Today my guest is Linda  Åkeson McGurk is a Swedish American writer and author of The Open-Air Life and the bestselling parenting memoir There’s No Such Thing as Bad Weather. She is a passionate advocate for the Nordic outdoor tradition friluftsliv and runs the blog Rain or Shine Mamma, where she shares tips and inspiration for outdoor play every day, regardless of the weather. McGurk and her work have been featured in The Wall Street Journal, Time Magazine, The New York Times, The New York Post, Huffington Post, Psychology Today and many more. When she is not working, she is usually found sauntering around the pine forests near her home in southwestern Sweden.

5:52 What prompted Linda to write my first book and blogs. Reaching out to community.

6:37 Latest book "The Open Air Life: Discover the Art of Friluftsliv and Embrace Nature EverY Day " wanted to share outdoor cultural traditions of Sweden. 

7:23 How to help people take the step

11:45 Why getting into nature feels like going home. But nature is not a bottomless pit. View nature in terms of personal health, important to attach to environmental policy. 

18:00 What is Friluftsliv? (below are 4 of the 10 principles)

 1) Appreciate and are one with nature

2) when you go to local nature spaces. If close by, much more likely to go. Get to know your local birds and trees.

3) Non competitive. Feel the joy and keep it simple.

4) Starts when the motor is turned off, when you compel yourself in space as in swimming, walking, running, cycling, cross country skiing, paddle boarding, kayaking..

24:00 water skiing vs swimming - activity and personal thrill vs being and communing with what is under the water, communing with nature. Also the difference in the environmental impact. And which is most sustainable. 

For a full transcript of this conversation go to https://treesmendus.com

For peer reviewed research on how your time spent in green space can change your mindset, balance your nervous system and your heart rate please go to verlafortier.substack.com and check out my books Take Back Your Outside Mindset: Live Longer, Stress Less, and Control Your Chronic Illness and Optimize Your Heart Rate: Balance Your Mind and Body With Green Space