Category: mindfulness

a goose with beak open. Silly Sunday: sage advice from animals
fitness · mindfulness

Silly Sunday: sage advice from animals

catherine wLeave a comment

I’m a sucker for animal memes. I mean, aren’t we all? This week I happened on a FB page (this one) with familiar-yet-new-feeling animal advice for getting through life, or the next meeting, or the next minute. I think we can all use this from time to time. So herewith life coaching from domestic animals.

First, let’s hear from the sheep on getting through difficult days.

You don't need to feel inspired; rather just let yourself get through things without throwing yourself into the hedge.
You don’t need to feel inspired; rather just let yourself get through things without throwing yourself into the hedge.
Let stubbornness help; spite can carry you surprisingly far at times.
Let stubbornness help; spite can carry you surprisingly far at times.

The cow is here to remind you that you don’t have to do everything now, or all the time.

Some things can wait; the field will still be here tomorrow.
Some things can wait; the field will still be here tomorrow.
Also, you needn't keep chewing on (or ruminating, if you will) on the same thought. The cow knows from this.
Also, you needn’t keep chewing on (or ruminating, if you will) on the same thought. The cow knows from this.

And finally, the goose has things to say to all of us.

Carry on, and honk aggressively if it helps.
Carry on, and honk aggressively if it helps.

Happy Sunday to all of you!

advice · fitness · habits · mindfulness

Positive is Practice – Sam’s 3 Good Things

elan.paulson1 Comment

I interviewed Sam about her regular habit of sharing “3 good things” from her days on her personal social media feed.

EP: You often post “3 good things” on your personal socials along with photos. How long have you been doing this, and has your reason for still doing it changed since you started?

SB: I started six years ago in November. November is gratitude month, and it’s also my least favourite month of the year, so I figured it couldn’t hurt to look around and find things to be grateful for.

I’m not sure exactly when I started doing it year-round, maybe two or three years ago? I liked it so much I didn’t want to stop when November was over.

Why do I keep it up? I like the way it makes me feel. But also, and I notice this more these days, the practice itself trains me to start looking around for good things.

EP: This tracks with something I heard on a recent podcast about negativity bias. We’re wired to overfocus on the bad (to the point where we overlook the good), but intentionally practising the positive can help us rebalance. The researcher called it gain-framing, seeing experiences through a positive lens or treating setbacks as opportunities to learn. Does that match your practice?

SB: Yes, that definitely matches my experience. I do a bit of only good things and a bit of reframing. I’ve got a close family member in the hospital. Not good. But good that they’re getting the excellent medical care they need.

A woman in glasses looks through her fingers Ina square frame shape

I also share bad news. I’m one of those academics, for example, who posts about rejections. It’s not just good news. Junior scholars need to see that rejection is part of the process. I also share when I stop doing things, so it doesn’t always look like I’m doing more new things without stopping others.

EP: The podcast researcher talked about the value of sharing positive experiences with others, which reinforce them and connect us to others through that sharing. Do you think about how others receive your posts? How do you feel sharing them?

SB: I do worry sometimes that people think it’s all good things all the time, but there’s a lot of bad at work that I can’t share on social media for a whole host of reasons. Ditto bad personal news, which often involves other people, and sometimes it’s their story to tell, not mine. Sometimes I find it hard to get the valence right.

EP: It sounds like you are aware of thr bad, but it’s not always shareable. So that’s another reason why you just choose to focus on the good. And maybe that you don’t want the terrible to stop your from seeing the good?

SB: I find that seeing the good helps me understand what we’re struggling for, why it all matters. The world is a beautiful place.

We were canoe camping this past weekend and I loved the light on the water, the sounds of the birds, watching a hummingbird on the flowers, swimming with loons, basking on warm rocks after swimming in a cold lake, the taste of hot tea and cookies, swaying in a hammock and napping. So many good things.

EP: How would you recommend that others try out sharing “3 good things,” and what to do on the days when thry feel negativity bias creeping in?

