What the 30x30 Challenge Gave Me

May is over and the 30x30 Challenge: 30 minutes of outdoor time every day for the month of May, is DONE.

How did I do?

Well... to be honest there were at least one or two days a week that I didn't make it outside for a total of 30min. Some days I had meetings until after the sun had set (meetings which could not be taken outside for example). A few days I was just so exhausted there was no way I was sitting out in the cold (we had some pretty chilly days in May). I hope Mr Suzuki isn't too disappointed in me.

That said, though, I feel like my approach of balance and self-forgiveness was much more conducive to making a longer lasting change in our outdoor habits than an all over nothing, ballstothewall approach. 

What the 30x30 challenge did for me:

1. Andrew and I take longer walks. We quickly realized that walking to our mail box unit thingy wasn't long enough of a walk (suburbia has this weird mail tower thing that holds dozens of little locked boxes intsead of a at the end of your driveway mailbox. It's strange). So, in order to get the amount of Nature time for my challenge, we've started picking a new street to explore and finish our walk picking up our mail. We don't walk every night, but multiple times a week. 
2. We started a habit of a "daily yard exploration" where we would slowly make a tour of our yard and experience the subtle, and not so subtle, changes that were happening in our yard daily. It's a fun way to connect with our new space, chat about new plants, wonder over tiny new flowers and buds unfurling and chatting about our future garden plans.
3. Andrew knowing that I was doing this challenge meant he was ON BOARD with initiating new ways to get Nature time into our day. Since he's a video gaming couch potato for the most part, this was a fun change and felt great to be so supported. Like I wasn't just dragging him outside 'because'. 

I *think* being outside more this month had a calming and positive effect... but to be fair I was in a pretty stressful spot and May naturally was a bit calmer at work than April. Regardless, I'm hopeful that these three changes above will carry over into the summer and fall months.

I do have more ideas on how to spend my evenings outside instead of holed up in the house. One really important idea was to start practicing yoga on the deck after work. Now that the sun is out later and it's getting warmer in the evenings (we're not quite there yet, but soon!) I feel like my yoga practice will just blossom. It's been waiting patiently for me and for that I am thankful.

Is 30x30 Only for the True Belie-verts?

Last week on 30x30 Challenge...

Recap: this month I'm doing David Suzuki's 30x30 Challenge: spend 30minutes outside in nature each day for the month of May. (first post here)
Why? Decrease stress, reconnect with nature, sleep better, increase physical activity.
Also: Support environmental sociological research at Trent University (survey pre-post).

(Interestingly, the first post sparked a quick, as always, discussion on twitter re: feasibility of finding green space and time for this in the city. I was surprised that perhaps others might not have the same "high importance" rating for being in nature as I do. That said, I also feel that it is easier to find "green space" now that I'm not in the city. Which makes urban green space finds all the more important. It made me wonder: are the people doing the challenge the people who would truly benefit, or is the challenge filled with 30minute a day belie-verts? hah, see what I did there?)

Last week's 30x30 in a nutshell:

Tuesday May 6th: I spent over 4 hours in the car for work, driving to home sessions and then a three hour drive to my parents village for a weeklong French consultation for work. Once home, and after my homemade lobster chowder (yum!) I was exhausted. When I mentioned I needed to spend 30 minutes outside, my dad immediately piped up that he had loads of work to do in the yard for the boat (lobster fishing) and I could help.

(Dad choosing his buoys for the truck... life as a fisherman)

(Dad's buoys, coiled rope and kayak containers)

We spent about 45 minutes loading rope and buoys on the back of his truck followed by a drive out in the middle of nowhere to pick up special lobster bait (des gaspereaux as my mom would say). The kayak dipper's supply was at the end of a long dirt forested road opening onto a wide open field and old farmstead (still being used as a summer rental) with fields of daffodils, deer grazing and hawks lazily flying overhead.

(Old farmstead on the river that opens onto the Atlantic- perfect for brackish fish such as kayaks)

Kayaks freshly dipped and ready to be lobster bait

(SO many daffodils, the field goes on beyond the picture)

True to small village form, the exchange of money for kayaks involved my dad leaving the cash on the kayak dipper's steering wheel and dumping the fish from the back of the truck into containers dad had brought. A quick phone call on the way out just to let the dipper know and we were good. Once we returned home there were two deer just hanging out on the front lawn! Perfect. A fantastic rare father-daughter evening overall.

(Two deer! The closest is a yearling and the furthest is a pregnant doe!)

Wednesday May 7th: This was a fail. I was so exhausted from my day of consultation that I came home and napped for an hour, followed by three hours of extended family visiting. No significant outside time.

(Stoop sunset)

Thursday May 8th: I spent 30 minutes sitting on the stoop of my parents house, listening to all the different birds, the sounds of the wind through the trees as the sun set over the Atlantic. Nothing beats a Nova Scotia ocean sunset.

Friday May 9th: Another fail. This one was the result of another exhausting day of travelling back to Halifax and working. I did spend some time walking outside, but not 30 minutes.

Saturday May 10th: Andrew and I spent 1 hour taking out the dead plants and grass from our garden! Since we a) have no idea what we're doing and b) have no idea what plants are actually coming up, it was definitely an interesting experience. But fun!

(Our locally made cedar bat house!)

