One of the five keys we focus on in our workshops is Health Living. In our healthy living discussion, we choose to focus on mental health and teach the girls a few ways they can work through stress and stay strong mentally. I don't lead these discussions, but one thing I'd like to emphasize if I did, is to GET OUTSIDE and ENJOY THE SUNSHINE!
Depression has been like a roller coaster in my life...and at any given time I can be enjoying the ride up or hanging on for life on the way down. With those ups comes weight loss and with those downs comes weight gain. As I sit here at this given moment, I happen to be on a nice climb and enjoying the view. If I had to contribute one factor to being in a good seat right now, I'd have to say it's the sunshine.
I started walking last year, but it was a struggle. I made up my mind to loose some weight and with that hard work, came the ability to increase my walks early this year. When I started walking daily, I was lucky if I could finish a 1/2 mile. As time went on I kept pushing myself. I went up to 1 mile, then 1.5 miles and now I walk 2 miles, 6 days a week. By choosing to walk outside I'm constantly adapting to our Colorado weather. In the winter and spring I'd have to wait until after 12noon when it warmed up. In the summer I'm often out the door by 7 to avoid the heat. I could avoid all of the factors that come with walking outdoors by going to a gym and using a treadmill, but this time spent outdoors is something I crave now. Walking on a treadmill does not give me the joy I receive when I watch a sunrise. A treadmill doesn't allow me to people watch (and laugh at all the Pokemon Go players). A treadmill doesn't allow me to take in a new view as I explore a new path. Most importantly, a treadmill does not give me the daily dose of sunshine I find I need to avoid depression. If I look back to all the times I've been in a good place, being outside more and taking advantage of the sunshine, has always played a factor. There have been years I've played tennis, one summer I rode my bike, other years I've gone on regular hikes and camping trips; this year in additional to walking, I've been participating in an outdoor fitness class 3 days a week.
Recently I was traveling and after being in the car for 9 hours, I had a couple hours to spare, so I decided to go to the hotel gym to get my walk in. I came to two conclusions after this work out. 1st: I thoroughly enjoyed watching Netflix on my phone while I walked and rode the bike. 2nd: I found myself sweating and pushing myself way more then I do when I go on my daily walks. My final thought after analyzing these thoughts was BALANCE. Although I could benefit from pushing myself more physically, my mental health is and will remain my focus. As the outdoor swim season comes to an end, I think I'll start exploring the gym and add some additional workouts to my routine, but in no way am I ready to leave the great outdoors behind for a treadmill.
Ultimately my point is this. If you find yourself in a funk, get outside. Even if it's 5 or 10 minutes a day, it will make a difference. Rather then focusing on the negative things in your life during that time, look around and focus on the small things that make our world a beautiful place. You might fight that 10 minutes at first or argue that it's time you can't take away from your family, but if you hang in there, I promise it will be worth it. You'll find yourself craving that time and enjoying the small things along the way. You'll find yourself lifted mentally and even spiritually at times.
Here are a few of the photos I've taken on my walks this past year. They are all moments when my emotional bank account received a deposit of joy.
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