SB: To be honest, I’ve skipped 3 or 4 days over the years where things were too bleak to do it. I think that’s okay. That’s life.

I keep a Google doc on my phone, called Three Good Things, for myself. But I also share on social media for the habit and the accountability. For a time I thought about starting a blog just focused on tracking workouts and sharing good things. You could do that too.

Listen to “Stepping Out of the Shadows” from Hidden Brain, hosted by Shankar Vedantam, with psychologist Alison Ledgerwood (University of California Davis).,who explores negativity bias, the deeply human tendency to hold on to what went wrong and overlook what went right. In the episode, Ledgerwood unpacks why our minds are drawn to losses and threats, and what can be done to rebalance our attention. 

A bubblegum-pink fake watermelon slushie. Approach wth caution. Mid-summer: a time for ordinary movement and extraordinary sensory experience
fitness · meditation · mindfulness · vacation

Mid-summer: a time for ordinary movement and extraordinary sensory experience

catherine wLeave a comment

The past couple of weeks I’ve been out and about, traveling to Tennessee and North Carolina, and then hosting my sister and niece here in Boston, with a day trip to the beach in Maine.

Nothing extraordinary happened, really; I visited friends, went to a meditation retreat, and did some touristing with my sister and niece.

But, in fact I had extraordinary pleasure from what my senses were conveying to me, once I slowed down to really experience them.

What do I mean here? Lemme explain with examples:

Water: My friend Jennie and I went to Townsend, TN and dipped our feet in the Little River, just inside the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It’s a shallow rushing river, great for tubing, dipping, and hanging out in and beside.

Here's the Little River. Our section had loads of people enjoying it on a hot summer day.
Here’s the Little River. Our section had loads of people enjoying it on a hot summer day.

The feeling of rushing water on my legs, moving along, on top of and between the rocks, hearing the sounds of the water– so satisfying, cleansing, refreshing.

More water: My sister, niece and I went to the beach at York, Maine last week for the day. Loads of people were out on Long Sands Beach, enjoying the sun, sand, sky and each other. I knew the water was extra cold– 58F/14.4C– but we had to wade in a little. Wow– the contrast between air and water was something! It felt shocking and prickly and a little painful; but the overall sensation was fully engaging.

Beach enclaves in York, ME.
Beach enclaves in York, ME.
The ocean, which was very beautiful and cold-- 58F/14C.
The ocean, which was very beautiful and cold– 58F/14C.

Crunching sounds: during my meditation retreat, while doing a morning sit, we were encouraged to let ourselves be aware of sound around us. This included birds, wind through the trees, the rustling of our fellow meditators, our own breath– any sound could become the object of our attention.

I noticed the distinct and surprisingly pleasurable sound of tires on the gravel way outside our meditation hall. The deep crunch of rubber on rock left me very pleased. And wanting more of it. So, when we next did a walking meditation, I put on my red-strapped Teva sandals and headed out for the gravel path, planning on exploring crunch.

I was not disappointed. From bigger rocks to sandy spots, my sandals made contact with sounds and tactile sensations. They varied, creating a banquet for me to sample from. Honestly, I totally recommend this for anyone who’s feeling stressed or overwhelmed, as immersing yourself in the sound and feeling of something crunchy beneath your feet will reboot you to original human factory settings in the best way. Try it.

Any gravel path anywhere will do, as long as it has some loose rock for crunching. Photo by Alan C for Unslash.
Any gravel path anywhere will do, as long as it has some loose rock for crunching. Photo by Alan C for Unslash.

The color green: during my visit with Jennie and her family, we went to the Knoxville Botanical Garden. It is a well-cared-for space for wandering, contemplation and enjoyment. What I really enjoyed that day was the Bamboo Forest, with many shades of green.

The dark but inviting entrance to the Bamboo Forest.
The dark but inviting entrance to the Bamboo Forest.
A jungle of greenery.
A jungle of greenery.
The path out of the bamboo stands to the lighter green in the sunlight.
The path out of the bamboo stands to the lighter green in the sunlight.

