Mommy's Project 52:34 Outdoors

Oh Mr. Sun, sun, Mr. Golden Sun,
please shine down on me!

Spring 2012 is already setting records here in Chicago, and all over the US.  Let me say, though, poor Atlanta!!  I cannot imagine being able to sweep the pollen off the driveway or street.  That is simply insane.  Back here in Chicago, though, I can't remember ever welcoming the first day of spring in shorts and a t-shirt and 80 degrees.  It's truly amazing!  I'll take it, though, because this time last year we were still in a thousand layers and expecting snow just about every other day.

I haven't been able to run, aside from my awesome Alter-G time the other day, in almost two months.  Of all the years to get injured, I got injured this year.  The year the weather is warm early, we haven't needed heavy running gear in January and February, and I could have already debuted my running skirt without running tights underneath it.  Thankfully, summer follows spring and I have plenty of time to rock that thing. 

I am not a treadmill person and I am not a fan of the hamster wheel (indoor track).  I have always run outside.  I like the feeling of being outside and breathing fresh air instead of recirculated, sweaty, smelly air.  I like having scenery that changes as I run rather than a digital display and TV screen.  I like not having to dodge mall casual walkers, flatulating geriatric day passes, and over perfumed soccer moms trying to pretend they're 'running'.

Running outside has expanded my familiarity with the area I live in.  I've explored neighborhoods I never knew existed, and found short cuts I can navigate when traffic sucks on the way home from work.  I've found new parks to take the kids to, and I know exactly how far the library is from my house.  Not sure why that's important.  Still, I know it because I ran it.  I didn't just look at the odometer on my dash.  I ran it. 

I've also gotten great landscaping ideas from seeing the lawns of houses I pass.  As if I'll ever implement them.  But hey, when you're on a long run and you pass a perfectly manicured lawn, you somehow devise a plan that gets your own yard in the same condition and it works out perfectly.  Until you get home and tell your husband, who looks at you like you have three heads.

I digress.

Even in the bitter cold of winter, there is no comparison to the feeling of fresh air.  Not only that, but the exposure to sun is second to none when it comes to lifting your mood.  Vitamin D is an essential nutrient that is good for mood elevation, breast health, and when combined with Calcium, supports bone and joint health.  The sun is one great, free source of D that can help us even in winter.  Just being outside even on a cloudy day can help give us a boost that we can't get from just sitting around watching TV.

You just can't beat running outside for its overall health benefits,both physically and mentally.  I am not a doctor, of course, but my evidence of this is as follows:

• I am happier when I'm running regularly.
• I get more accomplished in a day or a week when I am running regularly.  I can do anything after a great run.  I am Super Woman.
• I have improved my eating habits as a result of running.  I fuel my body as it should be to keep up my activity level.
• I've lost some weight.
• I drink less {alcohol}.  OK, I admit that wine is still essentially a food group for me, but, I drink it less, and less often, when I have early morning runs to look forward to the next morning.
• I have not needed my therapist. 

I see a different person in myself since I started running, and for the last two months that I've been sidelined I have noticed myself feeling more anxious, edgy, and out of sorts.  We have been fortunate to have such a mild end to winter and warm beginning of spring.  I've been able to get outside with the kids to enjoy the warmth and sunshine that we never see this early in the year.  For Fred, born in March, he got super lucky this year.  He got a bike from his Nani, and we originally worried that he wouldn't get to ride it until some time in June.  He got lucky, though, and has been able to ride it outside since the weekend after his birthday! 

You don't have to run to enjoy time outside.  A couple of moms I know from my daughter's school started walking outside every morning, and have been doing so for about a month or so now.  They have each noticed their moods improve and they've each lost some weight.  I see people out on bikes almost every day, another great way to enjoy some time outside and couple it with some exercise.  Even if you just take a walk around the block with your kid(s), you're getting out and getting off the couch to soak in the beauty of the outdoors. 

Enjoy the spring weather, and get yourself outside!!