Mars is a health and wellness blogger at www.krackedkaleidoscope.com. She is a registered nurse, a mother of 6, and a lover of peanut butter and chocolate.
Second to New Years, the start of fall seems like the best time to make changes. Autumn is the beginning of my family’s fiscal year of sorts. Each advancing grade in school is a milestone crossed for the kids, with new routines to go along. There is back-to-school madness, a need for a warmer wardrobe, cooler temps, and evolving priorities. Like the eventual shift in the color of the leaves, we morph into fall people who do fall things.
One thing everyone should be doing is staying active. Adding fall exercise ideas into those new routines can ensure that movement continues, through the busyness of work and school, and into the holidays. Just because the weather is getting colder doesn’t mean you can’t exercise, and in fact it may be easier to do it now than in summer. Autumn is primo time to enjoy the outdoors. The cool air in the morning is divine, and no matter if it’s sunny, misty, raining, or even snowing, there is a richness to the world that I don’t want to miss by staying in. You can fit movement into your everyday, like walking the kids to school or biking to work, or make it the centerpiece of your weekend, in a long hike or excursion.
Going on a neighborhood run in fall is like sleeping with the same old partner, only they’re wearing a jazzy wig. It feels like you are doing something for the first time because everything looks different, more vibrant…and maybe orange, if you are into that.
Fall color
I can’t get enough of the color bursts of leaves. If I’m running, walking, hiking, or biking I am always enchanted by the change of scenery in the same places I’ve been to all year. This season is made for targeted walks to see your favorite trees, or a forest filled with crayon colors.
There is a kick-ass bridge a few towns over with gorgeous leaves to see. It is a great place to do an afternoon walk as the ground gets deeper with nature’s confetti. I also want to check out the Hoyt Arboretum and try a hike with the kids, to see a few certain species of trees that are especially brilliant. Whether or not it follows the purist’s version, I like to combine a little exercise with my tree bathing.
The camera cannot do justice to this favorite tree, in my own backyard, that becomes a rainbow in fall. It has leaves in red, purple, orange, yellow, and green at once. Neighbors from across the way have gushed when they realize this tree is in my backyard, since they can see the colors from their windows and love it every time it changes. I think it’s an ash tree.
Put your yard and summer to bed
Speaking of leaves: raking these yourself can be an intense but rewarding practice. The leaves from the rainbow tree eventually must fall, but make great mulch for garden boxes and flower beds. I always work up a sweat and my kids have a blast jumping into the leaf piles.
Sometimes it takes me awhile, but eventually I do find the motivation to put my garden to bed. Doing yard or garden cleanup, pruning, mowing, and mulching are good workouts and make you feel like you are being productive. Putting away the kiddy pool, outdoor chairs, and other warm weather paraphernalia is bittersweet: I already miss the long, sunny days, but I’m also looking forward to snuggling into the fall.
Harvest, Halloween, and Thanksgiving fun
The family tradition of going to the pumpkin patch sets us up for a day of walking outside, usually when a blue-skied sunny day hits. We have many options for picking pumpkins PLUS hayrides, hay mazes, pumpkin shooting, and other crazy pumpkin antics. Carrying your own pumpkin across the uneven ground of a pumpkin patch is quite the workout.
There are also huge corn mazes, like this one at The Pumpkin Patch on Sauvie Island. Getting lost isn’t all bad, since the more you suck at mazes the longer the walk you get. So feel good about it.
Halloween has trick-or-treating, of course. But there are other ways to get a walk or run done. Try a haunted house or a costume run, such as Run Like Hell . You can even combine runner’s diarrhea with a fright-induced bowel release during a haunted corn maze or zombie run. I found 3 zombie runs this year near me—I like the idea of running as a zombie, but I don’t think I’d be fast enough to scare anyone!
Thanksgiving time has its own races, like the Turkey Trot, or the vegan-friendly Tofurkey Trot (no relation to the aforementioned “trots”).
Some families I know have a football Thanksgiving tradition. Watching TV games are fun and everything, but playing for real, with your family in the mud, is more entertaining. If you aren’t down to get dirty you can always toss the pigskin around in the alleyway, or in the cul-de-sac like we do!
Sporting events
Attending sporting events in the fall is an opportunity for fitness, even if you aren’t the one taking tackles. We attend various college, high school, middle school, and elementary games, depending on which kid is playing what and how our schedule is. It’s a chance to be outside, and sitting in the stands isn’t the only thing you can do. I try to offset sitting time with active time, and little pockets of waiting can be used for exercise.
When we watch Ducks football we have to park quite a long way from Autzen Stadium, which is fine because the trek is always interesting for people-watching.
One autumn I had 4 kids playing football for the season. That required a lot of practices, jamborees, and games. I’ve walked the track at various schools in the region before games and after (and sometimes during, to calm a fussy baby). I also run the perimeter of the school during practices, and once in awhile I will do a stairs workout on the bleachers.
It’s easy to fit in 45 min hour of walking as I wait for weigh-ins at my 13 year-old’s game. Add in half time and I’ve got a full hour.
For those who want to be on the other side of the game, there are leagues for adult soccer, dodgeball, and other things with balls. I observed a big community soccer game at the turf field nearby this morning. People of all ages were out there sweating together, and they looked like they were having fun. Get out and grab some balls, people! It’s fall!
I caught this sign at our Varsity away game on Friday night. They get serious about their balls. Enter at your own risk, for sure.
Whether or not you are getting scared, carrying a pumpkin, having diarrhea, or grabbing some balls at the game, there are endless reasons to enjoy yourself while getting a little exercise in. Activity can be a side dish to your day or the main course, but the important thing is that it happens at all. Let the colors of fall move you while you move, until the exciting wig of autumn must come off, and everything goes back to normal again.
Instead of making a pros and cons list, try making an All-Good-Things list. This can only have positive items on it, no matter how much you want to complain about something. It can be the hopeful spin on a difficult change, a compass for decision-making, or an exercise in appreciating what you have.
My tendencies toward perfectionism and optimizing make me grieve over the little things. As in, “WTF? They put mayonnaise on my burger? I clearly asked for no mayo. Now what am I supposed to eat? Life sucks!”
Art by Poeto
When big things hit I get anxious, especially when I have to make a decision. I can hum and haw to the point where other people get annoyed, I get annoyed, and the agony of decision-making can keep me from getting lemonade out of lemons.
Recently my company restructured, and I had to make a decision: reapply for a lower-paying position with a different schedule, or quit and find something else. I decided to stay, but had to give up working alongside people I’ve enjoyed being around for over a decade. When I first heard about the restructure I was scared I would be laid off, afraid I wouldn’t get a position even if I applied. Quickly, I had gone from being happy to have a job at all to complaining about how Un-Perfect everything was. I needed perspective.
Making an All-Good-Things list is one tool I used to deal with the dissonance over this change.
All-Good-Things about being demoted
I get to befriend a new group of people.
My kids will get to spend more time with my husband when I work every other weekend.
The time I have off during the week will allow me to spend more time writing, with a much quieter house.
My pay did not get cut as much as I thought it would, and I will save money on child care.
Responsibilities for the new position seem to be short term, day-to-day tasks, so there is an opportunity for less stress.
Feel that wind? No, it’s not the hot air I’m blowing up your ass, nor the hot air blowing from my ass. It’s the wind of change, and I feel it nudging me down an exciting path, with less focus on day-job work.
I get a 3 day weekend every other week, which is awesome for camping and mini vacations.
As an hourly worker I can start making overtime again!
I get to stay at my company, close to home with a quick commute.
My job as a nurse gives me flexibility and freedom to find work in different venues and specialties. If I don’t end up liking my current position, I can always find something else.
How to make an All-Good-Things list:
Find positive things to say about your situation
Write them down
Use an All-Good-Things list to deal with change
Keeping positive vibes can be hard when life seems out of your control. It can be easy to feel like a victim, and you can pine over things you only wish were true. Fear of new challenges can be paralyzing. Making a list of the good, in whatever you’re dealing with, can help affirm your position as someone who is willing to forge ahead and find the silver lining.
Questions to ask yourself:
What about this change will be different in a good way?
Will/did you learn something new?
Is there an opportunity for growth?
Could things be worse? Are you grateful they’re not?
What tools do you already possess to get you through this?
Use an All-Good-Things list to help you make a decision
Quickly write down at least a few things that are good about each option you are considering. Go through them again when you’re done to see how you feel about each one. If you are having trouble finding good things to say about one of the options, you either don’t have enough information, or this one might not be for you.
How do the different lists make you feel? Does one option give you more feelings of excitement and optimism?
Example: to eat a mayo-covered burger or not—that IS the question.