Being surrounded by one color in so many configurations felt wonderful for my eyes, my imagination and my love of the world. Thanks, nature, for such variety!

One last comment: On the cover of this post is the watermelon slushie I had at York Beach. It was its own universe of sensation: intense manufactured sweetness from the fake watermelon taste (not exactly pleasant, but certainly unavoidable), and the piercing brain-freeze feeling from taking too big a sip. We all remember summer brain-freeze, don’t we? It’s a mid-summer thing. Feel free to try it if you dare.

Happy mid-summer!

A bubblegum-pink fake watermelon slushie. Approach wth caution.
A bubblegum-pink fake watermelon slushie. Approach wth caution.
a brightly coloured calendar of resilience tips from Action for Happiness Jump Back Up July? Sounds like a plan.
fitness · habits · health · mindfulness · self care

Jump Back Up July? Sounds like a plan.

Christine Hennebury1 Comment

This month’s Action for Happiness theme is ‘Jump Back Up July’ and their calendar is full of small steps to help you build your resilience, to increase your ability to face challenges, to notice your strengths, and to be kinder to yourself.

Now, as I am sure you can guess, I don’t really think that we have to *jump* back up every single time but even staggering back up gets us back up and trying again.

Cultivating the inner fortitude to try again when things go awry, to be compassionate when we make mistakes, to ask for help when need it, to reframe challenges, and to nurture hope throughout the process can serve us well in so many areas of our lives (including fitness!) that the effort to build our resilience skills is worth the effort.

Even though many of these practices are already in my regular repertoire, I’m going to make a point of practicing them during Jump Back Up July (or Get Back Up At Your Own Pace Using Your Choice of Movements July which is more accurate for me but far less catchy. 😉 )

Are you in?

Here’s the Jump Back Up July Calendar :

a brightly coloured calendar of resilience tips from Action for Happiness
The ‘Jump Back Up July’ calendar from Action for Happiness. I will, of course, be using this for ‘Get Back Up At Your Own Pace Using Your Own Choice Of Movements July’ too. Image description: A calendar for July 2026 with each block coloured in a repeating pattern of dark green, light green, orange, and yellow. The text in each block is a daily tip for building the skills to ‘Jump Back Up’ and the edges of the calendar are decorated with black and white cartoon images of people doing resilience activities such as hugging someone or carefully repairing a loved object.

And here’s a tip video from Action for Happiness featuring Vanessa King:

A video from the Action for Happiness YouTube channel called ‘Coping with challenging times. Jump Back Up July with Vanessa King’ on the left side is a still image of Vanessa King, a middle-aged white-presenting woman with reddish blonde hair that is pulled back from her face on the sides and top but with her bangs curling down towards her eyebrows. She is wearing brown-framed glasses, a black shirt, and a green scarf decorated with white flowers and gold-coloured leaves. She is looking towards the camera and smiling and there are two books and a vase of flowers behind her. On the right side of the image is a light blue rectangle with text that reads ‘Resilience. Bouncing Back’ in red and ‘3 top tips with Vanessa King’ in yellow.

Here are a few links about resilience that you may want to check out:

Leo Babuta – A Guide to Habit Resilience

Centre for Addiction and Mental Health – Building Resilience

Dr. Tracey Marks – Is Your Brain Stuck? How To Build Resilience Through Microregulation.

Robert Waldinger – How To Ease Suffering By Widening The Container

a close-up photo of a lilac branch with the flowers still closed Paying Attention Pays Off On Christine’s Monday Walk
dogs · fitness · mindfulness · walking

Paying Attention Pays Off On Christine’s Monday Walk

Christine HenneburyLeave a comment

Monday was an ‘out of sorts’ kind of day.

I don’t really know why I was out of sorts because nothing went particularly wrong.

In fact, lots of things went right – I had two terrific Zoom conversations with friends, I spent some time drawing and writing, it was sunny out for most of the day – but I felt a little under the weather, I couldn’t really settle into my work, and I had to push myself to do even the simplest things.

I even had to push myself to go for a walk this afternoon – an activity that is automatic about 90% of the time.

