Humans Outside

Spend enough time outside and you'll start to notice all of the things growing around you -- and that some of those things look delicious. From greens to berries, to gardening, fishing and evening raising chickens, nature in your backyard can be full of food.

For today's guest Tamar Haspel, the possibilities of gathering or growing at least a portion of her own meals, an experience she calls "first-hand food," became the spark for a personal challenge to eat at least one thing she sourced herself each day for a year. In this episode Tamar talks about first-hand food, how growing and sourcing it connected her with spending time outside and how you can get started on a first-hand food journey, too.

Connect with this episode:

Join the Humans Outside Challenge Follow Humans Outside on Instagram Follow Humans Outside on Facebook Visit Tamar Haspel's website Read Tamar's book, "To Boldly Grow" (affiliate link)

Some of the good stuff:

[2:41] Tamar Haspel's favorite outdoor space [3:47] How Tamar became someone who likes to go outside [6:14] Tracking her first-hand food challenge [8:10] Going from city-dweller to farmer [9:33] Best and worst first-hand food experiences [11:59] Why first-hand food is such an appealing idea [14:17] Don't be afraid of foraging, Amy [17:54] How to balance first-hand food around the rest of your life [19:43] Amy is a first-hand mooch [25:07] How first-hand food has changed Tamar's experience of nature [27:41] Has it changed how she feels about her place in nature? [31:23] Why first-hand food doesn't have to be extreme [32:52] Is there a middle ground and what is it? [33:50] How to get help doing it [38:32] Tips for getting started [39:34] Tamar's favorite outdoor gear [40:33] Tamar's favorite outdoor memory

My friend called it the "fall wall" -- that moment where you know without a doubt that the season is changing. (Are you ready for it? I'll admit that I'm not.)

But it's here for me in Alaska. And whether the wall is a weather one or a schedule one, dealing with it while maintaining the things that are important to you -- like getting outside -- can take some work.

Here's how I'm doing it. 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:

[:32] The origin of the "fall wall"

[:47] Here's one type of "fall wall"

[1:15] Here's another type of "fall wall"

[2:00] My growing concern

[2:30] "The summer we had fun anyway"

[3:08] A few tips for working through the fall wall

Are you too grown-up to notice and enjoy play? I don't mean you avoid it on purpose. I mean your grown-up brain just doesn't see it, isn't used to allowing it, crowds it out with other stuff and is just so, well, responsible.

Kids don't have this problem. Play is how they learn and what they know. But adults, on the other hand …

Here's what I learned this week by taking time to seize the play, and what it did for me. 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:

[:31] Setting the stage on a beautiful summer day

[1:15] And then I forgot this thing

[1:36] The relief of play

[2:00] The burden of being a grown-up

Depending on your background of using nature and heading outside, you might think of spending time outdoors as something you go do instead of something that's on the other side of your front door.

And if you do make a habit of going into the nature that's close to home, you might be tempted to think that the same-old, same-old isn't as good as shaking it up and going somewhere news and different.

Dr. Kathleen Wolf has made a career of researching human use of nature and its benefits as a research social scientist at the school of environmental and forest sciences at the University of Washington. She joined in Season 3 for an overview of how much time in nature is really useful (spoiler alert, it's about 20 minutes a day!). And in this episode she talks about the benefits of nearby nature and how to get the most out of it.

Connect with this episode

Learn more about Dr. Kathleen Wolf

Read Dr. Kathleen Wolf's long term project, "Green Cities: Good Health"

Find Dr. Kathleen Wolf on LinkedIn

Join the Humans Outside Challenge

Follow Humans Outside on Instagram

Follow Humans Outside on Facebook

Some of the good stuff:

[3:54] What Kathy's been doing since we last spoke

[7:54] What is nearby nature? [10:31] What people think of as nature and why making generalizations isn't a good idea

[15:23] What nearby nature factors appeal to people?

[19:44] The role of mindfulness in nearby nature

[22:45] Is there any benefit to doing the same thing in nature over and over?

[25:37] What it's like to stare at the same tree for 70 minutes

[27:33] What Amy has learned by doing the same thing over and over again

[33:33] How people can create a great nearby nature experience no matter where they are

[41:40] Why nature is like nutrition

How does your connection to nature change when you focus on experiencing it through each of your five senses? With the chance to literally taste the outdoors at every turn, I leaned into the gifts of the land and explored how experiencing nature through my mouth (and stomach) makes me feel.

Listen now!

Connect with this episode:

Join the Humans Outside Challenge

Follow Humans Outside on Instagram

Follow Humans Outside on Facebook

Listen to Gretchen Rubin on Humans Outside ("Advice for Making Outdoor Time Better via Life in 5 Senses")

Some of the good stuff:

[:40] The best senses intentions

[1:08] It was a deliciousness emergency

[1:28] A delicious pit stop

[2:31] Blueberries in all the places

[2:40] Even more berries and even more deliciousness

[3:15] Wherein someone else feeds me and I hit my limit

[3:48] And here's the theme

When was the last time you really noticed your world by focusing on one of your five senses? That's something Gretchen Rubin talked about in her episode with Humans Outside, and it's something I've recently been asking myself as I head outside daily.

What would happen if I spent some time noticing each sense outside? What would I find? What would I experience? Listen now!

Connect with this episode:

• Listen to Gretchen Rubin on Humans Outside ("Advice for Making Outdoor Time Better via Life in 5 Senses")
• Listen to Max Romey on Humans Outside ("How He Finds His Unique Art and Creativity Outside -- and You Can, Too")
• Listen to Cordele Glass on Humans Outside ("How Heading Outside Makes Your Brain More Creative")
• Listen to Mike Rucker on Humans Outside ("How to Create Your Own 'Fun Habit' and Why It's Important)
• Join the Humans Outside Challenge
• Follow Humans Outside on Instagram
• Follow Humans Outside on Facebook

Some of the good stuff:

[:35] One of the best parts of podcasting

[:50] Let's talk about Gretchen Rubin for a sec

[1:15] A little bit about "Life In Five Senses"

[1:40] Leaning into "sight"

[2:00] When was the last time I really, truly saw stuff?

