My wife and I were able to take a break this past Friday morning so we headed for the Appalachian Trail to hike for a couple hours. For us, going for a hike is about more than just getting some exercise. It is about taking a break from “real life” and reconnecting with what is real.
I work from home, mostly in front of my computer, building my internet network marketing business and I thoroughly enjoy what I do. Doing this every day though it is easy to get caught up in the details of web traffic, blog posts, and phone calls and lose sight of the big picture, so every now and then I need to take a break. For me, that means going for a hike.
I’m fortunate to live only 45 minutes away from several access points to the Appalachian Trail which gives me a variety of short hikes all on one very well marked trail.
I like hiking because it is a great way to get away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life and step into a world that moves much slower. It is great exercise as you walk along a constantly changing grade: climb up the side of ridge, walk along the top for a bit, then descend down into another gap. The air feels cleaner and fresher and is better for your lungs.
One thing about the air in the woods that I don’t think most people know about are the negative ions. Trees, water rapids, and waterfalls generate then in the surrounding air and we breathe them in. Once inside our bodies, these negative ions are the exact same thing as the antioxidants that we look for in our foods.
Hiking has a great benefit for my business too. While hiking I am more in the moment. My focus is on where I am placing my foot, how I’m breathing, or admiring the amazing view, so I’m not thinking so much about everything that I need to do when I get back home or about what is going to happen tomorrow. This all lets my creative mind to run free and opens me up for inspiration. Many great ideas come to me while I am hiking.
So, go take a break and find a nice place to hike. You might be amazed at how you feel when you are done. What do you do to get away from it all? Share it in a comment below then send it out to the social networks.
Wayne Woodworth
