Hey, do you like to hike?

One of my favorite activities is hiking out in nature. It resets my mood, energy, and it provides the space to find perspective on whatever I have going on in my life plus it simply feels great. 

What I love the most about where I live now is that I can walk out my door and be on my favorite hiking trail in less than 5 minutes. This trail goes endlessly through the Santa Monica Mountains and I usually do about 5.5 miles round trip. On my hike I’m constantly taking in expansive 360 views, and can sometimes see the ocean (depending on cloud cover). There’s something about an expansive view, it truly calms me. And the science backs this up! Going out in nature can reset your nervous system, lower blood pressure, cortisol, anxiety and improve your mood! (Check out this study.) No wonder it feels so good!

So use this as a reminder to get outside! It has tremendous effects on your mood and health. 

Now that the weather is becoming nicer, March is a great time to start getting back outdoors.

Tell me, where is your favorite place to be outside?

Remember there isn’t one right way to improve mood and health. And the more variety we add the more interesting and exciting our lives can be.