There’s something about breathing in the crisp autumn air and hearing the sound of leaves dancing down the sidewalk on a brisk fall day that makes it our favorite time to get outside. Before restricting yourself to fleece socks, layers of down jackets and the inside of your warm and cozy home during the winter months, pick one (or all three) of our favorite ways to enjoy these last few weeks of outdoor play-worthy weather.
After all, when we breathe in fresh air, we increase the body’s oxygen level and the amount of serotonin—“the happy hormone”— released in our brains, moving us literally one deep breath away from a better mood. More oxygen also supports your ability to concentrate, and optimize brain functioning. Try this:
Swap the gym for a local park or field.
Exercising outdoors is energizing and revitalizing. Doesn’t that sound inviting? Carve out 30 minutes in your day, and choose any variation or intensity that you’re craving. You can walk, jog, run or try as many rounds of this circuit as you can in 30 minutes. Try and beat your number each time you try!
- 20 squats
- 20 walking lunges
- 15 pushups
- 50 crunches
- 10 jump squats
- 10 split lunges
- 25 mountain climbers
- 25 Russian twists (with or without a weight)
Walk it out.
People often assume that meditation means sitting cross-legged and chanting for 24 hours. Meditation is as simple as bringing your uninterrupted attention to something and being with it for its entirety. Take a walk outside and bring all of your attention to the sounds that you hear. Is there a breeze? Can you hear the trees swaying, leaves blowing by and children laughing in the distance? Do you hear a car drive by or a fire alarm go off? Bring your full attention to each sound as you hear it and move on to the next one as it comes. This moving meditation is simple, and makes finding time for a mindful minute accessible to anyone.
Plant some seeds.
Gardening is a therapeutic way to enjoy some time outside. Plus, there are few things more fulfilling than getting to eat the actual fruits (or vegetables) of your labor. If you don’t have a garden, grab some soil, pick a lonely area of your yard and build one! Autumn is the best time to plant certain vegetable seeds to ensure a quality bountiful harvest by spring. Some of these vegetables include broccoli, beets, peas, kale, carrots spinach and lettuce. Be sure to plant the seeds before the first frost. Once spring comes, you’ll be hosting outdoor “yard to table” dinner parties like a pro.