Humans Outside

One of my favorite benefits of spending time outside is how doing so daily has worked to better my relationships, giving me space to grow them in the context of nature. But did you know nature can also help when a relationship ends -- that it can literally be a part of healing heartbreak? In this Best Of episode we hear from best-selling author Florence Williams about her up close and personal stu...

It was a sad closing to the week in my house as we said "goodbye" to our dog of 12 years. We brought so much joy to each other. But it was time to let her go. Chloe was there when I first started spending time outside for nature's sake, so remembering her in an episode seemed like the least I could do to honor her place in our lives and the joy dogs bring so many of us. She was a very good girl. T...

Every now and then you run across something that captures your imagination while giving you a connection to an outdoor experience you loved. That's exactly how I felt the first time I came across one of the National Park posters designed by amateur parks historian Ranger Doug Leen and his team of artists and creators. The colors, design and connection to the past reminded me of all of the work and...

Wondering if you really do have time for that epic outdoor adventure in the middle of your otherwise normal life, or not quite sure if you can make it happen? That's how I felt recently while trying to balance my desire to head out for an ice skating trip to a glacier with having 1 million surely very important things to do. Did I actually have time? Would I be dropping too many balls by going? Th...

How do you handle zero-fun outdoor time? Push through and get the goal anyway before calling it quits? Wrap it up and head back to the car? Beat yourself up about quitting? Know that it's OK? This week on a mountain adventure with a few friends I found myself having zero fun time. The whole thing just didn't feel right. And I was big done. So what did I do? Listen now. Connect with this episode: J...

How well do you know the outdoor areas near your home? I don't just mean the obvious spots, I mean all of the spaces. And what would happen if you took the time to truly and deeply explore them? That's something British adventurer and author Alastair Humphreys set out to discover as part of a personal project that turned into his new book, Local. Dividing the region into one-kilometer grid squares...

If you've been keeping your outdoor habit for awhile just like me, you might be looking for a way to give it a little boost. Or maybe you're new to this, but want to add a little spice or specific outings to your outdoor life. If that's you, this easy new outdoor habit I'm trying this year is probably the perfect fit. It's a simple, low time commitment and interesting option and I can't wait to se...

One of my favorite things I've gained from heading outside every day? The discovery that I have an incredibly useful superpower. No, it's not x-ray vision, time travel or flying, which is a bummer because those would all be very cool. It's a move power -- the power to make myself do things I don't want to do. And you cannot imagine how helpful this superpower is in all sorts of circumstances. I th...

If new habits or a wellness practice refresh is on your mind, you're in good company. The start of a new year or new season often feels like the perfect time for a refresh. But if you're going to squeeze in a new helpful habit or practice, you might need to phase out an old, less-helpful one. And that's easy to say, but hard to do. In this episode of Humans Outside, wellness coach and habit expert...

The weather might be frightfulish or not exactly what you'd order for your perfect outdoor day, but Humans Outside is still out here helping you get inspired to build and keep that outdoor habit all year long. And now we're ready for Humans Outside season 9.

So you want to create a new habit -- maybe it's heading outside daily for that 20 minutes, maybe it's something related, maybe it's something else entirely. It can be easy to pick a really aggressive goal, or, on the flip side, toy with committing to something and then back out because you don't want to disappoint yourself.  In the happy middle, though, is aiming for a habit that both improves you...

It's good to take a beat, think about the past few seasons and decide with intention how you want to go forward. My preferred method for memory? Photo scrolling. And so I dove into some memories of outdoor time from the past year, and when I was done I had found two important outdoor lessons that I can take with me to make my future choices and adventures that much better. … And they can help you,...

Want to find a way to chase a goal for the new year without becoming one of the estimated 91% of Americans who abandon their new year's resolution before completion? Here at Humans Outside we believe that one simple habit can change your life. And if you're already chasing it, I have some simple ideas for you to give it a little boost.  Listen now. Connect with this episode: Join the Humans Outsid...

In seasons of literal darkness it's important to hunt for the light. And there's plenty of places to find it -- warming fires, twinkle lights or the Menorah, shining stars, headlamps and more. But my favorite way is through a more figurative means: the light of other humans. With winter darkness and the importance of light on my mind, now is a perfect time to briefly pause and appreciate the light...

Today's best of episode is with one of my favorite productivity thinkers, Laura Vanderkam. I love her for her practical advice and steps, including those shared in her most recent book Tranquility By Tuesday. This is the perfect episode to hear as you deal with an intense season of busy where pushing yourself outside in less than ideal weather may not be your favorite idea.  On the one hand is tim...

If the deep, dark winter and cold are hitting you like a ton of bricks just like they are hitting me, it might be time to stand back and remember what you've done in the past that can boost your mood this time of year. It's OK to say you hate the darkness and winter weather. Saying it out loud helps me move through it. But what isn't going to help me is giving up and hating it from my couch. So to...

Modern American culture uses Greek mythology to refer to stars and constellations in the night sky. But a rich tradition of Native American astronomy and indigenous star stories is out there, too, waiting for us to learn it. Better yet? Learning star stories can help us chart the seasons and help us enjoy heading outside.  In this episode of Humans Outside Carl Gawboy, a Native American astronomer...

When I moved to Alaska from Tennessee I was not someone who spent a lot of time outside, and I owned virtually no clothing you and I would think of as "winter gear." I simply had no experience spending time outside in cold weather, and I had no idea what I was doing. In the years since I have quite a lot of time to practice going outside comfortably in all types of weather and seasons, which means...

Learning how to stay warm and, therefore, comfortable in cold weather can be the difference between a great outdoor experience and one you never, ever want to have again. And while so much of the "what" of the clothing that you wear outside will be based on your own personal preferences and needs (helpful, right?), there are some basic building blocks that you can lean on to get started. Enter the...

If the annoying perky people in the world are right and your perspective really does determine your reality, then there's one tried and true way to make heading outside in less than great circumstances -- weather, schedule, whatever -- just a tiny bit better. I've tested what it's like to go out there with a bad attitude. So, what happens when I take a different track? And what happens if I do whe...

Call it a gift of my daily outdoor habit: I am surprised to be grateful for some outdoor stuff that old me would've considered either not a big deal or downright bad. And yet here I am, including it on a gratitude list? Life is weird. Gratitude is a healing practice, and when it comes to challenging seasons (like winter … or any bad weather … or hard personal life stuff …) taking time to name it a...

There's pushing yourself to chase big goals outside because it's something you want to do -- and then there's doing it because someone else can't. When Laura Carney found her dad's unfinished bucket list years after his tragic death, she knew completing it wasn't just a fun sounding idea -- it was something she absolutely had to do. And since many of the list items were outdoor activities, that me...

If the weather outside is frightful or simply not delightful, how do you make yourself go outside anyway? What's the trick for getting past the discomfort and I-don't-want-to so you can experience what nature has to offer even in bad weather? I lean on two tools to help me -- and you can lean on them, too. Learn how in this episode. Listen now. Connect with this episode: Join the Humans Outside Ch...

We know heading outside helps us all sort through the junk of life -- a tough day, actual trauma, relationships, whatever. And veterans know spending time in nature also has special power over the wounds of military service. For Vedia Barnett, a disabled Black Air Force veteran and founder of the nonprofit organization Black Vets Outdoors, spending time outside has extra power. She's seen it work...

When everything is cold, and drab and just not that great outside, are you able to find the small wonders in nature? It's that time of year when things aren't exactly lovely or pleasant all the time, and hunting for the good takes some work and some practice. It also takes understanding that the small wonders aren't going to be predictable -- you're going to have to work for them. So how do you ma...