Three Great Reasons to Start Your New Year with a Nature Walk

Hello blogosphere! I’m back. (No really. I’m really really back this time!)

Ever since my third little munchkin was born, making me a mom of three under 5, finding time to blog has become a challenge.. buuuuuut I have recently partnered with my blogging buddy Laura and suddenly the blogging future looks bright for Domestic Geek Girl. I am SO FREAKING EXCITED to see what blog post we cook up for ya’ll in the coming year. 2019 is gonna be awesome sauce.

Laura and I kicked off New Years Day this year with a brisk walk in the crisp winter air of the Central Valley, and tromped through three of Kaweah Oak Preserves four nature walks. It was such an awesome way to kick off the New Year, with some low key fitness, fresh air, nature and good friends. It was so uplifting and renewing, in fact, that I’m gonna blog all about it, with Three Great Reasons to Start Your New Year with a Nature Walk!

Reason #1 – It’s Uplifting

There is an endless slew of website after website and study after study charting the measurable and provable benefits of walking on the psyche. According to medical professionals, walking provides a significant benefit because it helps to relieve stress. Brisk walking boosts endorphins, the feel-good hormones that improve your mood and lower stress and mild depression. Walking also gives you more energy, which also improves your positive feelings. Couple with walking positive stats, the endless stats on the anti-depressant benefits of being surrounded by nature and it really is a win win combination. Who doesn’t want to start the New Year off on the right foot with some good vibes and happy joojoo?

Reason #2 – It’s Healthy

Sure, a single walk won’t have you hitting your fitness and / or weight loss resolution goals. (And don’t lie, we ALL have them, haha)… but moving your body in a positive and beneficial way certainly gets you THINKING about fitness. Additionally, surrounding yourself with natural beauty can actually increase immune function. In a Japanese study, 280 people undertook a popular practice called “forest bathing” (shinrin-yoku), which involves merely a short, leisurely visit to a forest. Compared to controls, these forest-goers had lower levels of cortisol, lower pulse rates, and lower blood pressure. While all these stats are enough to make you head for the outdoors, I especially like the term “forest bathing”, it just sounds redunkulously luxurious and sooo extra!

Reason #3 – It’s Great For Resolutions

So you made some resolutions. (Or a ton.) Now it’s time to work the logistics of these resolutions out. While I generally agonize and make details game plans for my New Years resolution during the entire month of December (not joking here, haha) there’s always the “Ohhhh crap” moment where it’s Day 1 of 2019 and you need to get your act together. A nature walk is a great time to have this self-talk and planning session – alone or with a good friend. According to a 2012 study, spending time outdoors increases attention spans and creative problem-solving skills by as much as 50 percent.” According to a 2008 University of Michigan study, after just an hour interacting with nature, memory performance and attention spans improved by 20%. I could cite dozens more studies, but one of my resolutions was to stop sharing an overabundance of information and making my blog posts a thousandy words long. Hehe.

What about you guys? Do you have any New Years rituals you follow to start the New Year off on the right foot? Share with us in the comments below! <3