Humans Outside

The deep, cold, dark winter of the north is a unique experience that both challenges and inspires. On the one hand, it shows you things about nature and about yourself you'd never see in the long hours of warmer daylight. On the other, it carried a depth that at times feels insurmountable.

Among the winter enthusiasts and survivors are cyclists, people out there riding their bikes through, on and over the ice. They are part of a rich history of people not just exploring the Arctic under their own power, but leaning into the experience despite all the odds. In today's episode writer and editor Jessica Cherry talks about the experience of cycling through Alaska's winter. Listen now.

Some of the good stuff:

[2:56] Jessica Cherry's favorite outdoor space

[3:45] How Jessica became someone who likes to go outside

[6:21] Jessica's personal connection to cycling

[9:42] What is a "fat bike?" [17:01] About Frank Soos

[18:58] The experience of recreating over winter in the arctic

[21:01] The surprising sound factor

[24:56] What people miss by not going outside in the winter's darkness

[28:36] How being a climate scientist changes how Jessica experiences nature

[33:09] What Jessica learned from her book, Wheels on Ice

Connect with this episode:

Read Wheels on Ice, edited by Jessica Cherry and Frank Soos

Visit Jessica's website

Find Jessica on Facebook

Connect with Jessica on LinkedIn

Join the Humans Outside Challenge

Follow Humans Outside on Instagram

Follow Humans Outside on Facebook

When so many outdoor adventures are or can be solo, when conquering big things is about your internal drive, why does community matter?

After attending a local workshop hosted by a semi-pro runner and friend, I've been thinking about why showing up for others and having them show-up for me isn't just important, it's life changing. Hear why in this Outdoor Diary episode.

Connect with this episode:

Join the Humans Outside Challenge

Follow Humans Outside on Instagram

Follow Humans Outside on Facebook

Some of the good stuff:

[:56] The premise behind Humans Outside

[1:27] The benefit of community

[1:55] A reminder that is, obviously, related to running

[2:30] The ways it's up to you alone

[2:46] But also it's not only up to you

[3:57] How Denali Strable models this

[4:10] How Denali models the power of community

[4:30] Why this matters

[4:50] What I'm trying to do here

Life is full of opportunities for problem solving, for looking at challenges in a fresh way, for reshaping the landscape to peel out an unexpected solution. And what does it take to get there? Creativity.

You might be thinking about creativity as it relates to art, but that's not what I'm talking about. Instead I mean the creativity found in how you approach the world. And heading outside? It has a measurable impact on boosting creativity if you take the right steps -- often literally. In this episode we dive into boosting creativity by heading outside in a conversation with Garry Pratt, a business coach, author and innovator around what he calls "outside thinking." Listen now.

Connect with this episode:

Follow Garry Pratt on LinkedIn

Read The Creativity Factor (affiliate link)

Join the Humans Outside Challenge

Follow Humans Outside on Instagram

Follow Humans Outside on Facebook

Some of the good stuff:

[3:07] Garry Pratt's favorite outdoor space

[4:33] How Garry became someone who likes to go outside

[7:10] Garry's "outside thinking" lightbulb moment

[9:01] What is "creativity?"

[11:59] What is "outside thinking?"

[15:06] Why is nature perfect for deep work thinking?

[21:00] Why walking in nature works for creativity

[24:24] The deal with 20 minutes

[28:00] All about 20:3:3

[31:00] Why it works for business thinking

[36:34] Does type of nature matter?

[38:55] A few tips for building your own outside thinking habit

[41:45] How to find Garry's book

How do you feel about falling? Or, perhaps more importantly, how do you feel about getting up again?

One of the top lessons of Amy's outdoor habit is the inevitability of falling and all of the lessons getting OK with it brings. Learning to fall and be OK with it has not only opened the door to trying and learning new things, but given her a better understanding of risk and recovery in her indoor life. Listen to this Outdoor Diary episode to learn more.

Connect with this episode:

Join the Humans Outside Challenge

Follow Humans Outside on Instagram

Follow Humans Outside on Facebook

Some of the good stuff:

[:30] Braver and more courageous: a reminder

[1:45] The deal with learning to take risks

[2:00] The deal with falling

[2:41] Here's what really matters

[2:52] The inevitability of falling if you're ever going to learn something new

[3:30] Pro-tip about snow in your pants

[4:15] What if you did this instead?

[4:50] An important distinction

[5:15] How this feels during inside life

Ever seen that meme that asks "why do I live some in a place where the air hurts my face?" Heading outside in harsh conditions can feel like a personal attack that has your whole body and mind screaming "noooooooooo!" You want to want to do it, but you don't. You know there's no actual danger, but if feels like there is. You want to be someone who goes outside and does cool stuff, but you can't figure out how to calm down that internal "nope" monologue.

So what can you do about it? In this episode Alaska-based mental health informed adventure fitness trainer Sarah Histand tackles the big question of dealing being kind to your nervous system while teaching it that, hey, heading outside for challenges big and small is a safe and even fun idea. Listen now.

