Welcome to Day 24 of the zero waste challenge. Wow, you have made it this far. You are amazing. To reward yourself, I ask you to bathe in mother nature today and go for a hike!
If it is spring now where you live, my friends in Australia and NZ, then you can take this challenge quite literally. Jump in the ocean and let yourself be taken by the power of the waves.
No, don’t drift out until you end up in Tasi (Tasmania). Just have some fun under the sun and enjoy the feeling of being alive.
To all you other guys out there, let’s go for a hike, shall we?
How important do you think it is to connect with nature?
Most of us are way too busy to talk a walk in the park. We have to attend this meeting, we have to sign this client, and we never stop.
I can’t stress how important it is to slow down every once in a while, and what better place to do than in nature. So I ask you to stop what you are doing right now and take your shoes and go for a hike. Whether it is raining or sunshine, do it.
You can continue to read this blog later. Go do it now, and thank me later.
Why hiking is good for you
Way too many of us are getting fat and lazy. Especially Americans and Australians are leading this “race.” Although you don’t see many on the road, which gets me thinking, they are too fat and can’t even leave the house.
Of course, with the convenience of the internet and uber-eats, it’s all just too easy.
All these services allow us to stay couch potatoes. It doesn’t help with mental health either. What do we usually do when we feel unhappy?
Well, some of us try and eat their pain away. Only to realize that now they feel even worse because the body is getting bigger, and in most cases, the food is high in sugar and salt, which makes us feel sluggish on top of feeling bad already.
So the pattern continues. I know this hurts, especially when you can look at yourself in the mirror, and you are not happy with the way you look. But how do you get out of this pattern?
Well, the first step is to become aware that you are actually in a pattern and that it is ok because, now, you just recognized it. This is a very crucial step towards anything in life.
First, become aware of it.
Now you can start changing something. I deliberately didn’t use the word fixing, simply because there is nothing wrong with you. 🙂 Recognize this.
The benefits of going for a walk.
I am sorry if that last part was a bit hurtful to you. Only when you look the truth deep in the eye, you make a change. So I urge you, get up and take an in-depth look in the mirror. Are you happy with yourself?
Do you feel like you are not spending enough time in nature? Do you have been meaning to exercise but can’t get yourself motivated?
Perhaps now is an excellent time to start? Just do a little bit and learn to enjoy the process. If you set your goal too high, like you want to be the next Arnold Schwarzenegger, then you will most likely fail. But if you aim for a 1-hour hike per week. That seems doable, right?
Later you can change your goal and add some stretching to it. Yoga is a great way to connect with your body.
The number of obese people in the world has tripled since 1975 and is approximately 2.1billon. That is 30% of the world’s population.
What I do to get into my body and to stay fit.
- I stretch my body
- Followed by an exercise( currently calisthenics, which besides Kiteboarding is my only exercise right now).
- Go for a walk in nature or exercise.
- Practise mindfulness
- Read a good book
- Listen to motivational podcasts
Now I am sure you can come up with your own ideas here, but this works for me pretty much every time.
The Challenge
Today, I ask you to connect with yourself. Get out and go for a walk in nature. Reconnect with yourself.
What has this got to do with a zero waste lifestyle, you ask?
Zero waste is, like you know already, a lifestyle. It is not just buying a reusable bottle and be done with it. It means adopting new habits and live a life more in harmony with yourself and nature.
I know this sounds all pretty cheesy, and a couple of years ago, I probably would have laughed at my own content. But as you know, people change.
This is why you are reading this, isn’t it?
You know that you can make a difference in your life and perhaps in someone else’s life too. But you are looking for people to do it with. Well, let’s do it together.
Share with me your experience; how did you go today? Where did you go for a hike?