Option #1–Just eat it
I’m still hungry
I can wipe off the mayonnaise
The food won’t go to waste
If I’m chewing I can’t simultaneously vocalize my distaste (for mayonnaise and idiots)
Option #2–Don’t eat it
I can just sit and watch the rest of my family enjoy their burgers, I guess. It’s not my fault that I was the only one born afflicted with MAS (mayonnaise aversion syndrome).
Those burger people have won the battle in pissing me off. I hope they’re happy with themselves! 😃
I guess I feel more excited about wiping the mayonnaise off and eating it. So there.
(Side note: being passive-aggressive doesn’t count as positivity. Furthermore, smiley emojis are hard to interpret when you are being sarcastic. Nobody wants a text layered with your psychological problems.)
Appreciate what you have with an All-Good-Things list
Taking time to list the rad things in your life is a mood-booster. It simply crowds out bad thoughts and attitudes. You can list things as small as the breeze on your skin, or as large as the love in your life. You can focus on the present, or reflect on the past. Be descriptive and feel each thing as you write it.
The little things
Descriptive journaling is meditative. Especially when you are trying to focus on being present and you have a difficult time deflecting other thoughts. Try to describe the sensory input you are experiencing wherever you are, from the view of a contented observer. You can write about what is here, now, and how uniquely great it is.
Almost every morning I’ve been journaling the things I am grateful for and the things I’m excited for, using my Panda Planner. It helps me start the day from a place of hope and appreciation. At the end of the day I list the things that were successful about the last 24 hours, and this helps reset crappy feelings before I go to bed.
All-Good-Things lists are like a personal coach for staying on the sunny side. There are a million lists I can make about the awesomeness in my life and in the world. Sometimes writing a few things down can remind me of that, in case I’ve forgotten. 😃
Slot canyons are fun for almost anyone. If you have kids of various abilities and ages, the right place is important so that everyone can stay sane during a hike. Willis Creek, just outside Kodachrome State Park in southern Utah, is a great choice. This hike is within the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. The Hubs and I enjoyed this lovely slot canyon with 5 of our kids, ranging in age from 18 months to 16 years. There was something in it for everyone.
Hiking Willis Creek with kids and a toddler
The pros:
• This is an easy hike with an even grade and quick access to the slot. We hiked just past the narrows and turned back (about 3 miles round trip). You can make it longer or shorter as you wish. Others who did the whole 4+ miles out and back said the narrows are the best part.
• Beautiful, sculpted canyon walls with thin strata start close to the trailhead and increase in height as you go. Colors change with the light. Wonderful photos are almost guaranteed.
• Shade within the slots provides a bit of relief on hot days
• A cool little creek runs throughout the narrows that you can jump over (a million times)
• Easy rock scrambling (which is optional) and a small waterfall are accessibly fun. The canyon walls get close together, within a few feet apart, but easily accommodate baby carriers or backpacks.
• Unlike many popular hikes nearby, this one is uncrowded and free of charge
The cons:
• Depending on the condition of the dirt road, driving to the trailhead can be tricky (especially for smaller cars). Deep sand, steep grades, washboarding, and tight curves along cliff sides can be nerve-wracking. The road may be impassable if rain has fallen.
• There are rattle snakes here, just like most places in the region
• Your feet will probably get wet, as some spots on the trail are the width of the creek’s path
• This remote location is not near services, ready-to-drink water, or toilets. Don’t even think about cell service.
• Slot canyons can fill during flash floods. Be aware of the weather, since water can rush in quickly and deeply. Check with the Grand Staircase-Escalante visitor center in Cannonville if you need assistance with determining safety.
A hike for everyone
The baby/toddler
I carried my big ol’ baby (18 months old) in a front pack most of the time. I have a hiking backpack but wanted to change it up after my shoulders got sore over days of use. He was content most of the time looking at the rocks and cliffs, listening for water, and being carried around. (How lazy can babies be?) Part of the way through we gave him a stick to carry, which kept him occupied, even as he poked people in the face with it.
We gave him a chance to get out of the pack a couple of times. He was very interested in toddling around and touching the creek. I stopped to feed him in the shade while sitting on a rock and everything went pretty smoothly. The rocks provide natural benches, and the canyon walls are like beautiful baby gates on 2 sides.
There is a cool little waterfall that you have to walk around. The left side of the trail takes you on rocks along the top. The right side of the trail takes you down on an easy path to the bottom.
The younger kids
The 7-year-old had some whiny moments, but overall he enjoyed the hike. He and my 8-year-old daughter loved seeing lizards and birds and were awed by their first slot canyon experience. There were a few chances to do some minor rock scrambling on the side, which was fun, especially at the waterfall and within the slots.
We did have to take a few stops for water and snacks, since we were just near lunch time and due for a meal. By the end no one wanted to carry their water bottles or packs, and The Hubs ended up carrying it all, which is only fair since I had to schlep the baby.
There are chances to climb on rocks, but you don’t have to in order to get through the slot canyon.
The older kids
The 12-year-old liked the (tiny) element of danger in climbing up on top of rocks and looking down. He was usually the first walking ahead, checking things out. He did not like the spooky rattlesnake that hissed and shook its tail at him. (Itty bitty lizard darts across path and scares boy. Boy falls and screams. High-pitched wail scares rattlesnake. Boy gets really quiet for the rest of the hike.)
My 16-year-old isn’t that into hiking, but there were ample photo ops and plenty to look at. (No cell service can be a good thing once in awhile.) He didn’t have much to complain about, which means he didn’t hate it and maybe enjoyed it?
Me: Did you like the hike?
Him: 🤷🏽♂️
Me: What was your favorite part?
Him: 🤷🏽♂️
The parents
This trail was easy to watch the kids on. It wasn’t too crowded and there weren’t many places that were scary with steep trail edges. If the baby was out of the pack for longer, to wander in the wider areas, it might have gotten stressful.
I wore hiking boots and started out trying to avoid getting my feet wet by jumping over the creek and balancing on rocks. By the end of the hike I had given up and just walked though the water, which was only 1-2” deep. Both boots were soaked by the end.
The dr-dr-drive down from the hike was better-r-r-r than the drive up, but washboarding on the road made it a little slow.
Honestly, the drive up was the hardest part. Our tires spun out in the uphill sand before we turned on the 4 wheel drive. Although the hike isn’t super long, you must factor time for the drive into your itinerary. We were staying in Cannonville, the closest town to the trailhead. It’s only a 6-mile drive along the dirt road, but it took us between 30-40 minutes, even with an SUV, especially because of washboarding on the flat spots.
The Hubs and I had a great time viewing the high golden walls, watching the kids have fun, and taking pictures. I’d do this hike again, but would probably go earlier in the day next time if it’s summer. I had heard the shade makes it a good choice for a hot day, but it was still very sweaty by the end (we got finished a little after noon). We were kinda done after a couple of hours in the upper 90s heat, and didn’t feel like doing anymore walking carrying all the stuff (or kids). We had planned to see Kodachrome State Park afterwards, but didn’t have the oomph.
Willis Creek is simply gorge-ous (pun intended). It looks different when you go in versus when you walk out—the colors can be golden, black, orange, or gray depending on the light. The shapes also shift as the shadows lengthen. I think this canyon can offer many versions of its beauty.
In this version of beauty there is a part of the rock that looks kind of like a hairy butt. Like I said, gorgeous.
Tips for hiking Willis Creek with kids
Bring lots of water and something to snack on
Letting toddlers and preschoolers explore in the narrows section is the easiest and safest, in contrast to the more open areas
Warn kids to watch out for snakes under rocky overhangs
Consider an umbrella or parasol for shade between sections of narrows. This works for babies or toddlers in a front pack or backpack, or small kids walking on their own.
Your feet will get wet, so make sure to bring a second pair of shoes if you have plans afterward, or use water sandals.
Use the right-sided trail when you hear the waterfall after the first section of narrows–if you want to avoid the high rocks on the left
There are 3 sections of narrows. If you want to turn around after the best scenery, do so when you see a dry creek canyon cross Willis Creek, with a dead-end to the left.
Don’t miss the first waterfall (like we did) at the very beginning, close to the road near the parking lot. You can scramble down to it, or you can walk up the creek bed once the trail meets the water. When approaching the trailhead the little falls are on the right.
There are no bathrooms, so find places to “go” judiciously. You may see worse from the horses that travel through.
Be prepared for your butt to tighten on the drive up Skutumpah Road—4-wheel drive isn’t mandatory, but I personally would not make the drive in a small car. Most sources claim the road is almost always smooth in the dry season. It totally wasn’t on the day I went in early summer. Again, chat with the visitor center experts if you want help determining if your vehicle and the conditions will allow for safety.
