Humans Outside

They say spending time in nature can change your life. But in a world packed with indoor life pressures, how can you make getting outside just a part of who you are? Welcome to Humans Outside, where we explore a wellness-rich life in the great outdoors from our perch in Alaska while hearing from fascinating outdoor-minded guests.

163 Best Of: How to Dress for Cold Weather (Mollie Foster) 12/02/2021

163 Best Of: How to Dress for Cold Weather (Mollie Foster) Here at Humans Outside we practice getting outside every day for 20 minutes no matter the weather -- and that means sometimes we go outside when it’s wet, cold or otherwise not that pleasant. Sometimes we go outside when the weather is bad. But if you’ve never had an outdoor habit or spent a lot of time outside in the winter, then you might be feeling a little overwhelmed by what some folks think of as the basics, like what kind of jacket to wear or how to keep your hands and feet warm. No matter where you live you’re likely to at some point face what you see as less than ideal weather. Cold is relative to your experience, whether you’re in Alaska or in Florida. So how do you know what to wear? The good news is that learning how to dress for cold weather is basically the same wherever you are. What largely changes is how much you wear or the thickness or warmth of your choice. Mollie Foster is an Alaska-based guide and outdoor author. Her guide company, Traverse Alaska, helps all sorts of people get outside, and her book, Hiking Alaska, tells others where to go. In this highly practical episode of Humans Outside that originally ran in late 2020, Mollie tells outdoor-lovers what to wear for going outside and how to dress for cold weather. Join the Humans Outside 365 Challenge: : https://www.molliefostermedia.com/ : https://www.traversealaska.com/ : https://www.instagram.com/molliefostermedia/?hl=en : https://www.instagram.com/traversealaska/?hl=en : : https://www.instagram.com/humansoutside/ Some of the good stuff: [2:26] Mollie Foster’s favorite outdoor space [3:40] Mollie’s outdoor story [7:03] Why outdoor attitude matters [9:50] The most important advice for dressing for cold weather [13:13] Why cold is relative [16:22] How to know what is right for you outside [23:32] The power of the wind layer and the vest [27:32] Down vs. synthetic [29:44] The glory of The Pants [31:57] How to keep cold hands warm [39:26] How to keep cold feet warm [45:18] The glory of the face buff [48:05] Keeping kids warm outside [49:00] Mollie’s favorite and most essential outdoor gear [51:22] Mollie’s favorite outdoor moment Find full show notes: /episode/index/show/humansoutside/id/21350102

162 Outdoor Diary: The Art of Creating Holiday Traditions Outside 11/30/2021

161: I've Got a Challenge for You (No, Really) 11/25/2021

160 Outdoor Diary: How to Make Yourself Go Outside When It’s Cold 11/23/2021

159: How to Get Kids Outside All Winter Long (Sara McCarty) 11/18/2021

158 Outdoor Diary: Learning to Hear What You Need Through Nature 11/16/2021

157: Why Heading Into Nature Helps Veterans (Lornett Vestal) 11/11/2021

156 Outdoor Diary: Sticking With New Things Outside Even When They’re Hard 11/09/2021

155: How to Use Light to Deal with the Winter Blues (Dr. Michael Terman) 11/04/2021

154 Outdoor Diary: Building Outdoor Time Into a Busy Travel Schedule 11/02/2021

153: What Opting Out of 'Should' Has to Do With Heading Outside (Cait Flanders) 10/28/2021

152 Outdoor Diary: Getting Outside When You Don’t Feel Like Getting Outside 10/26/2021

151 Finding Your 'Why' In Nature: Here's How He Did It (Mikah Meyer) 10/21/2021

150 Outdoor Diary: The Stories We Tell Ourselves About Who We Are 10/19/2021

149: How a Pee Cloth Is Making One Small Step for Inclusivity (Anastasia Allison) 10/14/2021