I’m sure Khalee would have forgiven me if we didn’t walk today but I didn’t like the idea of her missing out on a walk on a warm, sunny day.

Since I was having trouble with the push to walk, I decided to try to add a ‘pull’ factor – I challenged myself to take a photo as many beautiful things as I could without Khalee losing her patience.

And that worked out pretty well – it made my walk into a series of small strolls between photos and I was reminded of how many lovely things I can see even on a short walk.

All in all, this small photo challenge was a good way to finish my Monday.

And if you’re having trouble getting out for a walk, I highly recommend going off in search of beauty.

a photo of small white flowers on the tip of a tree branch
I really liked seeing all of these clusters on white flowers on the tree branches reaching toward the path. Image description: a cluster of small white flowers on the top of a tree branch that has relatively small green leaves. The background is out of of focus but there’s grass and trees and the sun is shining through here and there.
a photo looking up at the underside of a spruce tree with green cones and purple cones forming on the branches.
I really liked the contrast of the green branches and the purple cones with the blue sky in the background. Image description: a photo of the underside of a spruce tree looking up towards the sky. another set of branches, up very high, is visible at the top of the photo and the deep blue sky is visible on several sides. The tips of the spruce branch are laden with new cones that are growing. Some are green and others are a soft purple.
a photo of a small woodsy area with a dog in the foreground
When I was young, my friends and I played ‘spies’ in the small wooded areas along this path. Little alcoves formed by the trees were our favourite hiding places. Image description: a photo of a wooded area with a clearing between the trees, the entrance to which is partially blocked by trees that are leaning far to one side. Khalee, my light brown dog who is wearing a blue neckerchief is in the bottom of the photo.
a top-down photo of a shallow river almost completely overgrown with trees and shrubs and dotted with rocks.
I take so many photos of the sun on the greenery and the river in this particular spot on the bridge. Image description: a photo of a river that is so overgrown that there are just two or three pools of water easily visible between the greenery and the rocks. The sun is shining down on all the trees and shrubs and grass making it area look very lush.
a photo of suburban street with a long cloud in the bright blue sky with the sun at the very top of the photo.
Something about the shape of this cloud was really pleasing to me and I also loved how looooooong the street looked in this photo. Image description: a photo of a street near my house that seems to be leading me right toward the most prominent long white cloud in the bright blue sky. The sun is a bright shape with a kind of aura around it in the top of the photo and there is a series of trees, houses, and cars, as well a sidewalk along the left side of the photo, and a few houses, trees, and cars on the right.
a close-up photo of a lilac branch with the flowers still closed
I took this photo on my front lawn where this lilac tree keeps blooming despite (because of?) my benign neglect. Image description: a close-up photo of a lilac branch with bright green leaves and with the lilac flowers still closed up in dark pink buds. There are houses and cars out of focus in the background and blue sky above.
a top-down photo of some bright orange flowers amidst greenery
These small orange flowers are apparently a type of poppy and they also thrive under my benign neglect in a planter next to the lilac tree in front of my house. I will be pulling the grass out of the planter once I get around to it. Image description: a top-down photo of some small orange poppies amidst a variety of green plants and leaves and a smattering of grass stalks. On the right side of the photo there is the edge of the wooden planter and a few rocks scattered on the dirt that is part way under my front steps.
a photo of the head and front legs of light brown, medium-sized dog who is looking towards the camera
I think Khalee is just as beautiful as the trees, the flowers, the river and the cloud, of course. Image description: a photo of Khalee, a medium-sized light brown dog whose face, paws and chest are white. She is wearing a jaunty blue neckerchief with blue daisies outlined on it. She is standing in a shadow on a patch of grass with a sunny spot just past her. Only her front paws and her head is in the shot and she has her head turned slightly towards us so she is looking into the camera.
Flying & Falling into a New Decade
aging · femalestrength · injury · mindfulness · running

Flying & Falling into a New Decade

MinaLeave a comment

The morning after I turned 60, I headed out on a run with my youngest brother who was in town. What a treat! And he pushes my pace. For the first bit, I felt fleet and strong. Flying. The kind of run where your feet barely seem to touch the ground, tiny levitation rockets in my shoes. And that was just a feeling, since my feet were clearly on the ground when I tripped over a tree root.

