The first step to becoming antifragile is to regain the ability to remain centred and grounded in the midst of change.
This becomes much easier when we deepen our connection with ourselves.
Inner Leadership recommends four ways that we can achieve this deeper connection with ourselves. Two of these are taking exercise and spending time in nature. And we obtain the maximum benefit when we combine them.
Many studies now show that being in green spaces helps people to reduce anxiety and improve cognition. The Japanese government has long recommended forest bathing as a way to reduce stress, lower blood pressure, and boost our immune systems. People in Australia are increasingly exploring the health and medical benefits of their national parks.
In Norway, the idea of communing with nature is instilled from birth and the country ranks as one of the happiest in the world: around 90% of Norwegians say they feel less stressed and in a better mood when they spend time in nature.
In England, Scotland, and the USA increasing numbers of doctors are writing prescriptions for outdoor activity:
Drug: Exercise outside
Dose: 45 minutes
Directions: Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday, 7am
Refills: Unlimited
The UK also has several outdoor exercise programmes, including Boot Camps and Green Gyms. (You can read about the top ten here.) The USA has at least 50 such programmes. And the Appalachian Mountain Club is working with MassGeneral Hospital to prescribe regular outdoor physical activity for children.
Increasing numbers of people are also taking long distance walks or ‘through hikes’: on routes such as the Pacific Crest Trail, the Appalachian Trail, the Te Araroa in New Zealand, and the various Camino routes across Spain. I recently met someone walking a month-long Camino as a way to gain clarity on a life-changing investment decision. Another used the time to get unstuck on a complex creative project. They say the first week walking a Camino stretches your mind, the second week stretches your body, and the third week stretches your soul.
People who exercise outside not only get fitter and gain more vitamin D, they also feel happier, more connected, more relaxed.
And as Nietzsche said,
“All truly great thoughts are conceived by walking.”
Outdoor exercise is not only good for our bodies, it’s also good for our minds. Because mind and body are one system.
And as Hippocrates, the founder of medicine, said:
“Walking is our best medicine.”
On the one hand it might seem crazy to think that we need to be reminded to do something as simple as exercising in nature. But on the other hand it works.
You can read more about this here. Or you can decide now: when you will next exercise outside?
Adapted from The Churning, Inner Leadership: a framework and a set of tools for building inspiration in a time of change.
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(And remember: you can’t learn to swim just by reading about swimming, you also have to do the practice.)
Photo By Ludo Rouchy via StockPholio.net