[2:25] Sparking awe through sight

[2:42] Finding awe in the everyday sights

[2:59] It went like this

[4:00] But then there was irritation

[4:20] New York City people problems

[4:40] And how they reframed this for me

[5:00] What's next for me

It can be easy to think of practices like rewilding and mindfulness as being habits of only extra-zen, nature-based people. But if you're someone who likes to go outside or is building an outdoor habit, they are probably already a part of what you're doing, at least a little.

So how can you do it more? And if you don't think you've added them, how can you make them happen while balancing a modern life?

In this episode Micah Mortali, rewilding expert and dean of the Kripalu School of Mindful Outdoor Leadership, shares his insights and tips of rewilding, mindfulness and even meditation. Author of the book "Rewilding, Meditations, Practices, and Skills for Awakening in Nature," Micah's extra-practical tips make a rewilding habit accessible for any outdoor-lover.

Connect with this episode:

Buy "Rewilding, Meditations, Practices, and Skills for Awakening in Nature" by Micah Mortali (affiliate link)

Follow Micah's school, Kripalu, on Instagram Listen to Brene Brown talk with Dr. Amishi Jha about productivity and meditation

Visit Kripalu's website Follow Humans Outside on Instagram Join the Humans Outside Challenge

Some of the good stuff:

[1:52] Why this recording is a little different

[2:41] Micah Mortali's favorite outdoor space

[4:41] Amy's regular moment of mindfulness

[5:16] What Micah thinks about that moment

[6:34] How Micah became someone who likes to go outside

[9:32] The spiritual connection of nature and how it's weird some religions are confused

[10:55] Other Christian faith traditions and nature

[13:42] What is "rewilding?" [20:45] How a nature draw plays out for city-dwellers

[23:35] Mindfulness and task-focus in nature

[29:56] The challenge of meditation for focused people

[32:22] How rewilding and mindfulness fit into a daily nature habit

[37:02] What the pandemic taught us about rewilding

[40:27] Simple tips for rewilding and mindfulness in nature

[42:47] Micah's favorite outdoor moment

Heading into nature has a way of bringing plenty of challenges, whether you want them or not. Those can be anything from the weather to the creatures or even people you meet there. And just how good you feel about tackling those things can change day-by-day.

So how do you know when to push outside your comfort zone, and when to simply let it slide?

The answer is a little more complicated than it might seem.

Here's how I've been tackling it as I deal with some challenging outdoor conditions. Listen now.

Some of the good stuff:

[:35] We don't know how this is happening but it is

[1:06] The mantra is reaching its limits

[1:15] Let's remember the goal

[2:15] Ok but what does this actually mean

[2:45] Trying to remember this advice

[3:23] Real life example

[4:30] You have to be the boss of this

[4:45] One more example Connect with this episode:

Join the Humans Outside Challenge

Follow Humans Outside on Instagram

Follow Humans Outside on Facebook

Hear more from Sarah Histand on being nice to your nervous system

The situation is this: I was simply not prepared for the idea of needing to mentally power through summer.

But here we are. Whether it's heat that melts your hair, or chilly rain that requires three jackets, bad weather can really kill the summer good attitude vibe.

The bad news? There's nothing you can do about that.

The good news? This is when that outdoor habit comes in for the win.

Here's how I'm facing less-than-ideal summer weather problems and a few things you can try if this is your problem, too. 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:

[:32] I just wasn't prepared

[:45] Here's the problem

[1:18] Outdoor habit, coming in for the (sorta) win

[1:50] Now I'm going to complain for a minute or two

[2:47] All done complaining and now on to problem solving

[3:05] What I've learned before

[3:45] Here's what we're going to do about it

Simple. Boring. Tired. You might think of just going for a regular walk as being something only people with nothing better to do make a part of their daily lives.

But what if going for a walk isn't only an easy way to spend time outside, but also one that's so varied and beneficial that understanding the practice is a matter of scientific research? Author Annabel Streets was so startled by how much better she felt when she started going for walks that she researched the science behind what was happening and wrote a book about it. The result, 52 Ways to Walk, details out -- you guessed it -- 52 different ways to go for a walk and all of the research behind the benefits of each one.

In this Best Of episode of Humans Outside, Annabel shares her least and most favorite ways to walk, her walking journey, and why any of it should matter to you.

Connect with this episode:

Read 52 Ways to Walk: The Surprising Science of Walking for Wellness and Joy, One Week at a Time (affiliate link)

Follow Annabel Streets on Instagram

Follow Annabel Streets on Twitter

Join the Humans Outside Challenge

Follow Humans Outside on Instagram

Follow Humans Outside on Facebook

Some of the good stuff: [2:59] Annabel Street's favorite outdoor space

[3:36] How Annabel became someone who likes to go outside and also go for walks

[7:07] Why she started researching walking

[8:14] Was it hard to find 52 ways?

[8:52] Why people avoid walking

[9:23] Her favorite new way to walk

[12:19] Amy's night experience

[16:44] What people always think about walking

[18:43] Her least favorite way to walk

[19:39] Another perfect and underappreciated walking favorite

[24:18] Ways to walk that didn't make it into the book

[30:38] Want to start walking? Here's how.

[35:06] Annabel's favorite outdoor gear

[36:49] Annabel's favorite outdoor memory