I went down hard, catching myself on my shoulder. The result: a badly wrenched shoulder and a pivot from a brisk 9-mile run to a nauseous crawl toward CityMD, arm cradled against my body.

Everything in me wanted to scream until my lungs gave out, why me? Beneath that was a darker feeling, too: that the universe had smacked me down, put me in my place. I had wanted too much. I had been too pleased with myself about still being strong, still being fast, still being the person who runs the morning after her 60th birthday. So, the universe decided to show me who was boss.

I was already prickly about 60. About a month ago, a young man I passed in the final kilometers of a 21k (he could not have been older than his early 30s) said, with dismissiveness: well, maybe when I’m 60. I didn’t hear past that snippet. I kept running. I hear versions of these casual dismissals of people based on their ages often. The unquestioned assumption that age is a one-way street, that it diminishes us.

Even with a hurt and hurting shoulder, I questioned. With difficulty.

The list of things I could barely do at first was graceless in its mundanity. Open a bottle. Get dressed (oh yes, including pulling up my pants after going to the bathroom). Brush my teeth. Grab a glass in the cupboard. Never mind trail running or mountain biking. Did I mention I was three days from leaving for two weeks in the Canadian Rockies? I had planned solitude and mountain time to contemplate my new decade.

Close-up of a human arm showing visible bruising and discoloration on the skin, with a wooden background.

I had to borrow rolling luggage, because I could not haul a pack on a wrenched shoulder, and I always travel with a pack on my back. My mountain bike stayed in my middle brother’s garage in Calgary. Still, the first full day there, I wrestled myself into a sports bra, shirt and hiking pants and ventured out. Cautiously. Arm in a sling. A few days later I packed the sling in my little backpack (which didn’t hurt to wear, it was getting the straps on that was the trick). Gradually, I transitioned to trail running shoes and worked myself up to a slow trot. Always aware of my arm.

For the past three weeks, I’ve been managing the background noise of persistent pain.

This is not how I pictured opening this new decade.

And yet. And yet.

Curbed in my go-go mountain enthusiasm, I moved at a pace that allowed me to bask more in all the signs of coming spring. The runoff streams that got deeper with every warming day, so that I had to find new ways to get across that particular bit of trail each time. I had space to think about what it means to cross this threshold.

Because it is a threshold, even if I am, rationally, the same person the day after my birthday as the day before. I have sat with my complicated feelings about being a person in my sixties now for three weeks and something is shifting or emerging from underneath all the accumulated detritus of the years and the immediate distress of the physical setback. It’s a feeling, a sensation, a way of being that is harder to name than fleet or strong or flying.

Out on the mountain trails each morning, even moving with more caution than usual, a feeling spread in me, as the sun moves quietly into the world each day. Grounded, yet light. Buoyant, yet stable. It feels like I have the right to be here without further justification or proof of worth.

This whatever-it-is-ness feels like an arrival. Or a coming home. Belonging. Did I arrive at this feeling because of the fall?  Maybe. If I choose that version of the story, then I can silver line the fall and injury. Forced to slow down, woman discovers inner strength. Another part of me resists the patness of that explanation.  Maybe I just fell. Because I run on trails and other uneven surfaces. A lot. Life happens.  

My shoulder is healing. Not as quickly as I’d like. And when has any injury healed as quickly as we’d like? The pain is still there. Background noise every day. Wearing. And it is retreating. I can increase my effort. Mindfully. The mountains will still be there for next time. My bike will still be there.

I am still here.

Landed in a new decade. Not as elegantly as I might have liked. Penguin-style, which is to say, with awkward grace.

health · mindfulness

Meaningful May? Sounds Great!

Christine Hennebury1 Comment

I’m a few days late for the new Action for Happiness monthly calendar but I really love the idea of Meaningful May.

