Get outside for 20 minutes

This little resolution can make life feel more doable

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:03):
Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of my Heart Radio.
Good Morning. This is Laura, Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.
Today's tip is about one of the best New Year's
resolutions you can make. It's to get outside for twenty
minutes a day. Unlike plenty of other resolutions, this one

(00:26):
will probably put you in a better mood, and if
you live somewhere cold, dark and gloomy, it can make
winter seem more doable. I first came across this idea
for this resolution via the Humans Outside Project. This is
run by a woman named Amy Bouschatz who lives in
Alaska with her family. Now Alaska might not seem like

(00:47):
the best place to get outside for twenty minutes a day,
especially in say January, but Amy has committed to doing
it and to enjoying what the natural world has to offer.
Sometimes what the natural world has to offer is absolutely spectacular,
and sometimes being outside for twenty minutes a day means
a quick walk outside the airport before a long day

(01:08):
of flying. But either way, fresh air is a known
mood booster. Even cold, sleety conditions can make you feel
more energized by the time you go back inside, so
I decided to adopt this as one of my quarterly
resolutions during a recent winter, and I have to say
I am a big fan. Pennsylvania, where I live isn't Alaska,

(01:33):
but still winter can be cold, icy, and generally not
that pleasant. There's always a tendency to hibernate, especially when
the sun sets at four thirty pm around the solstice.
But committing to get outside for twenty minutes a day
changed my relationship with winter. Because I knew I would
be outside, I decided to get better outdoor gear. I

(01:56):
finally bought waterproof boots so I could wait around outside
in the slush, and shockingly, I became much more willing
to do so. I bought a long coat that kept
the chill off my legs. I also made a choice
to buy good winter running gear so I could run
outside instead of on the treadmill as long as conditions

(02:16):
were safe to do so. I vastly prefer the outside
scenery to a boring treadmill, so this improved my mood
right there. Since it's generally better to get outside during
daylight hours, setting this intention forced me to look at
my schedule each day and figure out when I could
take a break. In summer, you could go outside after work,

(02:37):
but if it's only light from seven thirty am to
four thirty pm, that might not be the case. But
it's the rare work day that wouldn't be improved by
a quick jaunt outside. I made sure to put on
my boots and do this occasionally, and even on challenging days,
the commitment to get outside forced me to pay attention

(02:57):
to the winter landscape and it's old beauties. One day,
I had to get my minutes in by walking around
the airport parking garage at the Philadelphia Airport, but the
sky was actually quite beautiful as the winter sun was
setting over. Now, yes, I might have been happier to
see a tropical sunset on a beach, but hey, winter

(03:19):
beauty is beauty all the same. Now, if you live
somewhere tropical, you probably don't need to set a resolution
to get outside for twenty minutes a day, but for
the rest of us, i'd encourage the idea. That's why
I'm setting this as a quarterly goal again this year. Well,
possibly the day I'm in the hospital delivering my baby,
I might not make it outside for twenty minutes, but

(03:39):
the other days sure why not getting outside can help
us experience winter in a whole new way. In the meantime,
this is Laura. Thanks for listening, and here's to making
the most of our time. Hey, everybody, I'd love to

(04:00):
hear from you. You can send me your tips, your questions,
or anything else. Just connect with me on Twitter, Facebook
and Instagram at Before Breakfast pod that's B the number four,
then Breakfast p o D. You can also shoot me
an email at Before Breakfast podcast at i heeart media

(04:20):
dot com that Before Breakfast is spelled out with all
the letters. Thanks so much, I look forward to staying
in touch. Before Breakfast is a production of I Heart Radio.
For more podcasts from my heart Radio, visit the i
heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to

(04:42):
your favorite shows.