I hope you will take a chance on Willis Creek like we did. It’s a little off the beaten path, but if you are looking for an easy, family-friendly slot canyon, this one’s a winner!
Little lizards are probably working with rattle snakes to scare you into falling. Be careful of these A-holes. They cannot be trusted.
Summer is like a battery for charging the rest of your exercise year. The long days and ample sunshine make spending time outside a no-brainer, and you get more out of your waking hours. The motivation and habits that come from the action of summer can be stretched into the months that follow.
Benefits
No matter your activity of choice, the summer has a lot to offer.
Accessibility. Areas that were covered in snow or mud during the winter and spring might now be available. Trails, parks, outdoor pools, and natural areas are open for business.
Togetherness. An upswing in community events bring people together to move and enjoy the weather. People are taking vacations from work, and the kids are out of school.
Long days of productivity. There is literally more time (in daylight, that is) to exercise. Everyone seems to be outside and getting things done. And you should too.
Freedom of movement. Wearing less clothing makes it easier to exercise and sweat with abandon.
Summer workarounds
With the bounty of daylight comes higher temperatures, which can make exercise seem harder. I have been caught more than once trespassing into someone’s yard to feel the spray from a sprinkler during a run. In order to avoid over-heating, you can incorporate these workarounds:
Timing your activity for earlier or later in the day, when temps are cooler
Seeing the sun rise or set is like magic, and it can be experienced twice a day! Find a viewpoint that inspires you and trek there. You can pack a breakfast, dinner, or a fancy box of wine and make a picnic.
This hike in the Elkhorn Mountains of Eastern Oregon was just after sunrise. The sun was there, but not yet scalding us. The silence was amazing. It felt a little too early for boxed wine, however.
Walking near water
The temperature-controlling effects of water makes some locations less hot in summer. Find areas to walk near rivers, lakes, streams, wetlands, or the ocean. You will be blessed with cooler air, and possibly wind.
Here I am on a sunset walk with my son in San Diego. This walk combined the cooling effect of the water, the breeze, and the sunset.
Made in the shade
When the heat of summer hits I find it most comfortable to run in the morning under the shade of trees. Finding nearby forest is easy in the Pacific Northwest. If your area is less abundant, try to find neighborhoods or roads lined with mature trees, tall buildings, or fences. If you strategize based on the position of the sun you can plan a run that is mostly shaded.
Don’t be embarrassed to use a parasol. I pack a small light-colored umbrella with me that can be used rain or shine on long walks or hikes. It has come in very handy when hiking with a sleeping baby in a backpack.
Water fun
If being near water helps you cool down, being IN water is even better! Swimming and other water sports are made for summer. Whether you are swimming laps at the pool, canoeing on the lake, or surfing at the coast, water workouts can be whole-body experiences that use muscles you’ve never heard of. There are lots of ways to enjoy the water:
Most parks and rec departments have public swimming pool sessions for a nominal fee. Some high school pools are open to the public during summer. Don’t forget your apartment or HOA pools, or those at the gym you might belong to. Even doggy paddling burns mega calories. Be nice to friends and enemies alike—it won’t matter which they are if they have a pool to share.
Kayaking, paddle boarding, and canoeing are good ways to get “rower’s arms”, and are available for all abilities. Here in Portland there are classes on the Willamette River. I love tagging along with friends who own kayaks, to paddle amongst the lily pads of Mt. Hood’s Trillium Lake.
Doing activities near the water gives you the option to get in and take a dip to cool off. One of my favorite things is a challenging run or hike that ends in a crisp deluge. In my younger years I spent many hot afternoons ambling up rock cliffs to jump off into the cold river.
Here is a much tamer scene from a waterfall hike in the Columbia River Gorge. The spray felt invigorating in the heat of July
Move to eat
Humans are social eaters who survived on hunting and gathering until the recent past. We still get satisfaction from participating in the work it takes to get fed, and food is instinctively bound to exercise. When you are trying to live a healthy lifestyle it may sound counter-intuitive to link exercise with eating, but our existence once depended on it. We feel satisfied when we put effort into finding and creating our meals, and then sharing them with others. Summer brings harvest and communal food activities. It is the perfect time to use our strength to provide for ourselves and our loved ones in the most basic ways.
Food gathering
Oregon strawberries are the bomb-diggity, whether you grow, pick, or buy them at a local market. The tastier varieties are fragile, and don’t store or transport well, so they usually aren’t found on grocery store shelves. They are worth walking, stooping, and bending over for!
I have spent many meditative hours in the fields picking blueberries. It was once my job, since my small hands and impoverished life made it a perfect match. Nowadays I can say food gathering is a choice—and that I love selecting fresh peaches, berries, or apples to take home to my family. The repetitive motions involved can clear your head and give your muscles a challenge.
If you are lucky enough to have your own garden space, you can do this steps from your door. Tending your garden is physical and brings you the freshest, most nutritious food you can find.
Farmers markets
The parking situation always sucks at our local farmers markets, but that’s ok. I park away from the crazy zone and enjoy the walk, or I amble all the way there from my house (3-4 miles to the nearest one). Bringing a wagon, stroller, or backpack keeps the food and wares from getting withered or melted on the way back.
While at the market, my family and I enjoy strolling booth to booth and listening to live music. We always run into people we know. It is a familiar and comfortable place, and the food is top-quality, local, and inspiring. Some of our nearby markets also have water fountains for the kids to cool off in.
Destination tastings
Every place has its “best of” regional foods that you can incorporate into an active day of movement and experiences. A quick internet search can give you a map of places you want to sample, and you can make a day of walking to them.
My own Portland area boasts so many ways to do destination eating. From food carts to food tours, there are endless excuses to eat incredible things outdoors (as if you needed one). Brewery and wine tours attract people from everywhere, and are opportunities to walk and socialize, along with tasting the latest offerings. There are hiking and biking excursions with a vineyard focus. Some people like to burn off their beer calories with a brew cycle tour. It might be a great way to entertain out-of-town summer house guests (or piss them off, depending).
Attend a race or community event
Summer is peak season for sports and fitness events. There are races, friendly competitions, and fitness camps. To find an activity of interest near you, try a site like active.com, which lets you search for upcoming events in your area. My city holds open track meets on Wednesdays during July and August for anyone who over 5 years old who wants to join.
The most recent race we participated in was this Terrain Racing event, which had mud and obstacles. I had to skip a couple of really hard tasks. My 7 and 8 year-old kids pretty much rocked it.
Festivals and community gatherings are also in full swing. Many of these events have a run, walk, or other fitness competition scheduled in conjunction with the celebration, but sometimes it is enough to walk all day enjoying the fun of the festival itself. I kinda want to check out the Elephant Garlic Festival run and the garlic that goes along with it!
Vacation exercise
Whether you go anywhere away from home or not, taking a break from the uszh is a good idea. Much to my husband’s annoyance, I tend to plan physical outings into every vacation. I can’t wait to hike everywhere I visit, or at least spend most of our waking hours outdoors seeing the sites. I feel SO sorry for him: he has had to go through the Yucatán jungle to see ancient Mayan ruins, been swimming with Hawaiian sea turtles, and seen the breath-taking colors of Yellowstone’s hot springs. Now, as I write, we are on an epic National Parks road trip through Arizona and Utah. There will be hiking, oh yes…there will be hiking!
Family hiking a few years ago at Craters of the Moon in Idaho
If you are super intense, or want a life-changing experience, consider doing a vacation where your muscles get you where you want to go—for the long haul. Long cycling and backpacking trips might be best done in summer when weather conditions allow, depending on your region.
There is no better way to experience a place or its culture than to take in the natural wonders or walk in the path of the locals. The excitement of seeing something for the first time is an excellent motivator for moving.
If you want a staycation this summer, visit places you’ve been wanting to see next door. Or, serve as tour guide to someone you want to share your hometown with.
Hometown parks and schoolyards
I hate being bored. Exercising the same way, with the same scenery, day after day gets old. For me, a little novelty goes a long way. During the summer I try to pump up the jam by taking the kids to different parks and schoolyards. With classes done for the year, summer turns schoolyards, which tend to boast open spaces, into parks (as long as your district allows public access in the off season).
In a 5-mile radius from my house there are at least 3 dozen places to walk, play frisbee, or do some crazy exercises at the jungle gym. (Watch these 21 Playground Exercises For An Outdoor Workout.) The playground equipment is great for dips and pull ups. (As if I can do either, but I see other badasses doing these! I have been paying my kids $5 once they can do a pull up. It has motivated them.)
Living an active lifestyle doesn’t only mean hitting your target heart rate for 150 minutes a week, although this helps. It means keeping your body strong and capable. Summertime is the perfect season to build the habit of moving everyday, or to try something new and fun. It is a time to foster your relationships by getting out and doing things you love with people you adore.