I’m not one of those people who insists that every single moment must be saturated with meaning but I am one of those people who thinks that any given ordinary moment could be meaningful – and I firmly believe that meaning is worth seeking/creating.

So, obviously, I’m a fan of the tiny daily ideas that this month’s Action for Happiness calendar provides for seeking meaning in the ordinary.

I like all of the suggestions but I find the idea of making ‘a list of the things that matter to me and why’ especially appealing.

Which Meaningful May tip appeals to you the most?

a calendar of tips about finding meaning in the ordinary for May 2026
A daily calendar for May 2026 from Action for Happiness. The individual blocks are pink, red, light blue, or darker blue and there is a tip for seeking meaning typed into each one. The edge of the calendar is decorated with simple cartoon images of things like a cup of tea, a paper airplane, a person on a bike, or a few planets. At the bottom of the calendar the words ‘Happier. Kinder. Together’ appear in green.

PS – If you want to hear a bit more about Meaningful May, check out the Action for Happiness video below “How to find meaning in the past, present and future. Meaningful May with Vanessa King.

A video from Action for Happiness featuring Vanessa King, a white woman with shoulder length hair and a bright expression on her face looking directly at the camera with a few plants and an old black and white photo of a couple on their wedding day. on the right ide of the image is text reading “Finding Meaning: 3 top tips with Vanessa King.”

a photo of a dog on a leash on a sidewalk April? Tomorrow? Really?
celebration · fitness · fun · mindfulness · motivation · play · rest · self care · time

April? Tomorrow? Really?

Christine Hennebury

So, apparently we’re starting April tomorrow which is bizarre because I am pretty sure we just started March.

Time is a mystery.

But seeing as the calendar is insisting that a new month is imminent, I thought it would be fun to look at some of the fitness and wellness related days that have been assigned to April.

April is…

Move More Month – that seems pretty promising and it could be pretty easy, if the weather cooperates even a little. And for many of our bloggers and readers, it ties in nicely with the fact that April is also Active Dog Month -it’s like a 2 for 1 special, really.

Stress Awareness Month – I think we are all pretty aware of stress (ha!) but this could be a good time to pay attention to your stress levels and see if you can find some relief.

Speaking of stress relief, perhaps the fact that April is Poetry Month, the Month of Hope, and National Volunteer Month, could help find a good starting point for reducing your stress levels.

And if you need help with your stress, April is also Counseling Awareness Month – extra impetus to give it a try.

See more of the awareness days, weeks, and month-long reminders in April.

For me, though, the best awareness day this month is April 5 – which is My Sister Denise’s Birthday Awareness Day.

Denise is a fun, creative, outdoorsy person and I highly recommend that you celebrate My Sister Denise’s Birthday Awareness Day by finding some nonsense to participate in, by taking yourself outside for some fun, or by doing something creative.

In fact, if you *do* celebrate My Sister Denise’s Birthday Awareness Day on Sunday, let me know and I will draw you your very own gold star as a reward.

Denise’s birthday

A photo of the moon shining on the snow on my patio and a fence one very early morning Mindful March? Sounds Good To Me!
ADHD · fitness · mindfulness

Mindful March? Sounds Good To Me!

Christine Hennebury

I’m sure I have mentioned it before but when I first started taking my ADHD meds, I immediately noticed an increase in my ability to pause before doing something.

Previous to that I didn’t exactly jump into every single task, but I would often find myself in the middle of doing something without having thought it through clearly.

After 10 years on medication, I am used to a certain capacity to pause and choose a response.

But I have noticed an increase in that capacity when I am practising mindfulness on a regular basis.

And, of course, I have also noticed that it is really tricky for me to practice consistently. (It’s like I have ADHD or something. 😉 )

Small, daily activities like the ones on the ‘Mindful March’ calendar from Action for Happiness really help me to keep practicing and to keep seeking that extra mental space.

Here’s what the calendar looks like. (You can also download your own copy from the website or add it to your own Google Calendar.)