149: How a Pee Cloth Is Making One Small Step for Inclusivity (Anastasia Allison) I know what you’re thinking. “What is a ‘pee cloth?’” And, maybe, “do I want to know?” And possibly also “gross.” If you’ve ever been a woman trying to pee outside you know that the struggle is real and the solutions are sparse. Your options for good hygiene while taking care of business are limited to: a drip-shake dry method, which is ineffective at best; packing out dirty toilet paper, which is not great for obvious reasons; or using some kind of fabric that you plan to wash later. (And if you’re a dude who is thinking “what about those female urination devices like a ‘She-wee?’” -- great idea for solving the squatting issue, but it doesn't actually impact this hygiene conundrum at all.) So what’s a girl to do? That’s exactly the problem Anastasia Allison was trying to solve when she got the idea for Kula Kloth. Instead of using an ugly piece of fabric, why not create and produce a product for women that can make using the outdoors not just more sanitary, but at the same time also create community and be fun. In this episode Anastasia shares her infectious joy, personal story of getting close to nature -- including the time she literally stole toilet paper during her first-ever backpacking trip -- and a window into how she is working through her small brand to make heading outside more accessible for everyone. Some of the good stuff: [2:50] Anastasia Allison’s favorite outdoor space [5:00] How Anastasia became someone who likes to go outside [9:35] How a change of identity changes your perspective [14:55] How Kula was born [20:30] The danger of over-thinking [27:55] What exactly is a Kula Kloth? [34:35] What has running Kula taught her about inclusivity? [40:00] Why Kula is a small step for inclusivity [44:31] That time she stole toilet paper -- like, literally stole it. [53:49] Anastasia’s favorite and most essential outdoor gear [56:45] Anastasia’s favorite outdoor moment Connect with this episode: Follow Kula Kloth on Instagram (seriously, do it): https://www.instagram.com/kulacloth/ Follow Anastasia Allison on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anastasia.allison/ Shop Kula Cloth: https://kulacloth.com/ Sign-up for a Kula Academy class: Win a decal by signing up for the Humans Outside newsletter: Find full show notes at humansoutside.com /episode/index/show/humansoutside/id/20193740

148 Outdoor Diary: I Just Hit 1,500 Days Outside, and I Still Need the Habit Push 10/12/2021

147: The Why and How of Using Nature to Ditch Addiction (Emily Holland) 10/07/2021

146 Outdoor Diary: Is Being Uncomfortable Outside Actually Worth It? 10/05/2021

145: Does Getting Bored in Nature Make You Happier? (Michael Easter) 09/30/2021

145: Does Getting Bored in Nature Make You Happier? (Michael Easter) When the boredom first set in as he sat in the middle of nowhere for more than 30 days during a caribou hunt on the arctic tundra, Michael Easter looked for a way to entertain himself. He read the labels on his food. He made his Christmas lists. He wrote portions of his book by hand in a small notebook. And when that was done he did, well, nothing. Looking back on the experience as part of his new book, The Comfort Crises: Embrace Discomfort To Reclaim Your Wild, Happy, Healthy Self, Michael has since discovered that boredom doesn’t just make you feel crazy or give you a perfect excuse for understanding the contents and labeling on every food package in your bag, it also does something actually useful: it makes you happier. In this episode Michael discusses the experiences that brought about his book, boredom and what he discovered about happiness and nature along the way. Warning to those listening with tender ears: there’s some salty language towards the end of this episode. Some of the good stuff: [2:31] Michael Easter’s favorite outdoor space [4:47] How Michael became someone who likes to go outside [7:18] What, exactly, the middle of nowhere in Alaska is like [10:41] Why being open to stuff matters [15:47] What it’s like to be out there for 33 days [18:41] Why do we get bored? [23:43] What does boredom do to your brain? [27:47] What’s the intersection of discomfort, boredom and going outside? [30:37] Why does it make us happier? [33:05] Why do we shy away from risk and boredom? [36:19] How do we insert boredom into our lives? [38:52] How to get bored and stay bored [44:07] Michael’s favorite and most essential outdoor gear [50:37] Michael’s favorite outdoor moment Connect with this episode: Visit Michael Easter’s website: Buy The Comfort Crises (affiliate link): Follow Michael Easter on Instagram: Register for the Humans Outside newsletter and win a free decal: Find full show notes at humansoutside.com https://www.humansoutside.com/podcasts/ /episode/index/show/humansoutside/id/20189564

