Live OUTSIDE & Thrive

What percentage of your day do you spend outside? I dare you to double it... and notice how much better you feel! :)

When was the last time you breathed exhilarating fresh air deep into your lungs? Most people spend more than 90% of their day indoors. Changing this is a fast-track to feeling good.

Research shows air quality inside is FIVE times as bad as outside. UGH! No wonder we don’t have enough energy, are reacting to toxicities at record levels and feel unhappy and depressed. Our bodies love quality air even more than water!

For all the time I do spend in nature, I realised that I’m a little too comfortable with indooritis… aka ‘nature is lovely when I look at it from the comfort of my house’. So I came up with ten ways to at least double my outside time every day.

• Eat outside. Breakfast, lunch and snacks. Dinner too in summer!
• Spend at least an hour of your creation time in the garden. Create an inspiring outdoor office for writing, reading, thinking, talking...
• Pet love - animals naturally love nature, hang out outside with them instead of inside! 
• Watch the sunset. There’s always a lovely vantage point nearby for a late afternoon meditation with the sun! 
• Dance in the garden. Or on the street. Or next to the ocean. Or on top of a mountain. Move your body as if it belongs to the earth. (Which it ultimately does…)
• Walk wherever you can - to the shops, to work, to your friend’s house...
• Hold ‘walking meetings’ for your 1-1 meetings. Walk around the block or through a nearby park. So much more nurturing than an air-conditioned office.
• Dig in the garden. Pull out the weeds. Water your plants. Plant beauty that you will enjoy as it grows.
• Take up a new hobby - forest-bathing, hiking, kayaking, tree-hugging, nature photography - and do it for at least an hour three times a week.
• Make your outdoor spaces comfortable, so that it becomes an easy choice to be outside more.

And then there are ways to make your indoor spaces more natural…

• Turn up the fresh air ratio by keeping your windows and doors open whenever possible. (Especially if you have pets!)
• Have lots of loved-up, healthy house-plants that clean the air for you.
• Be aware of the toxicity built into many products through the manufacturing process - use natural paints on the walls, be a minimalist, check labels.
• Limit use of synthetic sprays (air-fresheners;  hairspray; perfume) and use fragrance-free products where possible.
• Use natural cleaning products.

One last thing. If you’re finding it hard to double or triple your outdoor time, buddy up with a friend and encourage each other throughout the day. Or meet-up a couple of times a week to do outdoor activities. #togetherwethrive  

Loving your outdoor life!

xo

Lisa

P.S. Have you read Living Beyond Burnout yet? It's for preventing and transforming burnout... and living the marvellous life you know is possible.