Get some sun, some fresh air, and charge your exercise batteries with good memories and getting fit. Stay cool, Friends!
Does your life kinda stink? Maybe you need a bath—a tree bath, that is. Shinrin yoku is the practice of forest bathing, or being in the therapeutic presence of trees. To breathe near them, observe nature, use your senses, and be mindful. The shinrin yoku movement began in Japan in the 80s and has become an accepted medical treatment there and in other parts of the world. There are evidence-backed claims of health benefits, such as improved mood, blood pressure, and sleep.
The principles of shinrin yoku vary depending on your source, but are pretty simple:
Immerse yourself in nature, wherever you can find it, preferably in the company of trees.
Focus on it without artificial distraction
Let go of agendas, time, and expectations
Use your senses to observe what’s around you
I have decided to try it and see how it feels. The forest is always a rejuvenating place for me. Living in the Pacific Northwest has given me the opportunity to be near the best trees in the world and incredible areas of natural beauty. Many of my sweetest memories are intertwined with my experiences outdoors.
I respect the majesty of trees and believe they give us so much more than cocktail toothpicks, wooden marionettes, and toilet paper. They are like the sentinels of nature, standing tall, guarding and bearing witness.
Trees aren’t as simple as they seem: they communicate with each other in mysterious ways, via electricity, chemicals in the air, and fungi underground. They have networks and depend on each other for survival. We are guests when we visit them, but yet we need them too, as they are a part of our story, and us now a part of theirs.
Snow-covered fir trees line the road to my first shinrin yoku experience.
The science of our own place in nature is complicated. We typically think of ourselves as special and separate from the rest of the ecosystem. But the interdependence we have with other living things, with the world outside, is devastatingly underrated. The way we’ve upset that balance has wronged ourselves and our earth. I am intrigued by how humans are meant to rely on other living things to optimally survive, and how we can go about restoring some of that lost balance. Being in nature, where humans have always lived until recently, is probably what’s missing from our plastic-y, artificially lit, indoor lives.
Shinrin yoku sounds like a good way to connect with myself, the trees, the rest of the forest, and to see what it does for my own balance, mood and sleep. For a week I practiced shinrin yoku, near home and away, in the sun and in the snow, and during both day and night. Here is an account of my experience.
Away in the snow, with shinrin yoku day and night
Friday, 7:45 pm: People…people who need people. And glamping in the trees.
I planned a camping trip in the foothills of the Coast Range in western Oregon, amidst the trees of a dense Douglas fir forest. I’ve made it to my camping spot and the ground is covered in a slush of snow that’s been rained upon. We planned this spring break trip months ago, but didn’t expect it to be so cold. Or wet. Snow this late in the year isn’t typical.
We’ve decided to make the best of it and enjoy our soggy outing. We set up canopies outside the trailer, covered our fire wood, and went into the toasty interior of our apartment on wheels to hang out (only after the kids became thoroughly saturated). I guess it’s more like glamping than roughing it if your accommodations are nicer than your actual house.
Is it actually camping if you can take a hot shower and keep your fancy yogurt in the refrigerator?
Now we’re watching The Lorax on our camping flat screen, and this movie happens to fit the theme of my trip: trees. Instead of speaking FOR the trees, I want the trees to speak TO me. I’ve decided I’m going into the woods to formally try shinrin yoku in the morning.
Because we are the kind of family that sometimes watches a little tv while enjoying nature (and parks a mobile house on the side of our home in the name of camping), we probably desperately need time in the trees. To unplug, decompress, be silent, and breathe in the high-quality forest air.
Saturday, 9:35 am: Forest sense
I woke up with a bad headache—possibly due to the modern comforts of forced air heat, blasting into my sinuses as I slept. Snow fell throughout the night while my furnace roared, leaving some of the trails impassable. After an egg and pancake breakfast I headed out, with my friend D and her dog, to be with some trees. Shinrin yoku encourages use of your senses. I tried to focus and pay attention.
The view from a clearing in the snow-covered woods
👀Sight: Dark evergreen boughs capped with beautiful snow. The sapling babies of spring, chilled and new at our feet, looking lost and small. Brightness amplified with white all around.
👂🏽Sound: Quiet water tricking everywhere and nowhere as the snow melts and stealthily joins its friends downhill. The crack of branches, giving with a heavy burden. Flakes fall like a million whispers.
🤚Touch: Cold becomes a part of you as you invite it in, breathing deeply. The snow crunches in a satisfying way with each step—you can feel the sureness of your footing. Trees shelter and give off a slight warmth as you pass closely.
👃🏻Smell: The familiar sweetness of forest is here today, but smoother in the chill than usual, as it is cut with the frosty clean scent of pure snow. A bank of trees that has been recently logged smells strongly of fir, which reminds me of good things from my past all at once—Christmas trees, shop class, songs by firelight, and our old wood stove.
I was hoping the trees would cure my headache. It was still there, but I was definitely more calm and a little happier. Upon returning to camp I got a hankering for a long satisfying nap, which I took, snuggled with my Baby Son.
The trees are telling us we are on our own and to shinrin yoku at our own risk.
Saturday, 10:45 pm: Who’s on night watch?
The first tree bath of the day was great, but I just had to try it in the dark. Another friend was game this time. After a few carne asada tacos, a bottle of local ale, and good campfire conversations, again I left, with my 15-month old strapped to my chest. We set out just as the twilight sky was lavender and warned us of darkness.
The forest took on a different feel in the dark. The trees were done standing watch for us, and told us we were on our own. If the day was our time, this was theirs. Somehow things seemed more alive as the sun set.
These young trees were green and bright and slapped us across the face as we rounded corners of the dark trail.
Greenery was bright in our headlamps. Branches popped out of nowhere. The trail seemed smaller and the trees seemed bigger. I still felt welcome as a guest, to this time bear witness for the trees. They thanked us for our visit and after an hour or so we felt the need to get back to our people and our own home base.
The daylight trip made me want to sleep, but the nighttime one energized me. I returned to the company of family and friends, to sit around the fire some more (and s’more) staying up late, having fun.
The pros
Love, love, love being in the forest. Paying close attention to your senses makes the experience more intense, and gives you a better respect and understanding for the trees and the rest of the living things around you. Both day and night trips give the forest a magical ambiance when you let your invasive thoughts fade away.
The air is fantastic. It smells great, it feels great, and I wonder what exactly those beneficial compounds that trees emit do. Breathing in the forest is the best part.
Shinrin yoku is rejuvenating and peaceful. The opportunity to try this in the deep, snowy woods was incredible.
Being with the trees is a privilege, and one I don’t want to take for granted. Having access to the wonder of the forests is special and I am grateful.
The cons
Recommendations are to wander aimlessly at a leisurely pace with shinrin yoku, but in a remote area I had a hard time with both. I get lost very quickly, and I have to eventually come home safely. I ended up walking at a good pace at times, with purpose. So, yeah, it was like a hike.
Want to take someone along so you’re not alone in the woods? It is very difficult not to talk, especially if you are with friends that you need to catch up with. I kept wanting to break silence, especially to make noise to warn cougars away from my baby during the dark walk.
It’s pretty hard to focus in a dark, unfamiliar place, due to instincts to avoid danger. This makes it hard to fully relax during the night.
Shinrin yoku in the Sunday sun, with the trees outside my door
Sunday, 2:45 pm: In my own backyard
We arrived home from camping today to find it mostly sunny and warm. The plan was to unpack and relax for the rest of the day. But then my yard got all jacked up from trying to park and re-park the heavy trailer on soggy ground.
I had to back fill all these ruts by hand with my hoe.
Then my Baby Son got into the barbecue grease when I wasn’t looking. Hope he doesn’t get diarrhea. He smeared this everywhere.
Needless to say I was exhausted and stressed after all this, so I decided to do shinrin yoku in my own yard in an attempt to take it down a notch.
I have 10 trees and shrubs on my property. I wandered and focused on their individuality, trying to be present, getting a sense for each on their own. This was calming and it was good to check in on my plants, seeing how spring was changing them so far.
The camellia is starting to bloomNo leaves yet, but this tree is happy against the blue skyA boxwood hedge is always green and ready for some front yard shinrin yoku
Pros:
The trees in your yard, street, or neighborhood are completely available, with quick access.
Seeing something as new that you are used to looking at is rad.
Peering at the small details of any plant is fascinating, and something we don’t do enough of—I can’t usually see my yard for the trees.
Cons
It’s hard not to want to prune or start yard projects when looking at your own plants. This is not a calming feeling, so you have to push past it.
Depending your nearest outdoor space, your choices may be limited.
