Active Living

Exercise shouldn't feel like a chore. Even I forget that sometimes. I find myself just letting the time slip away until late in the evening and then I think to myself "well, no time now, but there's always tomorrow".

I think the best way to avoid this pitfall is to find activities that we enjoy, so that we don't feel like we have to force ourselves to exercise. For this reason, I prefer the expression #activeliving over fitness or exercise.

For myself, I have found that I feel so much better when my activity revolves around the outdoors. When I notice that I'm more stressed than usual, the mindfulness activities such as meditation, knitting and coloring certainly help, but nothing alleviates the stress like being by the water or in the mountains.

My personal favorite activities include rock climbing, kayaking, walking, and hiking. In the winter, I snowshoe and ski. Preferably, the snowshoeing leads to an outdoor hot spring. As you know, yoga is also a big part of my life, and I find that it soothes my mind and body.

So my theory is, the key to success is exploring. Trying lots of different activities so that we can find things that we enjoy. For example, a girlfriend of mine loves tennis. I am absolutely terrible. However, after finally accepting her invitation to play with her at the park tennis courts, I found that I love it anyway. I'm quite sure what we do is not considered tennis, but we run around a lot, laugh even more, and I'm sore the next day. 

Here are some fun, active, things you can do right here in Seattle:

Rent a Kayak for $15 at the University of Washington. You'll get to spend 2 hours paddling and enjoying the beautiful views. It is so peaceful and serene. For hot days, there's also a little cove you can paddle to (you'll see lots of kayakers there on a nice day) with a great spot to jump into the water.

Go for a leisurely walk at Sculpture Park. You can look at the artwork and the sound. It's paved and flat. And it's right next to the waterfront's cafes and restaurants.

Go for a walk or a bike ride along Golden Gardens and the Marina. I go here quite often. During the day, you can see people sailing, kite sailing, paddle boarding, and windsurfing. At night, people enjoy using the fire pits. On a nice day, we love bringing our hammock and relaxing in the sun, reading. We also play frisbee here.

Explore Pike Place Market. Even as a local (born and raised), I love walking through the market. Sure, the crowds can be really frustrating, but if you go just to explore, people watch, and walk leisurely, it's such a fun place.

Walk, bike, fly a kite at Gasworks park! Just know there will be a lot of other people doing the same on a sunny day :)

Go for a short hike at Discovery Park to the Lighthouse! I love this so much because it's extremely close to me, the hike is short so it's easy to do on a busier day, and the lighthouse is somehow so mysterious and enchanting. Any walk or hike along the water also brings an opportunity to hear the seals in the Sound, which always makes me happy.

Rent a Stand Up Paddle Board (SUP) from Surf Ballard and launch near Golden Gardens. SUP boarding does require some balance and it's excellent for core and shoulder strength. On a nice day, you can see the jellyfish in the water sometimes. And there's a beautiful little area where bird homes have been placed on a forest of old pillars, so you can just take a break there and listen to the birds.

Easy Day Trips:

Mt. Rainier! If you haven't hiked Paradise yet, do it. It's VERY crowded on weekend afternoons, but if you can get there on a week day or early on the weekend, it's beautiful. Even dealing with the crowds is worth it if that's your only option.

Snoqualmie Falls. The trail was renovated a few years ago, making it a very friendly hike. It is a little bit of a hill, but that shouldn't be discouraging. Once you get down to the falls, it's a beautiful sight (and sound, I love the sound of the water).

Lake Cushman. This is so fun on a sunny day. It's a little longer drive, but if you have a kayak or you like jumping into the water, then this is a fantastic spot.

Stay tuned for a post about some of my favorite camping and backpacking trips!