   
   
5. Go to a park and sit on the grass. Actually connecting with the earth is very grounding for the body.  Consciously appreciate the sky, sun, earth, air and green plants.
   
   
6. Go somewhere where there is water – a stream, a lake, a river.  Many cities have a river running through them, or streams in a park -  so there are many places that you can enjoy the healing and meditative sound of water.
   

Okay – I’m going outside right now...this summer, Laguna Beach is calling... :-)

Be Happy... Be Vibrant...

Live Well,

Carmen