I had never noticed how beautiful the bark of my tree was, with lichen and moss in different colors…a little forest on its own.
Trees in the city park, family style
Tuesday, 5:05 pm: “I don’t wanna take a tree bath!”
Pokemon, Go!..take a shinrin yoku tree break from your tablet or smartphone.
My kids are off school for the week, and it is easy to get lazy and crazy inside the house. We had spent the good part of the day curled up in my bed binge-watching Gortimer Gibbons, making bead necklaces, and doing my taxes. Suddenly I felt the shinrin yoku itch and dragged them to a city park, with the bargain of taking them to the swings after some tree time. They were like, “I don’t wanna take a tree bath!” Well, tough turds.
I think I’m really starting to dig lichen. How cool are the colors and stripes on this tree?
We ambled down the paths and touched rocks, listened for bullfrogs, and found stripes of colorful sap and lichen on bark. Some of the paths were flooded, but we discovered a new one we hadn’t been on before as we wandered, seeing trees that were usually submerged underwater, looking dead and spooky.
The kids liked their tree bath, whether they want to admit it or not.
Pros:
Easy to do, safe to actually wander around aimlessly in a controlled space.
Family-friendly. Parks are usually made with accessibility in mind. There are paved paths for strollers, wheelchairs, and bikes, and groomed areas to sit and observe nature.
Cons:
City parks can have all kinds of distractions, like traffic noise, homeless camps, and views/smells of the sewage treatment plant between the trunks.
Not as peaceful as remote forests. There are other people you have to share the space with.
This city park is adjacent to what my kids lovingly call “The Poop Factory”, aka the wastewater treatment facility.
A pause for nature on a busy day
Thursday 8:15 pm: She works hard for the shinrin yoku
My day was filled with meetings, phone calls, and pissing on small dramatic workplace fires. I only got a 15 minute lunch and the day went by like lightning. Before I knew it I had been there for almost 14 hours in a windowless space. I needed to transition to a more peaceful state, and seek the normalcy of nature.
I found an awesome tree in bloom on my way to the parking garage. The goal: to get rid of stress and naggy thoughts so I could go home and be fully present with my family. It is already becoming easier to focus after a week with shinrin yoku. I could feel myself relax quickly as I looked at the glow of the tree in the fading light, smelled the blossoms, and breathed deeply. With an investment of only a few minutes I felt a lot better.
The pros:
Doing a workplace shinrin yoku quickie can help you decompress before, during, or after work. Finding a spot to enjoy a little slice of nature can help normalize your stressful day.
Being mindful during a busy time is easier with external cues in the beauty of nature.
The cons:
If you are stuck inside like I am for your work day, you may have to venture outside on your break or bring plants inside to practice this.
Colleagues and campus security may be concerned by your loitering, deep tree sniffing, and the intensity of your gaze. Be prepared to make urine for “random” drug testing. (Hope you haven’t used it all up pissing on fires.)
Shinrin yoku experiment: the findings
Mood
Shinrin yoku is amazing for my mood, even in the short term. This mindfulness technique is spot on. It is a good way for beginners to find focus, since trees are usually easy to find and sensory input is straightforward. After each session I found myself returning to feelings of calm by remembering what I practiced.
When driving, I find myself glancing at the trees as I speed by, and for a second I feel that blip of peace. That’s what I’m looking for: a new habit of calm, carrying the feelings I get from mindfulness throughout my day.
We are drawn to nature because we are a part of it. Letting ourselves have the space and time to be present with the world is something we were born to do. Stop fighting it already.
Health
My camping tree bath did nothing for my headache, but I can see how this calming practice could be good for mitigating inflammation. I know my breathing and heart rate did slow with calmness.
The breathing aspect of shinrin yoku itself is key to bringing your body to the present. If you are able to try this in the deep forest or an untouched natural area you will be rewarded with the sweetest, cleanest, loveliest air. If you do nothing else in the woods, you must appreciate this in a world with fewer places to experience the air we were made to breathe.
Exercise, no matter how mild, is good for you—and you may get a dose, depending on your excursion. The focus of shinrin yoku is not to work out, but it can fit into an active, nature-loving lifestyle.
Sleep
Night was energizing, but day shinrin yoku made me either nap or have a slightly better time falling asleep. Mindfulness is known to be good for sleep, but I didn’t have enough of a trajectory to appreciate the full effects. Maybe daytime tree bathing is better for sleep than night due to sunlight exposure, and nighttime alertness (with an instinct to avoid danger in an unfamiliar place) can amp people up. Who knows, maybe the trees give off different chemicals during the night hours that can affect us? I need to try sitting still in the dark with a tree in a safe place sometime.
Long term practice
Sniffing trees and having an agenda when out in nature can seem a little hokey and “out there”, but it doesn’t have to be that way. Simply being mindful and appreciative of our natural world is what shinrin yoku is about. Immersing the mind, body, and spirit in the world around us is more normal than other common things people do, like intently choosing selfie filters on a smartphone, or watching other people experience nature through a TV set.
I liked trying shinrin yoku. The principles and techniques will probably stay with me as I seek more experiences in the peace of the outdoors. Forest bathing doesn’t have to be formal or grand, and I think focusing on nature is something anyone can do, no matter the scale. From a flower in a vase to a dense forest, find it and feel calm.
The benefits of shinrin yoku are rooted in stress relief and leafing your worries behind (pun and pun intended). If you bark up the right tree, you might find something worth keeping in your tool kit for living, so give tree bathing a try. Or at least look for a long, hard minute at your houseplants.
The days are getting longer. The air is smelling sweeter as warmth creeps slowly back into our lives. We just want to soak up the sun—spring is finally here and it’s the perfect time to get moving!
Spring Exercise Benefits
This season is hopeful. It’s an era of shedding the heaviness of old commitments, cleaning up, and getting organized. People are looking ahead instead of backward, and are trying to put the best foot forward. Exercise can be incorporated into this momentum. Enjoying the best of spring can’t wait—just as all seasons must pass, the beauty and color makes a short but incredible visit.
We welcome the return of green, the bustle of people out and about, and the signs that life is thriving—as we should strive to be. Being outside just feels right. Spring temperatures are less extreme than winter or summer, and can be more comfortable for a workout.
Workarounds for Excuses!
Because weather can be variable (depending on your region), it’s harder to plan activities ahead. Spring climate can go from frosty to rainy to sunny. The key is to be flexible, having a full range of things in mind for staying active. Be ready to enjoy a warm day outdoors, brave the elements, or workout inside. Dress in layers to stay comfy if the sun comes in and out of the clouds.
You may have been in hibernation all winter and feel out of shape, but never fear, there are exercises you can start today, no experience necessary! For every excuse there is a workaround. What are you waiting for?
Spring Fever for the Senses
Flower power walk or run
Taking a stroll may yield something different every week. From crocus and cherry blossoms, to daffodils and irises, the colors are precious when the days have been bleak. If your neighborhood doesn’t have much to offer, find a park, botanical garden, nature preserve, or a nearby snobby zip code that might have better flowers. Just don’t pick anything that doesn’t belong to you.
“Sorry about your roses, lady. All we have are dandelions past 209th”
The street view from a neighborhood walk on a spring day, with plum blossoms
In Portland there is a public rose garden that smells and looks amazing in June and costs nothing to visit. Check your local library for free passes to outdoor gardens. I took my extended family on a free tour of the Portland Japanese Garden using a library pass that I was able to reserve online from home.
There are also flower festivals around the country, big and small, that provide ways to enjoy the blooms. I get a full day of walking when I attend the Wooden Shoe Tulip Festival. They even have a 5-10k trail run with a view of countless rows of amazing brilliance.
My sister took this pic from the fields at Wooden Shoe, a great place to see tulips and get some spring exercise.
Rainy day hike
Just because it’s raining doesn’t mean you can’t be outside enjoying the air. Listening to the sound of pattering raindrops is soothing and meditative, plus the greenery doesn’t get much better than this. As long as you have good shoes you should be fine, but be careful of slippery spots. Sometimes trails can be muddy.
Here we have Forest Park, which looks like it’s straight out of a fairy tale in the spring, with ferns and morning mist and giant fir trees. Probably why they filmed scenes for the TV show Grimm there.
Grab a pair of binoculars and look nerdy. Be sure to wear khaki shorts with lots of pockets and pull your socks up to your knees. Then find a hot spot for watching birds and walk there briskly, with swagger. The bird is the WORD, yo.
The kids have loved listening for the “okaree” of a red-winged blackbird, and gawking at the nest of a great blue heron. I take this to the next level by using my Audobon Society app, where I can look up migration patterns and listen to calls. If you are unsure of where to look for birds, think of somewhere with water and trees as a starting location.
