One New Year’s resolution for 2019 – Go outdoors!

Resolve to spend more time in the Great Outdoors in 2019

This is one New Year’s resolution that will surpass all others. One New Year’s resolution that will make all the others seem like redundant wishes. Here is one resolution that is achievable, fun and covers all bases.

The most popular New Year resolutions include: getting more exercise, eating healthier, sleeping better and learning new skills. Most of these good intentions dissolve into unfulfilled good intentions by the time spring time comes around.  Not this year!  The resolve to enjoy this amazing country from the top of that hill, from the water’s edge or from the gentle beauty of a wooded forests, will tick all those boxes without you even noticing!  (Too much!).

All weather walking

Your foray into the big wild adventurous world doesn’t mean taking a 20 mile trek into the wilderness Bear Gryllis style.  A gentle walk around the local lake or forest trail is enough to get the heart rate pumping and the adrenalin flowing.  It is worth noting that, as you walk, your body releases chemicals called endorphins which interact with receptors in the brain to reduce pain and improve your mood.  If you happen to be passing some of the most beautiful views in the world at the same time, well, that is just a win-win bonus!  Walking also increases levels of serotonin and dopamine. Serotonin and dopamine are clever brain chemicals and neurotransmitters that influence mood in a positive way.   No wonder walkers are always smiling as you pass them.

Wrap up warm and wear suitable footwear for the terrain you choose. Get good wet weather gear so you are not stuck home on ‘soft Irish days’ and in the words of that eponymous sports-wear company ‘Just do it’.

Check out some great walk suggestion here: 

Cycling for fun

Cycling is on the increase in Ireland, both for recreational purposes and as a way of getting about for daily business.  In Dublin, over 95,000 people are cycling every day. This represents a 50% increase in people using bikes over the last six years.  At the same time, we are reliably informed by undisclosed sources that the number of stationery exercise bikes being used as clothes horses, being side-lined to the garage or resold on buy and sell sites, are on the increase.  But let’s face it, bikes are more fun outside!  When we consider the improvement in the quality of cycling gear, helmets and clothing, over the past few years it is little wonder that more people are pedalling about. The government investment in greenways and cycle lanes has made cycling a much safer family activity.  Little wonder that there are more people out and about, freewheeling happily up and down Ireland’s lanes, byways and highways.  Cycling festivals have started to gain popularity too and they offer a fun challenge to novice and expert cyclists while giving the chance to make new friends.  Check out www.cyclingireland.ie   for details and find yourself some great warm waterproof gear right here for guys & here for girls and pedal through the puddles without a care in the world.

Fresh Air

Your New Year Resolution to breathe fresh air does not need drastic actions on your part.  No need to plan grand expeditions up Carrantouhill or off to Kilimanjaro (‘though both challenges sound awesome!).  Simple daily acts will change your way of thinking.  Bring your morning coffee into the garden or out on to the balcony.  Enjoy the morning sky and nature waking up around you as a perfect start to the day.  Spend lunchtimes in the park.  On Sunday afternoons you can scoff smugly at the lines of cars parked at the beachfront watching the waves through the windscreen (What is that about??). Take hot chocolate out under the stars.  Leave the car at home and walk to the post office.

Once you start enjoying the great outdoors a bit more all those other resolutions… sleeping better, eating better, getting fitter, learning new skills and feeling more positive…will slip right into place. Make 2019 the year of your very own Outdoor Adventures!

Happy New Year from all the staff at Outdoor Adventures Stores.