Spring Swinging

I had an urge this morning to run outside and swing on the swing-set next door. I love this time of year when each day something else pops into bloom. Never mind that last weekend we had 80 degrees F on Friday, and snow flurries Saturday. We expect that around here, though we are always surprised when it happens.
So back to the swinging. Many people, myself included, want to be outside when the weather starts to warm up.and there are so many things to do outside. I have been playing in my garden, getting it cleaned up, planting seeds, and transplanting some plants. I am done with that for now, and looking for other things to do.
I just got a job working with kids in a virtual school system (I am an occupational therapist). Since I haven't worked with school kids for several years, I have been reading up on therapy with kids to refresh my memory. Kids (and adults) with ADHD and related disorders tend to focus better when they get sensory input throughout their body first- things like running, jumping, climbing, pushing, pulling, rolling on the ground, etc. So my brain has been swirling with active kid-friendly activities, and I thought "swinging!" That used to be a favorite when I was a child, and I have done it off and on as an adult as well.
Swinging is actually a pretty good exercise, if you think about it. You lean back, extending your arms, supporting your upper body suspended from your arms, while your legs stretch out, putting your whole body in one long line. Then you quickly come to a sitting position, using your abdominal and arm muscles, and swing your lower legs back under you. Repeat over and over, flying high up into the sky. Feel the sun on your face, the wind in your hair, you are young once again.
Swinging is not as easy for me as it once was. I have bursitis in my hip.and swings these days seem to all be of the sling style, which press on my hip.I enjoy them anyway, in small doses. Other outdoor children's games and equipment that lend themselves to adult exercise include:running, skipping, jump rope (excellent cardio exercise), hula hoop and a variety of ball games. Bars and rings can be used, depending on height and positioning, and monkey bars are fun to climb (though the last time I tried, I found out that I had developed a fear due to my bifocals distorting distances. When was the last time you heard about someone with bifocals climbing on monkey bars?
Remember what your mother used to tell you, "Go outside and play". Go to a park. Take your children, or grand children, or dog or friend, or by yourself, just go. Play. Have some fun, and get some exercise while you are at it. Keep in mind you haven't done any of this stuff in a long time, so go slow, Choose activities that you think you will enjoy. and that you think you can safely do, considering how your body is doing that day. Push it a little, but only a little.If you push just a little, you will recover quickly, and want to go back. If you push too much, you will take longer to recover and not want to do it again.
Swing (or hula hoop) into spring!

Sunshine and Spring

It is a beautiful spring day here in northeast Ohio. My husband and I went out for a walk in the neighborhood. He likes to go fast, I like to go a little slower, and observe my surroundings. We went fairly fast today, because he had a limited amount of time before his next patient (he is a psychologist).

Still, I saw signs of spring! The most notable were a dandelion, and a cluster of purple crocuses (croci?) At our cabin, which is a little so south of here, I have been noticing signs of spring for a few weeks now: Tiny leaves on bushes, more and more birds chattering, and my daffodils are five inches tall. I saw the blue herons settling into their nesting ground in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park weeks ago.

I love spring. It isn't too hot (heat makes me nauseated), and it isn't too cold (cold makes me hurt). I am happy to see the spring, like usual, but we barely had any winter this year. It is likely that we will still see some more winter weather, but not a sustained stretch.

Many people, if not most, thrive on sunlight. Even if you are sensitive to the sun itself, the increasing daylight and warmer days can act as an antidepressant. There is even a form of depression called Seasonal Affective Disorder, or SAD (how appropriate is that?) that is caused by the shorter days and lack of sunlight. A major treatment of SAD is to sit by a lamp that emits light on a wavelength similar to that of the sun- it does not cause sunburn like a sunlamp could, but it tricks the brain into thinking that the person has been in the sun. The best cure, of course, is real sunshine.

This time of year always makes me happy. I tend to feel more optimistic, more energetic, more alive when spring starts peeking out. It is a time for making new plans, starting new projects. It is a great time to go to a zoo. The animals are more active when the weather is mild. On a trip to the zoo last spring I saw a peacock doing a mating dance and a pair of giraffes working on creating a new giraffe. Most species, including humans, are programed to be more energetic and active this time of year. Take a walk, explore the world around you. Go someplace where you can be with nature. Rejoice in the sunshine. As my grandmother would say, “Its good for what ails you”.   

Signs of Spring and Endurance

Sunday my husband and I took a hike, our second this season, our second this week. We enjoy hiking, though he likes to keep moving, focusing on the exercise aspect, while I like to stop and observe nature. We started from a parking lot in Salt Fork State Park in Mideast Ohio, about 5 minutes from our cabin, and hiked about a mile along a bridle path, to a horse camp. We rested there, explored the camp which was interesting but deserted, and then headed back along the same path to our car.

Two significant things happened on our hikes. The first was that there was evidence of SPRING! Wild rose and another bush that I don't know the name of had little green leaves all over them in Salt Fork. On our previous hike, last Monday in the Hampton Hills Metropark in Summit County (back home), I had seen colt's foot, one of the earliest flowers to appear in the spring. So it is official- spring is arriving!  I always get cheered when I start seeing signs of spring.

The other significant occurrence also happened on both hikes. Usually, my husband has more energy and endurance than me. On both of these hikes, my husband was the first to say he was tired and needed a break. He keeps active when he can, but works long hours Tuesday through Friday. I work fewer hours, and have been going to the gym usually 4 days/week. It appears that it is paying off, in greater endurance.

Both the evidence of spring and the evidence of increased endurance motivate me to keep exercising and to keep hiking. One of my favorite activities at our cabin is hunting wildflowers. I have some wildflower identification books in which I mark each year when I find each species. It gives me incentive to traipse all over our property, almost 14 acres. I went out Monday looking for skunk cabbage, which should have been out before, but I could not find it three weeks ago when we were last there. I found it easily this time, maybe because I looked where I found it last year, instead of searching in another area. They say that whatever you are searching for will always be in the last place you look (that is because you stop looking for it when you find it).