Outdoors is my Therapy

Getting started with a new exercise routine can seem daunting and expensive. There are a lot of pressures to spend your hard-earned money on exercise gear, equipment, memberships and trainers or coaches. But you don’t need a big budget to get active, improve your fitness and reduce your health risks. Throughout history people have coped quite well with little or no special exercise equipment. So what IS the best way to improve strength, flexibility, endurance and cardio health when you're on a budget? In this episode Kathryn shares with you how you can make walking your go-to exercise of choice and how you can vary your walking routine so that you stay motivated and keep your fitness progressing along ..... all on a budget!

Read more in the blog post Exercising on a Budget
Check out Kathryn’s website
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Audio production: David Walton & Liam Walton

With people increasingly wanting to connect with the outdoors, it's important to look at the longer term picture. How can you make sure that spending time in the outdoors becomes an ongoing habit and not just a passing phase as you react to COVID-19 restrictions? For some of us getting out into nature is a new habit we want to create, for others it’s more about changing the outdoors routine we previously had to fit with our changing world. 

The benefits of connecting with nature are infinite - mental, physical, spiritual, social, environmental. If you believe in these benefits, then you're more likely to invest time and energy into getting outside, and it will become your priority. You'll need to get your mindset and your body working together to create a few healthy daily habits that will become part of your routine.

In this episode Kathryn shares practical strategies you can use to get your mind and body working together for your own health and happiness.

Read more in the blog post How to get into the habit of spending time outdoors

Check out Kathryn’s website for more podcast episodes. blog posts and free downloadable resources

Join the Outdoors is my Therapy Facebook Group

Audio production: David Walton & Liam Walton

Motivation is a trap that so many people fall into and have difficulty getting out of. If you’ve ever said “I know I should exercise, but I just don’t feel motivated” then this episode is for you! There’s a gap between knowing what you have to do, and actually doing it. The danger with motivation is that it’s a fickle feeling and you really can’t rely on it to be around when you need it. But what IS going to get you started and keep you on track with regular exercise?

In this episode you’re challenged to get brutally honest with yourself, to examine your values, your priorities, the choices you’re making, and the action you’re taking (or not taking). Every day we’re presented with choices and we prioritise one thing over another. Where does exercise rank on your actual (not theoretical) list of priorities? And what level of commitment do you have towards it? It’s commitment to your priorities and values, not motivation, that will get you to take action and keep taking it.

Tune in to hear the best strategies for staying committed to exercise including helpful self-talk, setting up a routine and accountability, how to choose the best exercise for yourself, working with goals and heaps more.

Read more in the blog post Tips To Getting Motivated To Exercise

Check out Kathryn’s website

Join the Outdoors is my Therapy Facebook Group

Contact Kathryn to discuss whether Personal Coaching could help you break through the motivation barrier and set you up for success.

Audio production: David Walton & Liam Walton 

July 2020 has been self-care month here on the podcast so we’ve had a series of episodes giving you some tools to create self-care opportunities in your life. Today's episode gives you some practical strategies and mindset shifts to deal with the problem of not having enough time for self-care. It builds upon Episode 13 'Stress Less in Nature', Episode 14 'Sensory Mindfulness-Based Practice', and Episode 15 'What Does Self-Care Look Like?' 

One of the most common obstacles that women report is that they simply don’t have enough time to do all the things in life – work, parenting, socialising, daily living tasks, responsibilities, looking after others AND self-care. It takes a mindset shift and a change in habits and routines to prioritise self-care practices. We discuss:

• Time is a commodity - spend it wisely
• Choose moment to moment how you spend you time
• Plan ahead and get your priorities sorted so that you're not constantly reacting to urgent deadlines
• Treat time as a precious gift
• What are your time vampires?
• Use a diary to record how you spend your time to improve your accountability
• You can be mindful of how you're spending your time by asking yourself “What am I doing now?”
• Making excuses and taking responsibility
• Avoiding distractions

Read the written version of this podcast episode on the blog. Here you'll find links to other blog posts that explore some of these strategies in greater depth.

Visit Kathryn Walton’s website and sign up for fortnightly Grounded Inspiration emails that will link you with self-care strategies designed especially for women.

Follow Kathryn Walton Consulting Facebook Page

Join the Outdoors is my Therapy Facebook Group

Audio production: David Walton & Liam Walton

What really truly is self-care? What do you most need to focus on so you don’t get distracted or led up the wrong path when it comes to self-care? This episode explores the nature of self-care and its similarities to other types of care such as child care, aged care and neighbourly care. Self-care starts with making sure that physical and emotional needs are met, and that self-care actions are aligned with values such as love, care and compassion.

We pose some reflective questions to help you identify where you’re at with self-care and where you might be able to focus some extra energy and attention to build your health and energy, your sense of vitality and self-worth. If you neglect the foundations of self-care but spend your time, energy and money constantly seeking other activities to fill your self-care cup, you’ll never be content.

At the end of this episode you’ll have some ideas about the aspects of your self-care that you’re satisfied with and the aspects you’d like to work on. You’ll also be starting to think about how you might be able to do that and what might get in the way.

Read the transcript of this podcast episode on the blog.

Visit Kathryn Walton’s website and sign up for fortnightly Grounded Inspiration emails that will link you with self-care strategies designed especially for women.

Follow Kathryn Walton Consulting Facebook Page

Join the Outdoors is my Therapy Facebook Group

Audio production: David Walton & Liam Walton 

You’re in for a treat with today’s episode because you have the opportunity to get involved as I guide you through a sensory mindfulness practice that you can do in nature. Your senses are doorways into the world around you. We often miss the doorways because our attention is easily scattered in the busyness of life. This practice helps you to reconnect with your body and with your surroundings bringing you into the present moment.