Connect with this episode:

Learn about Ski Babes and Mind and Mountain Follow Sarah Histand on Facebook Follow Sarah Histand on Instagram What to Wear in Cold Weather, Sarah's first Humans Outside episode Join the Humans Outside Challenge Follow Humans Outside on Instagram Follow Humans Outside on Facebook

Some of the good stuff:

[2:57] Sarah Histand's (different from last time) favorite outdoor space

[6:10] How Sarah got into the subject of mind meets mountain

[10:53] Why going outside in harsh weather or for big challenges sometimes feels so very bad

[13:40] Why sometimes it feels totally fine and other times it feels totally not fine

[19:05] All about very individualized risk tolerance

[24:19] Steps for overcoming this problem

[25:13] Snacks and other comfort items

[30:54] Baby steps aren't just for babies

[32:24] This is an everyone problem -- not just beginners

[37:27] No comparing, please

[39:48] Learning to balance intuition with social pressure

[45:01] How to find more about Sarah

One of the hardest things about spending time outside in all weather is figuring out what to wear to keep your body comfortable. After all, if heading outside is really uncomfortable, you're simply not going to want to do it.

But what's the best way to dress in cold weather? And what if you're entirely new to this and just don't know? In this episode, Amy lays out what she personally wears in cold weather and the different layers that work really for her body. Listen now.

Connect with this episode:

Join the Humans Outside Challenge

Follow Humans Outside on Instagram

Follow Humans Outside on Facebook

Some of the good stuff:

[:35] Why you might be thinking about this

[1:15] The great and generous thing about outdoor-minded folks

[1:34] I want you to be warm and happy

[1:54] A few caveats

[3:30] A rundown of what I wear for slow stuff on the bottom

[4:58] What I'm wearing on top

[6:00] The extremities

[7:30] What I wear while being active

[9:30] A final important step

So you've got an outdoor habit, but are you actually making time for fun? If having fun is a priority, how do you make time to actually make it happen? How can you organize your life around creating space for it? Dr. Michael Rucker's new book, The Fun Habit, lays out the reasons we should make fun a priority, how to make it happen and what happens when you do. And in this episode of Humans Outside he helps us mix an outdoor habit with a fun habit to get the most out of our time.

Connect with this episode:

Buy The Fun Habit (affiliate link)

Dr. Michael Rucker's website How to Find Time to Go Outside with Laura Vanderkam

Hack to Make Life More Tranquil, More Fun and More Outdoorsy with Laura Vanderkam

How to Make Time for Joy and Heading Outside (Dr. Cassie Holmes)

Join the Humans Outside Challenge

Follow Humans Outside on Instagram

Follow Humans Outside on Facebook

Some of the good stuff:

[2:41] Dr. Michael Rucker's favorite outdoor space

[4:17] How Mike takes his own fun habit outside

[8:20] The difference between "happiness" and "fun"

[10:42] The role of intentionality

[20:16] What is the SAVOR model?

[25:57] Why is reminiscing important?

[27:42] A digression into fun types one, two and three

[30:37] Awe and "the mystery"

If you're doing an outdoor challenge, we promise the question is going to come up: what counts as "outside?" In this episode Amy lays out the rules -- or the lack therefore -- and goes through what she counts for herself. Listen now.

Connect with this episode:

Join the Humans Outside Challenge

Follow Humans Outside on Instagram

Follow Humans Outside on Facebook

Some of the good stuff:

[:46] Here's a question you might've encountered

[:55] Don't laugh, it's a thing

[1:07] Why this gets asked

[1:33] Yes, I've asked it too

[2:10] Sorry, no rules from me for you

[2:30] But you should have your own rules

[3:00] But here are my rules for me

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 your wellness life and gives you what you need. So how do you get there? In this episode of Humans Outside, Sarah Hays Coomer, a wellness coach and habit expert joins us for a third time to talk about creating a habit that focuses on what you need, gently. Listen now.

Connect with this episode:

Visit Sarah Hays Coomer's website

Read Sarah's Forbes column

Follow Sarah on Instagram

Follow Sarah on Facebook

Join the Humans Outside Challenge

Follow Humans Outside on Instagram

Follow Humans Outside on Facebook

Some of the good stuff:

[2:34] Sarah Hays Coomer's favorite outdoor space

[3:55] How Sarah became someone who likes to go outside

[7:33] The nuts and bolts of a habit

[16:27] The role of sustainability in habit picking

[19:35] How to create a gentle guide for what you need

[26:57] What counts as going outside?

[32:40] Is habit building a muscle?

[37:29] Some tips for a gentle wellness practice

Brave? Courageous? Those words don't describe Amy. Or, at least, they didn't used to. But thanks to her outdoor habit she's now more courageous and adventurous than ever before. Why and how did that happen -- and how can it happen for you? Listen now to find out.

Connect with this episode:

Join the Humans Outside Challenge

Follow Humans Outside on Instagram

Follow Humans Outside on Facebook

Some of the good stuff:

[:35] How it was when I started my challenge

[1:05] OK, I'm pretty boring

[1:28] How this changes when I head outside

[1:44] My new outdoor toy

[2:10] Ice skating is walking on knives, fyi.

[2:50] A change of tune

[3:10] My first nordic skating adventure

[3:20] Am I courageous?

[3:45] The brave-building of heading outside

[4:11] Trusting the process and find rewards

[5:05] You can have this, too