The first step to becoming antifragile in a time of change is the ability to remain centred and grounded at all times.
This becomes easier, the more we deepen our connection with what matters most to us and who we are at our best.
Inner Leadership recommends four ways to achieve this. Two of these are taking exercise and spending time in nature. And we obtain the maximum benefit when we combine them both.
As Hippocrates, the Ancient Greek founder of medicine, said:
“Walking is our best medicine.”
Today, more and more doctors in England, Scotland, and the USA are writing prescriptions for outdoor activity.
Drug: Exercise outside
Dose: 45 minutes
Directions: Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday, 7am
Refills: Unlimited
The UK 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 now working with MassGeneral Hospital to prescribe regular outdoor physical activity for children. Norway ranks among the happiest countries in the world and here the idea of communing with nature is instilled from birth. Around 90% of Norwegians say they feel less stressed and in a better mood when they spend time in nature.
Many studies show that being in green spaces helps to reduce anxiety and improve cognition. People in Australia are increasingly exploring the health and medical benefits of their national parks. And the Japanese government has long recommended the benefits of forest bathing as a way to reduce stress, lower blood pressure, and boost our immune systems.
Outdoor exercise is not only good for our bodies, it is also good for our minds.
As Nietzsche said,
“All truly great thoughts are conceived by walking.”
Increasing numbers of people are also taking long distance walks (‘through hikes’) such as the Appalachian Trail, the Pacific Crest Trail, the Te Araroa in New Zealand, and Caminos across Spain. I recently met somebody who walked a 30 day Camino as a way to gain clarity about a life-changing investment. Another used the time to gain clarity 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.
On the one hand it might seem crazy to think that we have forgotten something as simple as taking exercise in nature. But on the other hand it works. Mind and body are one system. And people who exercise outside not only get fit and gain vitamin D from sunlight, they also feel happier, more connected, more relaxed.
You can read more about this here. Or you can decide right now, when you will next take exercise outside.
Adapted from Inner Leadership: a framework and tools for building inspiration in times 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