Fitness In The Great Outdoors

I'm going to sneak out on a limb here and say that Spring just might possibly FINALLY be here. After a crazy snow storm last week, the temperatures look like they might actually be on the rise...for good. Well, at least for a few months. HALLELUJAH! I, for one, need the mental pick-me-up that warm temperatures bring.

While living in the-land-of-serious-dark-all-day-long-winters-Finland for a year and a half, I realized how much I really really love the sun. Winters were SERIOUSLY depressing. I remember looking at my watch at 2:00 in the afternoon while walking around in the pitch dark, thinking, "how am I going to survive the day in the dark for 7 more hours before we go home?" Summers in Finland, however, were heaven. The sun never slept!

In my life, I've discovered two things that really do keep me going. SUN. and EXERCISE. I've been missing the sun in a bad way!

I came across one study that shows the great benefits for children of combining the outdoors AND exercise. This particular study shows how a walk in the park improves attention in children with ADHD. I don't have ADHD, but I have plenty of moments (more than I'd like to admit), where I am mentally fatigued, easily distracted, and NEED TO GET OUT OF MY DANG HOUSE! A brisk walk outside ALWAYS makes me feel better. And running around in the park changes the temperament of my 2-year-old (in a good way) even more than a good nap...which is saying A LOT. This outside-induced-happiness has an even greater effect on my mood. Monster-Mom becomes Fun-Happy-Relaxed-Mom.

Besides being a better parent, here are a few more benefits of exercising outdoors:

• Running outside instead of on a treadmill increases the caloric burn by about 5 percent (due to wind and changing terrain).
• Changing temperatures increase calorie burn by about 7 percent because your body has to work to keep the internal temp at 98.6 degrees!
• SUN + EXERCISE = MOTHER NATURE'S ZOLOFT! This study, conducted in 2007 by researchers in England, found that outdoor workouts (i.e. A walk in the woods, a brief retreat, and even gardening) are ALL Better than anti-depressants alone! When they compared the mental benefits of a 30-minute walk outside with an indoor stroll, 71 percent who walked outside felt less tense after. 72 percent of the indoor walkers felt even more stressed.

The treadmill is one of my fondest old friends. I love that I can look down at any given second, and know EXACTLY how LONG I've been running, how FAR I've been running, how FAST I'm running, how much LONGER I'll be running, etc. I'm a numbers-kind-of-girl. But lately with my training, I've been running outside a lot more. And I have to say, I think I'm officially converted.

I honestly used to prefer the treadmill. Not anymore. When I'm outside, I don't feel like I'm running because I have to. I'm not yelling at kids to stay away from the treadmill, to share toys, to stop hitting each other. I don't increase my speed to hurry and get the run over with. I enjoy it. If the kids are with me in the jogging stroller, they enjoy it. I feel much more rejuvenated at the end. 10 miles outside feels like 4 miles on a treadmill (time-wise). Don't get me wrong. The treadmill has, and will always be my fall-back workout. But this summer, I'm going to take advantage of mother nature. I need it.

And running isn't all I'm going to do outside! Here are a few more outdoor workout ideas:

• Walking--one of the best lifetime sports!
• Jogging/Running--need I say more?
• Cycling
• Swimming
• Hiking
• Strength Training at the Park! Seriously...parks are FULL of FREE exercise equipment. Maybe I'll do a full post on this one later...I'm envisioning swing lunges using the swing to elevate the back leg, monkey bars for pull-up(s), straddling benches, swing/slide push-ups, stepping up onto benches, running around the playground, etc.
• Beach Yoga (for those vacationing or lucky enough to live in Sunny CA)
• Jumprope!

Are you convinced yet? Are you ready to trade in your gym membership? What gets you moving outside? Or do you still prefer the treadmill?

Draining vs. Energizing, and one of my insecurities...

Last night, we attended a family party. I got home and caved. I ate a cinnamon roll. I won't go into how gooey, soft, and moist it was. I enjoyed every. last. bite. I also won't go into the guilt I felt afterwards. But what's done is done. I ate a cinnamon roll. Moving on, right? I'm still fasting from sugar until August...that was just one of my "exceptions." Hopefully the rest of my "exceptions" will be better planned!