Sunday May 11th: We spent a few hours in the yard! I planted some flowers in a planter to try to actively attract hummingbirds to our feeder (choosing flowers for what I know to be successful at my parent's cottage), we cleaned off two white plastic deck chairs we found thrown behind the shed and we set up the bat house! Cross our fingers we actually get a few bats nesting and bat babies! I have a funny feeling the little stream behind our house will be a haven for mosquitoes, and bats would go far in providing pest control. I also found a weird ceramic deep bird plate that I decided we could fill with water and use as a bird bath.

We finished our outdoor time just sitting on our deck and enjoying our new flowers, bat house and bird bath.

Monday May 12th: Despite Andrew having an aura migraine and my having pulled an intercostal muscle that morning and having trouble breathing- we went for a 30minute walk. There are so many birds and little streams in our neighbourhood that walks are filled with beautiful nature sounds!

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Back to the original question: is the 30x30 challenge filled with the "green" converted (the belie-verts)? Despite my two day misses, this past week I have spent more time outside than I normally would have. Definitely the time at home was all outside time I wouldn't have normally spent and Andrew and I are walking more in the evenings together. I'm getting excited to actually plant a garden for food and practice yoga on our deck when it gets warm enough.

For this eco-yogini in any case, the 30x30 challenge has been a definite "nature boost" incentive and so far has resulted in:
a) more noticeable energy on days when I spend time outside
b) opportunities to connect with my father in a meaningful way
c) meaningful and active time spent with my husband
d) connecting with our new yard!

What about you? How is your challenge going?

Getting More Nature in Your Diet: 30x30 David Suzuki NATURE CHALLENGE!

Today I heard about a fabulous initiative (ahem "challenge" but I find that word a bit strong) by my all time Canadian hero (after Nathan Fillion) David Suzuki:

30x30 NATURE CHALLENGE 

(please read with dramatic voice for proper effect)

I generally avoid challenges, as I feel they are unwieldy and stressful in and of themselves and not very much conducive to change. However, after reading the description I thought: heck yeah- we TOTALLY need more nature in our lives.

What is it? All the cool kids are doing it:

The David Suzuki Foundation is inviting Canadians around the country to join us in May 2014 for
Canada’s third annual 30×30 Nature Challenge. Living in the digital age, most of us spend too much time in front of screens and little time outdoors. It’s time for us all to get outside and cultivate the “nature habit”.

During the month of May, we’re asking Canadians to pledge to spend 30 minutes in nature every day for 30 days. Spending time in nature reduces stress and improves well-being.

Why should we do this? Well, if you like infographics this one is pretty darn nifty. Highlights from the infographic (which is scientifically sourced):

• children spend on average 6 hours per day in front of a screen and 6min a day outdoor doing physical activity.
• North Americans spend 95% of their day indoor or in a vehicle
• 8-18 yr olds spend 67% of their day connected to electronic media
• Spending time in nature increases creativity, curiosity and problem solving ability
• Communities with more greenspace have lower levels of violence
• Many studies show the following health gains for those in contact with nature:
• reduced anxiety & depression
• decreased stress
• increased energy
• increased immunity
• 50% lower risk for diabetes
• increased weight loss and fitness...

On top of that coolness, The David Suzuki Foundation is linking participants to some pretty nifty research gathered by researchers at Trent University. Fill out a 10min survey at the beginning and end and you have just helped environmental research. Go you!

So yeah, I (and you) may be a few (ahem 4) days late on the Nature Train, but I figured why not be a rebel and start fashionably late? The website still let me sign up and complete the research survey. That and thinking back until May 1st I figured I spent at least 30minutes outside every day already. Totally by happenstance... but ya know.

What I also love is the usability of the website and especially their "Daily Tips" page. Filled with fantastic easy every day nature tips.

So- a recap of my "NATURE CHALLENGE":

May 1st (Thursday): This was a bust... sadly. Please don't judge- I wasn't aware!
May 2nd (Friday): Spent time mindfully hanging clothes on the line. This has become such a meditative practice. On top of that I spent about 20 minutes just sitting and enjoying my coffee, listening to the birds and watching the squirrels on our deck.
May 3rd (Saturday): Spent about 2 hours outside exploring the yard and helping out with the dudes who came to take away our pool. Also spent about 20min hanging clothes on the line mindfully while listening to the birds.
May 4th (Sunday): Spent about an hour in the yard tidying up, examining how far along our flowers were coming and discovering the plants in our new yard. Also found Mr Groundhog which we will henceforth call "Pedro". Observed the chickadees, crows, woodpeckers and squirrel destroy my DIY suet feeder.

May the 5th (Monday): Went for a walk to get the mail with Andrew and pointed out different bird songs we heard, trees we saw and the moon rising before the sun had set.

Also- we bundled up and with hot tea went outside on the deck to stargaze. It is amazing how gorgeous the stars look out here away from city light pollution. We spent some time gazing up at the sky and chatting in hushed voices, with the peepers as our backdrop. Then we took out Andrew's Ipad's starmap (Skyview) app so we could better pick out stars, planets and the constellations. We saw: the planet Mars (which was super red!), the big dipper, two satellites and three planes (and stars and clouds and the moon). It was the best way to spend our time right before bed.

This time outside has meant that tonight especially we spent significantly less time in front of a screen. Instead of watching a movie on being on our respective computers, we chose to workout, play a game of skip-bo while we waited for the sun to set (and Andrew kicked my butt), walk and stargaze.

So- who's in???