Cleaning up
Spring cleaning is exercise
I know, what a cliché—spring cleaning is for losers who have nothing better to do. But there is something about this time of year that makes people want to get their lives in gear. And vacuum their mini blinds or rearrange their furniture. If you harbor such inclinations you should go full on and make a cardiovascular workout or strength training session out of it. If there was ever a time to make a 3 hour gangsta rap playlist, go ceiling to floor, and clean dat bitch up, it would be now. Need a checklist? Oh, got one for cleaning your house too.
Gardening and yard work
If you have outdoor space at home you may be getting antsy to freshen it up. There is probably sweeping, power washing, and weeding to do. Digging and basic hoeing can burn some serious calories.
Righteous cleaning for others
Springtime cleanup of natural areas requires the physical labor of generous volunteers. There’s no good reason for you to not be one of them. Search for beach, park, and trail cleanups in your area. In spring Oregon beaches get a scouring with help from kind souls, young and old.
If you don’t want to drive to help clean up, pick up trash near home on your walk or run. You might look crazy, but you’re actually being awesome, just like the misunderstood local heroes that dig through dumpsters at the stadium for cans to recycle.
Meet up or get there
Cycling, sports, and other meet ups
Although serious cyclists may pedal year round, some of us wait for fair weather, and that’s okay. I’m okay, you’re okay, we’re all okay. If you want to take a ride but feel safer on the road with others, or simply want to enjoy the company, use a site like Meetup to connect with other cyclists. You can use social sites to find people doing all kinds of group workouts, maybe some you’ve never tried.
Team up with some friends and play tennis, a 3-on-3 basketball game, or some indoor raquetball. Look at your local parks and rec catalog for class ideas and team sports leagues. You aren’t the only one who wants to exercise, and making plans or signing up can help you stick to your commitment to move.
If he can leave his car at home, so can you!
Workout commute
There is no better way to kill two birds with one stone and save your own life with an act of murder. The two birds are named exercise and commute. (I hope you didn’t get attached when you saw them in your binoculars earlier.) If you have never tried to walk to the train or ride your bike to work you can start now. I am lucky to live close enough to work that a bike ride there only takes 10 minutes more than it does to drive. If you simply cannot incorporate exercise into your commute, try walking on your lunch break to squeeze in some daylight with vigor.
To Snow or to Melt
Spring snow sports
In early spring there is usually great skiing. You may even get one of those T-shirt slope days where the sun is out and the snow is like butter. If you ski regularly a spring pass can be a great value, and there are less crowds. Snowshoeing is also available and is even sexier in a bikini. (Or at least more comfortable with less layers.)
Waterfall power melt
As mountain snow starts melting, waterfalls get a boost and become even more powerful and gorgeous. Our Columbia Gorge waterfall hiking will be different this season due to wildfires this past summer, but I’m sure there are still some great places for viewing. I will probably check somewhere else out, like University Falls, or Silver Falls.
There are so many ways to keep moving in spring. Even if you have a reliable exercise routine, try to do something as fresh as a daisy. April showers bring May flowers, and spring exercise can bring summer legs that are worthy of culottes. Those who choose to make activity a regular part of their lives AND have fun with it won’t regret it. I swear.
Spices are the cat’s pajamas. Especially when I am trying to eat healthy. Focusing on flavors to satisfy with quality above quantity, and an effort to eat home prepped meals, drives me to up my spice game. Lately I’ve been better about adjusting flavors, adding a little of this and that, with repeat taste testing before sharing my dish with others.
Spice Benefits
You can give flavor to a dish that is individualized to your taste.
You can prep satisfying meals at home that are fresh and better for you than packaged, processed, or store-bought foods.
Experimenting with cooking using your favorite combinations is fun.
Buying just enough spices to get you through each meal, every time you shop, works with fresh herbs, or small quantities of items that you seldom use. Then there are go-to favorites you always want in stock, keeping them at the ready for impromptu meals and snacks. For these you need spice organization and storage, and you should curate this collection with love and care. It is important for the home chef to feel prepared and in control.
Scary spice.
I am embarrassed to say I am a spice slob. For the last 8 years I had been buying most of my spices in bulk and keeping them in the little plastic bags from the store. This is unorganized, messy, and risks commingling flavors. There is no excuse for this, other than laziness and the fear of buying the wrong spice bottles, causing deep regret and shame.
“Mom, why do my cake sprinkles smell like Old Bay seasoning?”
I have also let fresh herbs go to waste that I grew myself, instead of drying them and saving some for later. All because I didn’t have a system figured out. How dumb.
Then I decided to be the master of my home cooking destiny and curate my spice cabinet.*
Curate your spice cabinet
Pull out all of your spices and put them where you can go through them all at once
Discard old, stale, discolored stuff and anything you know you will never use
Decide what quantity is reasonable to keep, and if you are missing something you need
Pick a storage system and location
Fill containers, label, and store them
Feel like you accomplished something and admire your work. Who knew you were so organized and in control?
Spice Organization
The type of system you use will depend on the space you have and the amount of spices you use on a regular basis. I have 6 kids and entertain large groups weekly, so the quantity I keep of salt, pepper, and garlic might be larger than some people think necessary. I think of my spices in 2 categories: the ones I use all the time, and the ones I use less often but want to keep for impromptu meals. My system is built with these distinctions in mind.
The cabinet before spice organization: a jumble of plastic bags and bottles
What Spices to Keep?
Start by making room for everything you use on a daily or weekly basis. Then add in anything you will use at least every month, and if you have enough room you can keep less-used spices. If you won’t use it within the next six months you are probably better off buying small quantities specific to a meal when you grocery shop. Some sources say that dried spices can last 2-3 years, but flavor and potency can start diminishing after a few months.
Think about your spice cabinet like your clothes closet: let it evolve with your tastes and style. Get rid of things that no longer suit you to make room for something that does. Keep your reliable standbys and throw in something exciting once in awhile.
The cabinet after spice organization: a curated collection
Location and Storage
Keep your flavors handy, but away from moisture and direct heat or sunlight. These can damage your spices. Choose a place that is no more than 3 steps away from where you do your spicing, whether it be prep or actual cooking spaces. I keep mine to the left of my stove top, protected inside a cupboard.
Drawers, racks, cabinets, or shelves can all be good choices. Just be sure to make it easy to find and access what you need. Most people want to see everything they have without moving things around. Organizing by name or type of spice can help you, especially if you have a large collection.
If you can easily see and retreive what you want, you’re so much more likely to use what you’ve got.
I keep spice jars in flat trays so I can bring them down for use quickly from the cupboard. The easiest to reach tray is filled with the spices I use most, like cinnamon, granulated garlic, and chili powder. Other large bottles and extracts of various sizes are kept here in my spice cupboard too. I arrange these in a line around my trays so I can see where they are.
Containers
Whatever you use, make sure to have tight fitting lids to keep spices fresh. Think about whether or not you need shaker tops, wide mouths for scooping, or grinder lids. Most people can get by with 1-2 ounce vessels—go too large and there will be a lot of air around to damage flavors. Containers made of metal, glass, or plastic all have their pros and cons.
Metal—Lightweight and easy to clean. Can’t see contents through package.
Glass—Can see contents, less likely to contaminate food with chemicals or absorb smells. Heavier and more expensive.
Plastic—Inexpensive and lightweight, see-through. May absorb odors and can contain unwanted chemicals.
I chose glass containers with pop-top shaker/pour lids (and reusable chalk marker labels). The jars I bought came with a funnel for filing, but it was impractical to use because it got contaminated with the flavor of the first spice it touched. Use a rolled up piece of paper instead to make a disposable funnel for preventing spillage. I keep a clear plastic tub with a snap-lock lid for my sea salt cellar and grinders for Himalayan salt and black pepper.
For ideas on different types of spice organization, containers, and storage, check out my nerdy Pinterest board.
Spicy Tips
Label bottles on the lids AND sides so that you can see what’s inside from any angle.
Mark the date you last filled the container to keep spices freshly in rotation. You can do this directly on the bottle or on a piece of paper you keep nearby, such as on the back of your cupboard door, or folded and nestled in the end of your rack or drawer.
Buying spices from bulk bins, as opposed to prepackaged, could save money and eliminate waste. When buying tiny bits you can usually get enough for a few meals for less than a dollar. I buy from Winco. They not only sell from in-store bins, but also ship large quantities for great prices. Their online store gives an idea of how low the price per pound can be—compare this to the net weight of jarred spices to see potential savings. Large, full unit purchases go for 5% less.
Check the specialty food areas of your grocery store for additional deals. My favorites are El Guapo spices, found in the “Hispanic” aisle at large chain grocers—this company is owned by McCormick but costs less than a third when compared to the name brand bottles found on the spice aisle.
