Get wild for Fitness - Guest Post from Justine Clement

Justine Clement is the founder of Learn Shed Live, I hope you enjoy her post......

True health is like a collage of different paints on an artists palette.  When mixed correctly, the paints merge together to create the desired look and feel. Being physically fit is a key factor to health, but the importance of tapping into our own unique character strengths, taking adequate rest and relaxation, eating wholesome nourishing food, immersion in nature and creating positive social engagement with those around us completes the circle – no one thing on it’s own is quite enough.

Everyone is unique and there are many different areas in life that make up good health. So you need to take into consideration a broad spectrum of influences that contributes to your wellbeing – here are some suggestions as a starting point:

• Creating rapport between your mind and body
• Connecting with nature and awakening the senses – go running, walking, biking in the countryside. I challenge anyone to not feel alive on a bright sunny day in the woods
• Physical fitness and moving with efficiency and purpose – hugely important to wellbeing and a sense that, physically, you can deal with life
• Choosing nutritious real food – not out of a packet
• Regular deep rest and relaxation – make time for this, the importance cannot be underestimated
• Maintaining a consistent state of internal peace – so learning how to deal with stress, which is inevitable in life
• Rediscovering personal character strengths and utilising them in daily life – this gives you a sense of personal reassurance and connection to yourself and others

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The idea of engaging with nature and the evolutionary principles that kept us lean and fit for thousands of years is something we’ve recently got back in touch with. Many companies and fitness professionals (Lou included) can make it their focus to get you outside to keep fit, which is a great alternative following a full day in the office.  And it works too. It gives you an energy boost and inspires you in a way that’s hard for any gym to compete with.
 
Organised outdoors fitness sessions tap into the movement towards a reconnection with nature that has gathered momentum over the past decade with activities such as foraging, camping, wild swimming and barefoot running.

So if you’d like to try this for yourself, here are some tips on re-wilding yourself:

• Find a purpose to attach to your movement. Whether you want to learn a new skill, such as to run with good form or swim underwater for two minutes, or to master a specific move (such as a handstand) because it inspires you, having a reason that goes beyond getting a six-pack will help.
• Go into the red zone of training intensity once or twice a week for eight to 20 minutes. Our ancestors needed to sprint, occasionally, to hunt or flee, and that’s the type of fat-burning exercise that suits most bodies.
• Move more. Take the stairs. Go for a walk. Or do animal-style movements, such as a bear crawl or frog-jumps.
• Run or walk: don’t jog (jogging isn’t imbued with animal purpose, thus we aren’t allowed to speak of it). Think in terms of useful movement patterns (such as throwing a spear) rather than specific exercises (such as a one-armed twist on a cable machine).
• Take your shoes off inside your home and strengthen those little muscles in your feet. It will help everything work further up the chain.

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When it comes to combining nature with fitness and indeed general wellbeing, Edward O Wilson coined the term "Biophillia” which proposes there’s an instinctive bond between human beings and other living systems, be that animals, birds or fauna. This would seem to make sense and it could be argued that only since the agricultural revolution have we built fences to keep the natural world at bay. For the millennia before we were just another species that was part of natures make up. In order for us to survive we had to live in harmony with the rhythms of the wild or else we might end up as dinner for a hungry lion!
 
One of the challenges of the modern world is that we have become increasingly disconnected from our physical bodies and the natural environment that surrounds us.  This due to urbanisation and the constant flow of external stimuli.  Being able to experience "wild moments" allows us to fully reengage with our senses, illuminating the primal DNA that lies within us and which can help restore a healthy relationship with our physical bodies and realign ourselves with nature.
 
Actively seeking out wild moments in our daily life can only be a good thing. It doesn't mean we have to up sticks and move into a tree house (though that might be fun). Just being aware of what's around us and really immersing ourselves in that moment can be beneficial. A prime example of this is getting outdoors when ever possible. Not only does it feel great to move our bodies in nature but also we put ourselves in an optimal state for really opening our senses and experiencing a deep connection with the environment that surrounds us and connecting with Biophillia.
 
So, next time you're feeling like you need some time out, head for the great outdoors and put some wildness back into your day. It could be just the mood enhancer you're looking for.

Justine Clement is the founder of health and wellbeing startup LearnShedLive. An educational, live and on-demand, social video platform, LearnShedLive is a place for you to share, watch and learn about health and wellbeing topics such as Mindfulness, Emotional Intelligence, Nutrition, The Art Of Relationships, How To Breathe, Resilience, How To Manage Stress And How To Manifest The Life You’d Like To Lead.  Delivered to you in bite-sized pieces, from leading health and wellbeing experts to fresh rising talent in the industry, it's devoted to providing you with fascinating insights and practical steps for you to take away and try for yourself. Think of it as mini Youtube for your mind and body, encouraging you to see things from a new perspective.

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