OUTSIDE IS THE BEST SIDE | #runwildoutside

Photo by Chris Langer. http://chrislanger.com/

#RUNWILDOUTSIDE
There's no question when we were kids, many of us spent most of our time outside. We'd ride bikes up and down the street counting how many seconds we could ride without touching the handlebars. We'd dig holes in Dad's garden to see how deep we could get. We'd run circles in the backyard and blurt out gibberish. We'd build igloos in the winter until it was either time to come in or we got too wet and cold. On a hot day, nothing was better than coming in after a couple hours and Mom pouring you ice cold Kool-Aid and earning your sugar red, upper lip. Pure happiness. It really never mattered what we we're doing, as long as we were outside and moving. I couldn't ever explain it, or maybe I just didn't realize at the time. I definitely didn't realize it at the time. As a kid you just...just went outside and played and everything was right in the world. In my opinion, it's no different as we get older. Adults are happy running around outside, too. It also allows us the opportunity to connect with others and practice another Run Wild staple; doing good in our communities.  I don't know why, as adults we ever stopped heading outside.

*somewhat of a sidenote:
​Have you ever intentionally gone out in the rain? We're raised to believe being outside in the rain brings about a negative experience, but I refuse to accept it. Being outside in the rain is invigorating and makes me feel alive and makes the hot shower to follow that much better. Next time it's raining, shift your mindset to "I want to go play in the rain", and see how ya feel. 

Photo by Chris Langer. http://chrislanger.com/

​Somewhere along the way it got comfortable and normal to spend more time indoors. Whether it was more time spent with school work, a job or just being tired getting home after a day of work and wanting to sink into the couch, most of us can probably relate. I don't quite know when but it became normal, but it did. Especially during the winter, I've found myself spending quite a bit of time in front of the TV, feet kicked up watching Netflix. This is a way of passing time, not really seeking out happiness.. It isolates us and leaves us stagnant. Humans aren't made to sit in isolation and again, going outside, moving and doing something positive (Run Wild. Do Good.) undoubtedly raises are positive vibrations as humans.

"WINTER BLUES": The winter blues are a real thing but I question it's because the lack of sunlight, at least not entirely. I think, more so it's maybe the lack of movement in the outdoors during the winter months. The winter blues are a thing and maybe, just maybe we can beat it by forcing ourselves out the door to get our blood pumping (shameless plug for showing up to RWC on Friday nights).

This winter I set a goal for myself to spend as much time outside as possible to see how it would affect my mood and overall happiness. I can say with 100% certainty, to no surprise that I was more happy, more fulfilled, thinking more clearly with more energy by spending less time on the couch. Needless to say, the goal moving forward into warmer weather is just the same. Outside is truly the best side. It heals me and affects me at a chemical level and brings me happiness. I'm confident it'll work just the same for you.

Today, so many of us talk about depression, anxiety, stress, etc. Maybe, and this is truly just a thought...maybe at least some of our societal depression comes from locking ourselves inside too much depriving ourselves the healing power of the outdoors. Maybe exposure to the elements, no matter how cold in the winter or brutally hot in the summer is a human necessity for happiness and contentment. Maybe sweat and sun are true medicine.

For me, I'm grateful that I have a reason, at least once a week to get outside. Every Friday night a group of incredible people count on me to show up to lead a run and workout. I realized early on that it always put me in a much better mood. On top of simply forcing ourselves out of the house to show up we create a playful, goofy environment and smiles and laughter soon follow, much like when we were kids on a playground. Yes, as adults we're all about playing at our Run Wild runs.. We regularly talk about how "adulting" starts Monday at 9am and ends Friday around 5:30pm just in time for our runs. We're about shaking all that out yucky stale weekday work vibes out and being a kid again for an hour...OUTSIDE. We encourage sand in your undies and snow in your boots. We're all better for it.

Heading into this spring and summer we're really, really looking forward to being outside as much as possible and again, Friday night is a guaranteed time we'll be out there and hope you'll join us! Whether we're lakefront on the beach at Edgewater, downtown running at the Convention Center or running the stairs at the Rocky River Nature Center, we're fully convinced time spent outside is the best way to spend it. Even when we're not meeting, we encourage you to just be outside, no matter what you're doing. Maybe even a couple nights this spring and/or summer ya can pitch a tent in the backyard (with the kids even if ya got em) and have a backyard campout.

If you're ever feeling down, feeling tired, lacking creativity or needing a break from adulting, we say go outside and let mother nature work her magic. Go for a hike, go for a trail run, go sit on a park bench and watch the birds. Sit on the back deck with your morning coffee. Shit, go sit on a patio with your friends and grab a drink!

We hope you'll join us in spending more time out of the house and appreciating fresh air, sunshine and nature. 
Tag us using the hashtag #runwildoutside with all your adventures!

OUTSIDE IS THE BEST SIDE.