Pre-filled spice racks might be stale when you go to use them. If you choose one of these, be prepared to refill it.
Drying fresh herbs, or freezing them in oil, will allow you to extend your bounty, if you grow your own.
If you seem to be missing a spice for your exotic dish, visit an import grocery store or order it ahead online. The extra trouble might be worth it for authenticity of flavor.
If you feel the need to get organized, curating your spice rack is one way to get instant gratification. The little bottles are just waiting to find their places and give you a sense of accomplishment and pride. Get to spicing up your life, and eating food from the best place in the world—your own kitchen.
*Disclaimer: just because I organized my spice cabinet does not guarantee my cooking will be flavorful, nor that it will contain any spices at all. I may just eat an avocado from the skin with a spoon. And that’s ok too.
Waning motivation is something we all can relate to. It is the universal factor in giving up or backing away from something we’ve started.
Have you ever?
Started a project with gusto and then eventually abandoned it
Experienced resentment toward a process that once gave you joy
Felt like a failure for not being able to see something through
Realized that you haven’t done ______ in a long time, but can’t remember why you stopped
Wondered why you can’t stick with a plan long enough to see results
This is what my garden looks like when I still haven’t given up completely. Don’t look at my crunchy grass. I conserve water on purpose. Life’s a garden. Dig it.
Every year when spring is approaching I get very excited to garden. As soon as I have a sunny day to tease me I start planning, nerding out over seed selections and making planting diagrams. My motivation climbs until the seeds are in the ground, and it holds until I start harvesting.
Then my motivation wanes. Slowly but surely I get sick of eating the same beans or going out to weed. Instead of a lovely green garden it starts to look more like the wild scraggly stuff that grows on the sides of highway on-ramps. I look out my window and vow to do something about it. It can feel like such a chore depending on my mood.
By mid-fall I might have completely lost initiative to clean it up or get it prepped for the winter. This year I left it ugly and abandoned, and I feel bad about it. I gave up. I didn’t have what it takes to finish something. Spring Me gets pissed that I let oregano go to seed everywhere, and that I didn’t mulch with wet leaves or compost properly.
Oregano couldn’t help himself when he felt lonely and neglected.
Does it matter?
Everybody needs to feel accomplished. Some are better at brushing off the loss of things that no longer interest them. If I continued everything I ever started, stuck with every dream, I could be married to Michael Jackson (or Michael J Fox) and still adding garbage pail kids to my pegacorn sticker album.
My hopes, dreams, and stickers: 1984 to infinity x infinity
Sometimes the effort is better spent on new projects, and other times getting back on track makes more sense. Either way, decide to do something. Letting unfinished business fester contributes to stress and inhibits progress.
What to do about waning motivation?
Get over it and move on
If you want to move on to another project you should close the door on the thing you are done with. This doesn’t mean you can’t change your mind later and reopen it, it just means you aren’t letting the worry of something in limbo bug you. Freeing up time, mental space, energy, and initiative gives strength to what you choose to take on next.
Hit the pause button
Alternatively, you can get to a good stopping point that allows you to pick back up where you left off when the timing is better. Just make sure this dormant state low maintenance, or you may up resenting it.
We have decided to put our bathroom remodel on hold because we diverted the funds to something else. Until then, I have also decided not to care.
Find a win
If you haven’t been seeing results for your efforts, and this makes you want to give up, plan to focus on something that will give you a psychological boost for the time being. This can be “low hanging fruit”, or something that pleases the senses and gives you a feeling of accomplishment. Playing the long game can seem toooo long.
Examples include:
Pick something that will give you a visual reminder of your goal: this can be something like a tracker or inspiration board, or something tangible you’ve actually completed.
Plan a social event or celebration surrounding your hard work
Pick something you’ve been looking forward to and attach it to completing a phase of work (like, “we will finish paying off our credit card bill before we start summer break”)
Adjust your reward
When dealing with a big project or goal, focus on an angle that gives you the most bang for your buck. The thing that gave you impetus yesterday won’t necessarily be your favorite today, so let your rewards shift as needed.
When I first started running, my goal was to lower my blood sugar. Although this is still important to me, in the short term I find myself looking forward to the way I’ll feel after running, as well as getting to listen to podcasts uninterrupted. My previous post, 13 Tips for Getting Over the Hump of the Exercise Hill, tells more about finding wins and rewards.
Remind yourself why and immerse yourself in it
Even the best things in life can go stale or become forgotten. Regular maintenance and work are required to keep us going in every way, even when we’re having fun. Consciously showing yourself what your goals mean to you and revisiting your initial motivations and feelings can spark positive mojo.
Getting excited again can be as simple as:
Reminiscing about falling in love with the idea that started your journey
Seeking more information on how to do more, better
Connecting with others who support you and can offer insight
Work in pieces
Big projects are daunting. When it feels too overwhelming, mini goals are needed. Set milestones to complete and put everyday things on your to-do lists that support reaching them.
Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither are six pack abs
Tending this little berry patch can work as an easy win and is a small milestone to complete that will make me feel like I’m doing something in the garden. Might even motivate me to keep pruning.
Outsource
Grunt work can ruin the fun of getting what you want, so con someone else into doing the heavy lifting for you. Also, paying someone to do things necessary to your goal (that you don’t have the motivation, knowledge, or time to do) can be just what you need to make progress.
Examples include:
Hiring a personal trainer to customize your workouts
Taking a class to learn something you’ve always wanted to do
Finding childcare, or hiring an assistant at work, so you can get uninterrupted time to focus on a project
Forcing your kids to do the loathed garden chores aforementioned in this article
Child labor from my 2 oldest sons was used to help me complete all the weeding, composting, and mulching. Now the garden is finally in a proper resting state.
Looking ahead
The fear of losing motivation later can stop us from starting at all. Having a plan in place for the ebb and flow of motivation can help keep you from giving up, or can help you let go without regrets. Again, whatever you do, do something!
When your body is working the way it’s supposed to it naturally cleanses itself. You eliminate waste and toxins continuously while you sleep, breathe, digest, and go about your day. The best way to do a natural cleanse is to support the body as it gets rid of things the way it’s built to.
Elimination happens when you get rid of unneeded things via liquids, gas, and solids leaving your body. If the systems that do this get disrupted you may suffer the consequences, but there are things you can do to help keep the gears oiled: 1) Don’t overburden your body with things it must process and get rid of, 2) Don’t stop the cleansing systems from working.
“Milk, milk, lemonade, around the corner fudge is made!”—said every 2nd grade body expert ever
Urinary system
Your kidneys are constantly filtering your blood and balancing your fluid and electrolytes. They get rid of toxins, excess water and electrolyte salts, as well as urea, ammonia, uric acid, and other byproducts of metabolism. These wastes leave your body when you pee. Be kind to your kidneys as they flush out the bad stuff.
Keep hydrated. Prolonged dehydration reduces the ability for your kidneys to work, since water isn’t just necessary for the physical act of peeing, but also the filtration process. Pay special attention to drinking enough when you sweat, like while working out.
Don’t use nicotine. This substance weakens the performance of blood vessels, including the tiny ones, which serve the filtration system in your kidneys. Nicotine products also contain many toxins that increase the burden on your kidneys.
Keep your blood sugar normal. Elevated blood sugar can also damage those tiny blood vessels and gum up the filtration system, at the same time it increases filtration demand as your body attempts to get rid of the excess. This is the #1 cause of kidney failure.
There are so many ways to kill a kidney. Make sure yours are fully trained and armed for conflict.
Have normal blood pressure. Blood vessels can be stretched, hardened, or narrowed with increased pressure, all decreasing the flow of blood to the kidneys for filtration. Flow can be limited to the point where kidney tissue dies.
Keep kidney stones from forming. If you are prone to kidney stones, consider a diet that helps reduce their formation. Stones can lead to damage and infection.
Don’t hold your pee. It can back urine up to your kidneys, stopping normal function, and could cause serious infection. If you tend to get urinary tract infections, take preventing them seriously, as infection is not only dangerous itself but can scar the urinary tract and kidneys.
Digestive system
Your digestive system processes some toxins and wastes from your liver via bile, and gets rid of undigested food. It works closely with the circulatory system to deliver nutrients to the blood. Microorganisms rule the intestines and live in a symbiotic relationship with us. They help determine the overall health of your gut and THEIR eating habits and waste products can give important signals for metabolism and neurological functions. They covert digestive wastes and food into things we can use or get rid of more easily. We need to keep a healthy balance of bacteria to make the intestines work properly.
