Y E S!

I decided that 2015 would be the year I would spend outside and if anyone asked me I will say: "Staying inside is so 2014!"

Taking in the scenery and greenery with the blue skies and fresh air at Belle Isle State Park

Hiking can be done at all state parks from the Chesapeake Bay to the Highlands of Virginia

This is not an empty resolution, remorse or guilt from an over indulgence of high saturated fat and white refined sugar over the holidays. This is me getting fed up with the distractions inside the house that prevent me from getting outside to the fresh air and where all the good things are growing.

If you got that momentum going with a first day hike - hang on to it!

And the survey says...

Research shows that those who are depressed, overwhelmed and feeling helpless can get their mojo back by hiking! If you aren't any of those things, and a go-lucky type person who has everything in aces, then you are one in a billion, but still at times may feel the drag of work, home life and relationships like a heavy anchor submerged and being pulled along with the current. Stress is never going to go away, that means we are alive, but how we deal with it is what matters. Walks in nature offer respite from daily life, the study said so right here.

There's an app for that

The good news is that there's an app for that! I will call it the "disconnect to reconnect" app, available for free at any Virginia State Park. I know you think I am just kidding, or exaggerating, but you feel it, I feel it, we just can't do everything, all the time. I am not even suggesting slowing down, I am suggesting unplugging, and walking away for a few hours. So in this instance the "app" is actually the Pocket Ranger App found here.

Enter Virginia State Parks

I have an affinity for our state park system. I will admit it right here and now, from the time I first moved to Virginia they have been there to support me. They aren't demanding, stressful or inflexible. They don't badger, criticize or hound me. The parks don't depress me but to the contrary in fact, they lift me up. They are always open, welcoming me home like traveler receiving a warm embrace upon arrival from a long lost friend.

Virginia State Parks are our backyards

The saying goes something like this "You are never more than 1 hour away from a Virginia State Park if you are in Virginia." We often think we need to have all this planning to get out to a Virginia State Park and get worn out before we even leave the house. But in reality we only need to grab a backpack with a few items and go.

Good things come in small packages

Don't try to hike Mount Everest, why even go there? I mean, mentally. "The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step" so do exactly that, one small step, then another small step, then another. You don't have to be an extreme sports junkie to get outside and enjoy a walk along a trail. If you build up to it and want to tackle a more difficult trail with rocks, ledges and exposed tree roots, then by all means go for it.

Don't be intimidated by being outside at a Virginia State Park

My favorite thing to do is to observe, I bring my camera and binoculars and take in the scenery. While those physically fit physiques are conquering K2... Remember the words of Sir Edmund Hillary "It is not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves." This can be done on a small scale as well, day by day, not in one giant oxygen required climb.

Another brilliant idea - Natural Areas

If you feel up to it, explore your natural area preserves, you can find them across the state too. Natural Area Preserves are managed by DCR (Virginia's Department of Conservation and Recreation) like our state park. While Natural Area Preserves are mainly there to protect a specific species, they are open to you, the public. Most do not offer large scale amenities like facilities and restrooms, but most do offer a parking area and a trail head! There are sixty one dedicated natural areas totaling 55,352 acres. Click here for more information.

Poor Mountain Natural Area Preserve near Roanoke helps protect the rare "Pirate Bush"

I love the crunch of leaves underfoot at Iron Mine Trail at Fairy Stone State Park

I want to tell those treadmill mice to kick that habit to the curb, there is so much more for you outside at a Virginia State Park! Walking in nature is not just about being physical; the benefits, as I have discovered are much more.