Getting Active Outdoors: your challenge from John Sifferman in Clough State Park

My mother used to tell me and my brothers to “go outside and play.” Even just 15 years ago, kids knew what that meant. Nowadays, I hear kids complain that they don’t know what to do, or that it’s boring outside. Most kids would rather be sitting in front of a TV or computer playing video games or chatting on instant messenger. What a different generation! It worries me, honestly, because we have gotten so far away from our roots as living, physical beings. We are literally bombarded with social pressures to exercise our brain, and neglect the body.

Sadly, many adults I know are the same way. Not only have so many adults forgotten how to play, they’ve forgotten how to enjoy nature. Many of my friends have to schedule outdoor activity weeks in advance because their schedules are so hectic. In my mind, there’s nothing wrong with being busy or having to schedule events in advance, but I find it sad when people don’t have but a few hours every week to themselves – especially when it is split up in 15-30 minute segments.

Back to my mothers advice – there’s a lot of wisdom in the phrase “go outside and play.” Before I get into it though, I want to share a quick video with you from this past weekend. I took a trip to Clough State Park in beautiful New Hampshire JUST BECAUSE.

Being Active Outdoors by John Sifferman


Even though it was only a two hour trip, I enjoyed getting the fresh air, enjoying the sights, the smells, the sounds. It was a beautiful day, with the crisp Autumn air whistling around me. Let me tell you what happened…

• I walked approximately two miles
• climbed a few hundred feet doing an activity called scrambling (which is a sprint form of rock climbing over moderate difficulty terrain)
• I got plenty of fresh air
• I got plenty of sunshine and vitamin D
• I burned 726 calories according to the Burn the Fat: Inner Circle calories burned calculator
• I elevated my metabolism to burn more calories throughout the day
• I enjoyed every moment of it

Now, my mother was right to tell me and my brothers to play outside – we got the benefits I listed above and many more almost every day of our childhood.

So, I gave you a challenge in the video… I want you to plan a minimum of 2 hours of physical activity in the outdoors sometime this week.  That means that within 7 days, you will have spent at least 2 hours doing something you enjoy outdoors.  It can be anything, walking, hiking, playing frisbee or baseball, even apple-picking.  I want you to plan this right now, and post it in the comments box below.

Complete this sentence: This week, I am going to be active outdoors by…

I want you to copy and paste that phrase into the comments box and finish the sentence.  You may have to click here and scroll to the bottom to find the comment box.

Enjoy the outdoors!

To your health and success,