An image of the mindful March calendar
The calendar for Mindful March from Action for Happiness. Image description: each block of the calendar is brightly coloured in shades of green or yellow, and there is a type written mindfulness tip in each one. The edges of the calendar are decorated with cartoon images of things related to the tips like someone playing with a dog or waiting for the kettle to boil to have a cup of tea.

And here’s a YouTube video about Mindful March from Vanessa King, Head of Psychology from Action for Happiness.

Finally, I took the photo below after a mindful experience I had one morning when the dog decided we were getting up at 5:30. I was annoyed at being up before I was ready and at having to open the door and let cold air in. But when I looked out at the moon and how it was shining on the snow and just felt how crisp everything was, I actually took a couple of deep breaths of that cold air and felt pretty good.

Paying attention to where I was, actually being there instead of moving on to the next thing, made a big difference to that moment, to the overall feeling of the start of my day, and to my day as a whole.

Every mindful moment doesn’t reverberate that way but that one certainly did.

Now, I’m not necessarily recommending getting up too early and being quite chilly as a mindfulness practice but you could do worse.

A photo of the moon shining on the snow on my patio and a fence one very early morning
A photo taken of the corner of my patio, my neighbor’s fence and our leafless tree, one very early dark morning when the moon was bright. In front of me, the moon is shining on the snow and casting shadows of the trees and the fence and light from a streetlight is adding to the glow. Everything looks crisp and still and peaceful.
a dog on a leash looking into some trees with houses in behind them January 20 is Take A Walk Outdoors Day
fitness · health · mindfulness · nature · walking

January 20 is Take A Walk Outdoors Day

Christine Hennebury

Today is Take A Walk Outdoors Day and I plan to celebrate by, you guessed it, taking a walk outdoors!

This isn’t a new thing for me, of course, I take a walk outdoors with Khalee most days, but I am making a point to get a good walk in today.

For the record, I also took a walk outdoors on Monday, even though it was just Take A Walk Outdoors Eve. It was a very drizzly day and Khalee was not a fan. She insisted on turning around to head home after just a few minutes but I’m still counting it as a walk outdoors.

A tan and white dog standing in snow, wearing a harness and leash.
Poor Khalee Pup looks so fed up with me. I’m sorry for dragging you out into the drizzle, KP! Image description: Khalee, a light-haired, medium-sized dog is standing in the middle of some snow facing towards the right. She has turned her head towards the camera. Her fur looks damp and she does not seem delighted to be outdoors, despite the mental health benefits.

Note: Are there entirely too many ‘official’ days for ordinary things? Maybe. Do I enjoy choosing to celebrate some of them all the same? Hells, yes! If it adds fun to my life and does no harm? I am IN.

As I was writing this post I did a quick search to see how many of my posts mention walking. It turns out that I have written 668 posts for Fit is a Feminist Issue and at least 192 of them mention walking. That includes posts for Making Space and Go Team so some of them may not be about my own walks but I still find it interesting that there are that many. Also, that 192 doesn’t include some posts that are about walking but that didn’t get picked up by the search function for some reason – like the poem one linked below.

Here are a few of my favourite posts about getting out for a walk:

Seven Things Christine Noticed On Her Sunday Walk

Khalee Solves Christine’s Problem (a poem?)

Christine and Khalee Try Walking Meditation

Just For Fun With Christine and Khalee

The health benefits of being outdoors is one of those things that I “know” but I realized I had never actually looked it up before so I did and I found this article from the Canadian Psychological Association that you may want to have a look at:

“Psychology Works” Fact Sheet: Benefits of Nature Exposure
This image is a link to a 2024 “Psychology Works”Fact Sheet entitled Benefits of Nature Exposure from the Canadian Psychological Association. The credits below are copied directly from the document:
This fact sheet has been prepared for the Canadian Psychological Association by Yasmeen Ibrahim, Clinical Psychology Ph.D. Student, and Shannon Johnson, Ph.D., Department of Psychology and Neuroscience at Dalhousie University.

