I was at the studio yesterday morning with the door cracked open. Aside from the wonderfully crisp breeze that was helping me forget my ladder pull-up woes, I was taken back with the sound of something so beautiful yet so….unfamiliar. “Dee!” I shouted. “Do you hear that?! Birds chirping!!!” 🙂 Yes, that’s right, Spring is making its way back into Holland and the sound of those songbirds was a smile to my soul.
It reminded me of the revitalizing nature, well – nature – has on us. While out for a walk with my boys on a particularly warm day last week, I was overcome with how good it is to drink in gulps of fresh air, to walk with our bare feet touching the ground (the benefits are really a thing), to stop and gaze on blue sky and tree reflections on water. And really, nature walks are such a perfect complement to our typically intense schedules – fitness or otherwise. There’s something about being outside that makes you worn out (in a good way) – promotes good moods, good sleep, good exercise recovery, and just good balance.
With this thought in mind, I knew I had to share this tip from the delightful Jill Tanis, local health coach who inspires women to cultivate nutritious delicious lives. With her permission, I’ve copied below a recent post she wrote. It’s a bit of “homework” I know will be among the most health-giving for you this week. Who’s game?!
Spend some time outdoors this weekend. Not the kind of outdoors where you’re running from errand to errand in your car or on your phone distracted and you capture it for 30 seconds here or there.
Take 15 minutes out of the hustle and bustle of life’s demands and go outside unplugged. A soul stroll, sitting in your back yard with your face to the sun, a walk in the woods, a picnic, listening to the birds…whatever it is, slow down enough to make time.
Nature is therapy for the soul. God’s medicine. And the cool part is that nature is singing ALL the time, whether we take notice or not, and we are invited to be a part of the melody.
Breathe it in with your whole self.
Receive its goodness.
No doubt, it’s nourishment for your body, mind and soul.
< Sweat Angels Update >
In celebration of our 10 years (!) of helping people fine and fine-tune their inner athlete, we’ve partnered with a really cool company called Sweat Angels. For every “check-in” to Valeo / Training on Facebook, we are helping donate money to a cause that matters. This month we’ve been supporting eye-restoring surgeries for kids and are so moved and so ecstatic to share that all your check-ins so far have helped a little 12-month old girl from Cambodia named Vong be fully funded for surgery! Vong suffers from esotropia, a condition that causes her eyes to turn inward. Thank you, Valeo-ians, for helping make this simple and effective surgery a life-changing one for Vong! There are still more kids to help – each check in matters. <3