144 Outdoor Diary: When You’re Feeling Sad About Seasons Changing 09/28/2021

143: How to Create and Keep Family Nature Goals (Melody Forsyth) 09/23/2021

143: How to Create and Keep Family Nature Goals (Melody Forsyth) Making heading into nature a regular habit takes purpose and focus. Add in small children, and you just amped-up the amount of planning you have to do before you can tackle any big adventure. Have differently abled family members who require extra care and consideration? The challenge just got even bigger -- and getting outside just became even more worth it. It’s that juxtaposition that Melody Forsyth, a mom of four, discovered after her daughter, Ruby, was born with Down Syndrome. While the experience of Down can span a broad spectrum, Ruby, now age 5, is nonverbal, uses oxygen overnight and can only hike short distances. Still, it was her birth and learning how to care for her that first pushed Melody and her family into nature to find calm and adventure. The family now backpacks together with one parent typically carrying Ruby, explores National Parks and other wild spaces and makes an intentional habit of spending time together outside not just in spite of their challenges, but because of them. It’s that experience of watching Ruby and each other grow and discover their own interests and abilities outside that inspired Melody to start her Instagram feed, DownWithAdventure. There she shares her family’s journey to connect in nature and raise awareness around Down Syndrome. But chasing big dreams in nature doesn’t come to Melody’s busy family without some really careful planning, factoring in the needs of all of her children and each of their special interests -- not just Ruby. In today’s episode Melody gifts us insight into not just how she makes it work, but how you can, too. Some of the good stuff: [2:13] Melody Forsyth’s favorite outdoor space [3:18] How Melody learned to head outside [4:25] All about Ruby [5:42] What it’s like to adventure with an awesome but heavy daughter [9:44] What nature means to their family [12:10] Does nature mean different things to different family members? [15:00] How it connects them [20:24] How nature has helped her connect with her kids [30:02] How do we bring the calm nature gives our families to our inside life? [33:00] How do we set and chase big outdoor family goals? [39:27] Melody’s favorite and most essential outdoor gear [43:09] Melody’s favorite outdoor moment Connect with this episode: Follow DownWithAdventure on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/downwithadventure/ Watch this cool video about Melody from Salomon Women: Follow Humans Outside on Instagram: Win a Humans Outside decal by signing up for our newsletter: Find full show notes at humansoutside.com https://www.humansoutside.com/podcasts/ /episode/index/show/humansoutside/id/20189468

142 Outdoor Diary: When Outside Time Intentionality Gets Rotten 09/21/2021

141: Why 10 Minutes of Focus Can Help You Keep an Outdoor Habit (Christina Dunbar) 09/16/2021

140 Outdoor Diary: Join Me for 52 Hikes Over the Next Year 09/14/2021

139: The Secret Sauce for Your Outdoor Habit (Karla Amador) 09/09/2021

139: The Secret Sauce for Your Outdoor Habit (Karla Amador) When Amy started her daily outdoor habit in 2017 she had no idea there was a whole world of others already tackling an outdoor effort of their own, formed around a different idea known as the 52 Hike Challenge. Through that program participants pledge to complete 52 hikes over a year. The things its co-founder, Karla Amador, has learned over both her own journey of hiking and by helping people around the world participate in the challenge are about more than just hiking 52 times. They are also perfect for anyone looking to build and keep a new and challenging outdoor habit like the daily one we focus on at Humans Outside. In this episode of Humans Outside Karla shares what she’s learned about outdoor habits by helping people complete their 52 Hikes, her own journey to spending time in nature and the insight and health it has given her. Some of the good stuff: [2:23] Karla Amador’s favorite outdoor place [4:18] How Karla became a person who likes to go outside [6:09] Nature as a healing tool [7:12] How the 52 Hike Challenge was born [13:41] What derails hikers from their goals [18:21] Advice for building the habit [25:16] Habit pitfalls [31:20] The healing gift of being out in nature [32:55] How to avoid those habit pitfalls [37:46] How to get involved in 52 Hikes [43:23] Karla’s favorite and most essential outdoor gear [44:35] Karla’s favorite outdoor moment Connect with this episode: Register for the 52 Hike Challenge: https://www.52hikechallenge.com/pages/original-series Follow 52 Hike Challenge on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/52hikechallenge/ Follow 52 Hike Challenge on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/52hikechallenge Follow Humans Outside on Instagram: https://instagram.com/humansoutside Register for our newsletter to win a Humans Outside decal: https://humansoutside.com/newsletter/ Find full show notes at humansoutside.com https://www.humansoutside.com/podcasts/ /episode/index/show/humansoutside/id/20189240

138 Outdoor Diary: I’ve Gone Outside Every Day for Four Years 09/07/2021

137: What I Learned from Spending 20 Minutes Outside Every Day for 4 Years 09/02/2021

136 Outdoor Diary: How Do You Make Yourself Go Outside? 08/31/2021

135: (Best Of) How to Use the Outdoors as Therapy (Judith Sadora) 08/26/2021

134 Outdoor Diary: How Spending Time Outside Made Me Love My Small Town 08/24/2021

Humans Outside

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