Bif and Tiff were made for each other
What to eat
Promote a healthy gut biome. Eating probiotics and prebiotics might help you achieve maximum symbiosis. Probiotics are especially needed if you are exposed to antibiotics that can kill gut flora and cause an infectious takeover with bad types of microorganisms (such as c.diff or yeast).
Limit intake of chemically processed foods and known toxins . Eating or drinking things your body was not meant to handle is burdensome as your body tries to identify and remove these substances.
Eat foods with fiber. Fiber helps trap cholesterol, and other toxins that are present in bile salts, so they can be eliminated from your body instead of reabsorbed. It is also necessary for healthy pooping by bulking up stool and keeping it wet enough to pass. The large intestine will continue to pull water from stool as it goes through, and if poop sits too long you may reabsorb things that your body was trying to get rid of.
Stay hydrated to help that fiber keep stool moving.
What to do for your digestive system
Avoid liver damage. The liver is your main detox powerhouse. Although it does not have a direct orifice to the outside, it performs a good portion of your body cleansing. Damages due to excessive alcohol use, fatty liver disease, and viral hepatitis are all preventable. Fatty liver disease is linked with high triglycerides, obesity, high blood sugar, and insulin resistance. You may not know your liver is fatty until it’s too late, so keep your risk factors down.
Limit medications that dry you out or slow the motion of your gut. Examples include some antihistamines and pain pills. Medicines in general can increase the amount of stuff your body must filter and dispose of. Ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist to look at your medication list for what things are essential, then work on those that can be safely decreased or stopped.
Get good sleep. Natural body clocks help regulate intestinal activity and digestion. While sleeping, resources can be routed to your gut for proper processing of food and intestinal housekeeping. The parasympathetic nervous system dominates during sleep, for “rest and digest” time.
Get up and move. Exercise, including normal everyday walking, helps move stool through the intestines via gravity and passive pressure changes as your abdominal muscles contract.
Let the gas out. Bacterial wastes can include gasses, and if you aren’t letting the gas out it can cause bloating, reflux, and stretching that affects normal functioning.
“Better out than in, I always say”—Shrek
Respiratory system
As you exhale you get rid of carbon dioxide, a natural byproduct of metabolism. Buildup of carbon dioxide can cause acid in your blood and a decreased ability to get oxygen to your cells.
Eliminate, when possible, all sources of smoke and lung-damaging substances. Smoke and air pollution, in addition to chemical and biological irritants, can damage lung function. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is an example of what can happen, which harms your lungs and has devastating effects on the rest of your body.
Exercise and practice good breathing techniques to keep your lungs in shape and utilize maximum lung surface area for gas exchange. Here are some yoga breathing techniques for a lung workout.
Integumentary system (skin)
Salts, water, microorganisms, and some toxins are flushed from the body with sweat, tears, and other secretions.
Let yourself sweat. Clogging your pores with makeup, antiperspirant, certain lotions, and other personal care products can cause both local and systemic irritation. When you do sweat, don’t keep the sweat next to your skin. Wear breathable clothing and expose your skin to air.
Take care of your skin. Excessive dryness, removal of natural oils, and poor balance of skin flora can cause damage that allows toxins and bad microorganisms to enter the skin, instead of getting rid of them. Remember that your skin is not a perfect barrier. It CAN let things through. Particles that can fit between your cells can get below your skin and eventually into your bloodstream, so protect yourself. This includes harsh cleaners and solvents that can be found in everyday products you use in your home, yard, garage, and at work.
If you have a vagina, respect it. Your vaginal secretions help continuously cleanse bad germs away. Don’t suffocate your lady hole or disrupt its pH with weird douches, horrible “sexy” underwear, or scented products. A healthy vagina is a happy one.
Circulatory system
The flow of blood and lymph throughout your body allows fluid balance to take place and equips you to perform the processes outlined above. Keep your heart, and the highways of your body healthy, with daily exercise, a positive attitude, loving relationships , and a reasonable diet.
As you can see, you are already “doing a cleanse,” so if you really want to take it to the next level, you should include living a lifestyle that supports the essential housekeeping your body does everyday. No temporary health cleanse is going to take the place of the ongoing maintenance your body needs. Humans are complex creatures, and the balance of taking things in and flushing them out is a weird science, but somehow it works, for the most part. So keep pooping, peeing, breathing, and secreting your way to cleanliness!
Post Holiday shopping is here. Yes, you may get a good deal on some wrapping paper for next year, but more likely you are focused on something else. People who shopped, ate, and stressed their way into oblivion are trying to reset, and are looking for external cues to tell them how to spend their money to fix it.
😍: I’m having urges.
😏: Oh, yeah?
😍: Uncontrollable urges.
😏: OhYeah!
😍: Uncontrollable urges to stop by the store and buy things that make me feel organized and skinny.
😐: Oh. Yeah.
New Years resolutions are born out of the hedonism of the prior weeks. Your house may already be full from gifts you received (or bought yourself since there were so many “deals” available). But your urge to shop may not be over. Retailers are waiting to pounce as you feel the need to get organized, eat better, and put the holidays behind you. There is always another season ahead where you might find a void in your life to fill with stuff.
Here are the next things you might spend your money on:
Fitness equipment or clothing for all the exercise you’ve promised yourself
Food, vitamins, and supplements for your new healthy diet
Huge plastic totes to store your holiday decorations and the crap you accumulated over the last month or two
Home décor for un-Christmasing your living room since you feel the need to look at something less festive
Look! Valentines stuff is out. Must be time to buy candy to make sure people still feel loved. I don’t see any candy canes, so it must be different than the 20 lbs of candy I have eaten in the last 4 weeks.
We want to be sold to because we want change this time of year. It is easy to bend to the pressures of advertising and social norms that nudge us into the next sales cycle. Companies are adept at making us feel that combo of guilt over what we’ve done, and hope that we can make better choices than before. And be someone new and improved.
This year I am trying to reconcile that urge to be a different, healthier me with the need to be the same me, who wears the same work out pants as last year and makes smoothies in the same blender with the broken but functional lid. My inevitable weakness is that I feel that void, the chasm between who I am and that ideal self, who surely got fit because she had a new pair of running pants and a high-powered Vita-mix.
Efforts this time of year can get misplaced and go toward shopping for health paraphernalia rather than spending time actually preparing healthy foods or exercising. It is always easier to FEEL like we are bettering our lives with things we buy instead of actually changing habits, routines, or attitudes.
Shopping substitutes
It’s so cute that we want to do something positive, but shopping is the easy part. We love to search for things that might be useful or edible. Shopping works well naturally with the human need to gather and hunt, and nowadays we can do this while lying in bed, wearing a sleep mask and bossing Alexa around. If you aren’t ready to be completely enlightened and free from desire there are ways to use your gathering and searching instincts to do something other than buying stuff.
Shop your own pantry and challenge yourself to make as many meals as possible before having to grocery shop again. There are websites that let you search recipes by ingredients on hand.
Shop your library for a movie, book, or whatever that you want to get into. Pick something that fills your hole. (In your soul.) Read up on a subject that makes you feel like you are making progress. Learn something new.
Use your gifts. Like, literally. Use the things you’ve been gifted but haven’t had a chance to enjoy. Take a candlelit bath with the 27 scented candles you’ve accumulated while drinking the wine you got as a holiday hostess gift. Use gift cards or supplies you have for experiences, such as the spa gift card I’ve been hoarding since last Christmas.
Rearrange your furniture and find things from outside to bring in as décor. Or, find stuff from other rooms in the house that can be repurposed.
Take on a crafting or home improvement project that you’ve been putting off but already have most of the supplies to complete.
Reducing the urge to search and shop
I actually hate shopping at the store, but I do love searching. I think I crave the mindlessness of paying half-attention to lists of things that are of little consequence at the moment, but give the illusion of making progress. And there is nothing inherently wrong with entertaining myself. But I feel the most fulfilled when I am actually doing something, especially if I am experiencing moments of flow, or if I am being present with people I love. Maybe I am ready to take it to the next level, and increase my happiness.
Things to try:
Practice mindfulness, everyday.
Focus on removing unnecessary items and obligations in my environment and routines.
Put myself on a media budget to reduce exposure to advertising.
Cultivate energy and reserve time for creating, doing, and connecting.
Deliberately reduce time used for the pursuit of things, necessary or not.
Choose a life that doesn’t need escaping from.
Maybe I’m wrong, and shopping weakness is not inevitable. With each passing yearly micophase, and its corresponding sale cycle, I feel my reserve getting stronger. My focus is subtly changing to gratitude for each little opportunity to experience something different as the seasons roll into the next.
😍: I’m having urges.
😏: Oh, yeah?
😍: Uncontrollable urges.
😏: OhYeah!
😍: Uncontrollable urges to put myself on a media budget so I can focus on our relationship, so turn off the TV.