Mindfulness-based practices like this one are a valuable part of your overall self-care strategy. As with all meditations and guided mindfulness practices, do not do this whilst driving, operating machinery or undertaking any activities which require a high level of attention. If now isn’t a good time for you to complete this practice, you can download or come back to it another time. You’ll need to allow about 12 minutes, and if possible find a comfortable space in a natural setting or somewhere with an outlook onto a natural space.

There are more ideas for connecting with nature in my “Nature is my Therapy Bundle” which is my free gift to you (for a limited time) when you subscribe to my fortnightly newsletter Grounded Inspiration. Each newsletter is packed with information and inspiration.

Subscribe to Grounded Inspiration so you can download your "Nature is my Therapy Bundle" (available for a limited time)

Download and print a Spiral Finger-Trace Meditation for free. You can use the spiral to help you focus and relax as a form of meditation. Check out the other free printables while you’re here!

Visit Kathryn Walton’s website

Follow Kathryn Walton Consulting Facebook Page

Join the Outdoors is my Therapy Facebook Group 

Audio production: David Walton & Liam Walton

Today’s chat is all about stress – how it operates in your body, how it can affect your physical and mental health, the importance of managing the loads you have in your life, and how you can bring about a relaxation response to put the brakes on the stress response. And of course we talk about how you can be intentional about spending time outdoors and immersing yourself in nature to counter the unhelpful effects of stress.

You can access more ideas to manage stress in the outdoors by subscribing to my Grounded Inspiration newsletter. Each newsletter is packed with information and inspiration, plus for a limited time I’m giving away my “Nature is my Therapy Bundle” as a gift when you subscribe.

Subscribe to Grounded Inspiration so you can download your Nature is my Therapy Bundle (available for a limited time)

Read the blog “Stress Less in Nature”

Visit Kathryn Walton’s website

Follow Kathryn Walton Consulting on Facebook

Join the Outdoors is my Therapy Facebook Group

Audio production: David Walton & Liam Walton 

Adventure goals fill me with excitement and energy for the future and I’m convinced that adventure goals are beneficial for everyone! Today we’re continuing the conversation about adventure that we began in Episode 11. Adventure isn’t always fun and games – it can be pretty hard work too with floods of sweat, tears and frustration. So what’s the attraction? Why do I think you need to have an adventure goal when it’s so much easier to sit back and watch everyone else do it? I share with you some of the ways that adventure goals can add amazing value to your life including:

• Adventures can be fun
• Adventure goals are motivating
• Adventure goals are stimulating
• Adventures are the perfect workout for your mind and body
• Adventure goals are inspiring
• Adventure goals are satisfying
• Adventure goals stretch you to be your best self
• Adventure goals grow your skills, and
• Adventure goals make you feel good

What's your next adventure goal? I'd love you to share your plans with me!

Contact Kathryn with your stories of outdoor adventures

Read the blog “Why You Need To Have An Adventure Goal”

Visit Kathryn Walton’s website

Kathryn Walton Consulting Facebook Page

Join the Outdoors is my Therapy Facebook Group

Audio production: David Walton & Liam Walton 

Today’s episode is all about adventures and in particular, that adventures are for everyone. People have all sorts of reasons for not having adventures in their lives. Is there anything stopping YOU from leading a life of adventure? It’s important to acknowledge the obstacles but don’t let excuses paralyse you. By learning to creatively manage the obstacles you’ll step into another world of excitement, confidence and hopefulness.

Adventures don’t have to be physically demanding, world record-breaking feats although that’s what we generally think of when we hear the word. Those sorts of adventures make for dramatic headlines but there’s much more to an adventurous life than that. An adventure is anything you do that challenges yourself in some way. It usually involves an element of RISK (eg physical, emotional or social) and stretches you OUTSIDE YOUR COMFORT ZONE either a little bit or a lot - and that’s different for everyone. If it makes you feel nervous or excited and is outside your comfort zone, then it’s an adventure!

Every single day is chock full of opportunities for you to choose your own adventure. I give you some ideas to get you started planning a life of adventure that you can incorporate into your everyday life including social adventures, physical adventures, spiritual and cultural adventures, and mental adventures.

I’ve also created a free printable for you to collect ideas for your own adventures and use it for inspiration whenever adventure calls!

Download the free printable “Adventures are for Everyone”

Contact Kathryn with your adventure stories

Read the blog “Adventures are for Everyone”

Visit Kathryn Walton’s website

Kathryn Walton Consulting Facebook Page

Join the Outdoors is my Therapy Facebook Group

Audio production: David Walton & Liam Walton 

In today's epsiode I’m taking you on a journey to the Southern Downs in regional Queensland to give you an overview of some of the walks you can choose from whether you’re looking for a kid-friendly day out or a heart thumping, blood pumping experience, or a paved walkway suitable for wheelchairs and prams. You’ll hear about some of the urban walks and the national parks in the region including:
    • The River Walk in Warwick
    • Dalrymple Park in Allora
    • Quart Pot Creek parklands, Mt Marlay and Donnelly’s Castle in and around Stanthorpe
    • Girraween and Sundown National Parks
    • Main Range National Park including the Goomburra Section, the Queen Mary Falls Section and the Cunningham’s Gap Section

I also give you some pointers about staying safe when you’re out and about exploring the bush. We’ll explore more walks and parklands in future episodes, so I’d love to know if there’s a park or region you’d like to hear more about.

Leave a message for Kathryn

Read the blog “Where to go walking in the Southern Downs” which includes a map of Mt Marlay and links to the National Parks discussed in this epsiode.   

Visit Kathryn Walton’s website

Kathryn Walton Consulting Facebook Page

Join the Outdoors is my Therapy Facebook Group

Audio production: David Walton & Liam Walton