ANYWAY, about the family party. I had a blast. We left, and I felt totally energized. I loved sitting, chatting with my cousins who I don't see very often. I really cared about what they had to say, and felt like they cared about me. Such a great feeling!

In general, I think I'm a pretty social person. I love people. I love talking to people. I love talking with my husband. I love talking with my good friends. I love talking to my family. I even love talking with my 2-year old. They energize me. I laugh. We each contribute to the conversation. We care what the other person has to say.

Occasionally, however, I'm in a social situation where I'm not exactly myself. This usually happens when I'm with a group of people who love to talk and talk and talk and talk, without stopping to catch their breath, listen for a response, grunt, nod, nothing. I totally clamp up. I don't say a word. I leave feeling drained. Drained from too much listening, and no contributing. (I sound like such a brat...sorry!)

Does this mean that I need attention? I'm not sure. I actually think I'm a pretty good listener. I just also like to be heard. I think we all do. And I don't think the non-listeners intentionally talk and talk and talk. But for some reason, when I'm with certain extroverted people (usually ones I don't know very well...I open up over time), I pretty much have to spit out whatever I have to say in response to what they said in about .05 seconds before they're on to the next topic. And if I'm in a group with several of these people? I can pretty much count on not even having those .05 seconds to say what I want to say.

I actually really do love extroverts. They make me laugh. They have lots of good things to say. I just can't compete, because (as much as I hate to admit it), I turn into shy, insecure Robyn. And, I'm a bit jealous...wishing I could be the one stealing the show! I just need to chime in. But I don't. And I hate that I don't!

Anyway, it's funny that NOT TALKING is a small example of something that drains me. I need to talk! Don't we all?

It's no secret that life as a mom is draining enough without added drainers. For this reason, I try (not always successfully) to complete at least a few energizing activities a day to help me find balance! Here are a few of both that come to mind...

DRAINING

• not talking
• big grocery shopping trips
• spending money
• shopping, in general, for more than an hour
• getting kids ready to get out the door
• making dinner
• going anywhere with the kids by myself
• potty-training
• getting kids to eat!
• watching the news
• Sunday mornings (by the time we're off to church, I'm frazzled, and our house looks like a tornado hit!)
• talking on the phone (I'm not a good phone-call returner)
• my kids

ENERGIZING

• talking
• EXERCISE!
• friends who care what I have to say!
• friends I care about
• spending money (I love it AND hate it! Probably depends on what I'm buying.)
• eating a good meal
• getting out of the house
• going places with my kids AND husband
• running
• sunshine
• singing
• movies
• church
• reading
• blogging (I get to say what I want, even if no one's listening!)
• Saturday mornings
• talking on the phone (love/hate again)
• my kids
• my husband
• nap time
• sleep
• pedicures
• massages
• girl's night out
• fit me pink!

I guess some draining activities have to be done in order to get to the energizing ones. What drains/energizes you? What situations make you feel unsure of yourself?

EDITED TO SAY: Tina made an excellent point! Some "draining" activities are the ones that make us feel the best. Church can be draining...but it is spiritually energizing. Big parties are draining. But seeing good friends fills us emotionally. And exercise can DEFINITELY be draining. But it feels so good when you've done it!

CHANGE: The Gratitude Edition

With Thanksgiving upon us, what better time to introduce GRATITUDE as a way of change? I know I always use my toddler as an example, and I have to again. When I really pay attention, my little guy teaches me SO MUCH! For one thing, he's really good at saying "thank you." And he's thankful for the smallest things..."Mom, thanks for making me pancakes!" "Thanks for getting my shoes." "Thanks for the water." "Thank you for finding my legos." "Thanks for buying me this yogurt." The list could go on. We've taught him to say "thank you," and "thank you" he says. A lot.

There was a time in my life where I was pretty depressed. I was a missionary for the LDS Church in cold, dark Finland. It was in-the-way-negatives-freezing. The people weren't very receptive to our message. The language was hard. I was tired. And did I mention that it was dark and cold? It was difficult not to focus on the hard stuff--not to complain with my brain and my mouth.

