Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning.
Speaker 1: This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's
Speaker 1: tip is about convincing yourself to get outside for a bit,
Speaker 1: even if the weather is lousy. Going for a winter
Speaker 1: walk might not be as pleasant as a summer stroll,
Speaker 1: but it can be an energizing part of your day
Speaker 1: if you plan ahead a little bit. So one of
Speaker 1: my favorite ways to take a break is to go
Speaker 1: walk around my neighborhood in the woods near my house.
Speaker 1: I love to see how the landscape changes with the seasons.
Speaker 1: Fresh air and sunshine can feel wonderful. Of course, during
Speaker 1: many months of the year the sun doesn't seem to
Speaker 1: be warming much of anything. We've had snow a big
Speaker 1: chunk of the winter already, and the week I recorded this,
Speaker 1: my weather app was warning about loaves of ten, five, eight,
Speaker 1: and seven degrees fahrenheit for a few days in a row.
Speaker 1: Then we would hit a balmy low of fifteen for
Speaker 1: a few days. Lucky us anyway. Winter can be rough,
Speaker 1: but fresh air is still invigorating. Physical activity still boosts
Speaker 1: people's mood and energy. That doesn't change just because it
Speaker 1: is winter, and since the sun tends to set early
Speaker 1: in winter, getting outside during the day becomes even more important,
Speaker 1: So consider this episode to be a commercial for taking
Speaker 1: a winter walk. If you are working at home, just
Speaker 1: choose a spot on your schedule when you will need
Speaker 1: a break and bundle up, coat, boots, hat, gloves, et cetera.
Speaker 1: If you're only going outside for ten minutes or so,
Speaker 1: you will survive even if it is frigid. If you
Speaker 1: are at work, this might be a little more complicated,
Speaker 1: but let me just say that perhaps winter is not
Speaker 1: the right season for strappy heels and dresses. On a
Speaker 1: cold day, when you are wearing pants and maybe boots
Speaker 1: or something like that, just make sure you have got
Speaker 1: your coat and put a hat and a pair of
Speaker 1: gloves in your bag or store them in your desk drawer.
Speaker 1: Bundle up, go outside and see what you see, because
Speaker 1: winter can still be beautiful. It is perhaps a harsher
Speaker 1: and more demanding beauty than a June rose garden, but
Speaker 1: it is beautiful. Nonetheless. I enjoy seeing snow on the
Speaker 1: bare branches and how the winter sky looks, especially as
Speaker 1: the sun is setting in the afternoon. You might look
Speaker 1: for ice patches on any water or how the green
Speaker 1: moss looks against a backdrop of everything else being gray
Speaker 1: and brown. And of course winter doesn't last forever, so
Speaker 1: as it starts turning into spring, you will see the
Speaker 1: first evidence of the world coming back to life. You
Speaker 1: will probably return to your desk feeling more energetic, even
Speaker 1: if you were tired before. The cold air might be
Speaker 1: bracing enough to wake you up without you resorting to
Speaker 1: more coffee and doughnuts. Even if you don't manage to
Speaker 1: make it to the gym, you'll get a few steps in.
Speaker 1: Maybe you'll solve a problem you hadn't before. I know
Speaker 1: that walks always give me ideas, so go take one,
Speaker 1: even if the weather isn't great. You will probably feel
Speaker 1: better afterwards. But if not, you've only wasted a few minutes.
Speaker 1: It's hard to see the downside in the meantime. This
Speaker 1: is Laura. Thanks for listening, and here's to making the
Speaker 1: most of our time. Thanks for listening to Before Breakfast.
Speaker 1: If you've got questions, ideas, or feedback, you can reach
Speaker 1: me at Laura at Laura vandercam dot com. Before Breakfast
Speaker 1: is a production of iHeartMedia. For more podcasts from iHeartMedia,
Speaker 1: please visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you
Speaker 1: listen to your favorite shows.