Another thing that sprang to mind while I was writing this was the Latin phrase Solvitur Ambulando which means “It is solved by walking.” I don’t speak or read Latin but I came across that phrase years ago and I love how it landed with me.

I took it literally when I first heard it – that walking around can help you figure things out – but I have since found out that it is also about solving complicated abstract problems by taking practical action. It works in all directions, really.

And in confirming the Latin spelling, I came across this delightful ‘sketchplanation’ of the literal interpretation of the phrase by Jono Hey

A simple illustration depicting three stick figures walking on a path through green hills. One figure has a light bulb above them, symbolizing an idea or realization. The text 'SOLVITUR AMBULANDO' and 'it is solved by walking' is displayed at the top.
Image: Jono Hey, Sketchplanations Image description: this image shows three stick figures walking along a hilly field in shades of green. The first one on the left has a cloud made of dark scribbles above their head that indicates some confusion, they are walking towards the right and towards the back of the image. Then we see a later version of the same person walking from the back of the image towards us, and the cloud of confusion is a lighter colour. Finally, we see the same person closest to us on the right, and above their head is a light bulb symbolizing an idea and the light bulb is surrounded by green lines indicating a sort of brightness. Text at the top of the image reads, in Latin, Solvitur Ambulando and (the translation) it is solved by walking. This image is representing the idea that taking action, moving forward, literally or figuratively can help you to organize your thoughts and plans.

And seeing as I am pretending to be all sophisticated by sharing a Latin phrase, I’ll lean into that and share a quote (that is about walking and not about walking) from a poem that I love called [Traveler, your footprints] by Antonio Machado.

Traveler, there is no road;

you make your own path as you walk.

~Antonio Machado

Now, as good as it is to take a walk outdoors and to recommend walking outdoors, I know that that’s not always possible for everyone. and from what I understand, you can get some of the benefits of walking outdoors, of being in nature, and the like from looking at pictures of nature and, I assume, watching videos of people’s nature hikes.

So, in the spirit of focusing on things we can do instead of getting all caught up in the things we can’t do: If you are not able to get out outside today to take a walk (or to propel yourself by whatever means you usually do) then here are a few nature walking videos that I thought you might enjoy watching at home – whether or not you are walking/moving at the same time.

Have fun!

Image Description: The still image for this video shows a path leading forward through a wintery forest scene. the trees on both sides have snow on their branches and all of the undergrowth is laden with snow. There’s also snow on the path leading ahead. In the centre of the image is text reading “Winter Walk” and it is in a handwritten sort of font.
Image Description The still image shows a path through tall green trees on a spring or summer day. The path is clear and flat and has a wooden fence on both sides. Tt’s a sunny day and even though you can’t see the sky you can see the the light from the sun making all of the needles on the trees and the moss and plants in the undergrowth glow in the soft light. The trees are large and we’re mostly just seeing trunks and lower branches. There is a large tree to the left that has fallen so we’re seeing its roots and the tree trunk, which has moss on it, extending towards the left and backwards.
Image description: The still image of this video shows waves lapping on a yellow-brown beach on a sunny day with a bright blue sky. There are evergreens and other trees and some grass on the upper left far above the wet part of the beach. The beach extends forward for a long ways.
Image description: The still image for this video shows a fall scene in the woods with a path that extends into the distance with trees on either side. The path is strewn with orange leaves and some of the tress have orange leaves left on them. There are also a few evergreen trees here and there among the other trees.
Image description: The still image for this video shows a green field with hundreds of dandelion flowers growing in it. In the distance you can see farm houses, and structures for electrical lines, and a strip of blue/grey sky.
I had to include this video because this trail is about 15 minutes from my house and I thought you might enjoy seeing the rocky terrain and the ocean views on this hike. Image description: The still image for this video shows a collection of houses in a variety of colours in a part of St. John’s, NL called The Battery. The streets in this area are narrow and winding so the photo kind of looks like the houses are clustered haphazardly. There is a mix of old, weather-beaten structures and brightly-coloured newly painted houses. There is a rocky area in the foreground of the photo. This photo was taken on a sunny fall day so while the picture is bright.