At some point I realized that my situation wasn't going to change, but that if I was going to survive mentally, I had to change. My companion and I decided to come home every night and say a prayer of gratitude. We weren't going to ask for anything. We were merely going to recognize the good that had happened that day, and say, "thank you."

It was amazing. Nothing changed, but the way I felt did. I was noticing small things--a smile from a stranger, a warm bus, and many, many small miracles. Miracles that would have gone unnoticed if we hadn't decided to mentally take note, and to thank.

For me, this was a major turning point. One of life's BIG a-ha moments. Wonderful things happen EVERY DAY. We just need to notice.

Our world and country are in turmoil, as well as many of our personal lives. We can do many things to change our circumstances, but many things are out of our control. Instead of focusing on the negative, try focusing on the positive. What are you thankful for? What good things happened to you today? Try keeping a "gratitude journal," saying a prayer of "thanks" at the end of the day, or just trying to be grateful in your heart and mind for life's little miracles.

This also works great in marriage and other personal relationships. If your marriage is suffering, list the things you are grateful for in your partner. Nothing will really change, but as you notice the positive, see what happens. Things will start to change. For the better.

In this month of Thanksgiving, what little (and big) things do you have to be thankful for? Give us all some ideas as we change our attitudes with gratitude!

CHANGE: the attitude edition

I looked out the window this morning and saw snow. A few days ago, it was 70 degrees outside. We were wearing t-shirts and sandals. When I saw the snow, my mind started whirling with negative thoughts about how much I dislike winter, cold weather, driving in the snow, bundling up to go outside, wet snow puddles on my floor, etc.

Fast forward a few hours to the awakening of my 2-year old. The minute he looked out the window and saw snow, he saw beauty. He started running around the house saying, "It's winter outside!" He was THRILLED. He ran and got his new winter boots, put them on over his pajamas, and started pestering us to go play in the "winter." His enthusiasm was contagious. I couldn't help feeling a little giddy to go run in the snow. His optimistic outlook changed everything.

Since we're talking about change this month, I thought a change in attitude for many of us might just be what the doctor ordered.

I've read lots of anti-Obama blogs this morning filled with doom and gloom at the prospects of where this great nation is headed with our new Presidente. I have to admit that Obama wasn't my personal choice. But he is our newly elected President. And maybe it won't be such a bad thing. I'm all about optimism, and this is one area where I believe pessimism won't do us any good. We can all continue praying for our country with a hope for a bright future. Let's keep moving forward, people!

As for attitude, according to this study, your outlook on life may help you live longer, and also improves the quality of life.

In the Mayo Clinic study, Toshihiko Maruta, M.D. reports, "The wellness of being is not just physical, but attitudinal...How you perceive what goes on around you and how you interpret it may have an impact on your longevity, and it could affect the quality of your later years."

I'm not encouraging the "blissful ignorance" often associated with optimism if it leads to poor choices. However, an optimistic outlook is said to have a positive effect on the following:

Superior Health
Greater Achievement
Persistence
Emotional Health
Increased Longevity
LESS STRESS (who doesn't need some of that medicine!)

Here are a few quotes to get you going...

The average pencil is seven inches long, with just a half-inch eraser - in case you thought optimism was dead. ~Robert Brault

An optimist is the human personification of spring. ~Susan J. Bissonette

An optimist is a person who starts a new diet on Thanksgiving Day. ~Irv Kupcinet

Optimists are nostalgic about the future. ~Chicago Tribune

If an optimist had his left arm chewed off by an alligator, he might say, in a pleasant and hopeful voice, "Well, this isn't too bad. I don't have my left arm anymore, but at least nobody will ever ask me whether I am right-handed or left-handed," but most of us would say something more along the lines of "Aaaaah! My arm! My arm!" ~Lemony Snicket

The place where optimism most flourishes is the lunatic asylum. ~Havelock Ellis, The Dance of Life, 1923

Now go run in the snow, look to the future with hope, set some goals for this month, and keep plugging away as the positive influences you already are to so many!

My uber-excited-about-everything-life toddler helped me change my attitude this morning. How do you change your thinking when you're not feeling so positive?