Animal Assisted therapy – Photo credit: Sarah Vogel Click here to read the whole article The Nitty Gritty So far in this series, I have talked about the benefits of nature connection and why it heals and enriches our lives. Perhaps, I hope, I’ve convinced you of the power of nature in healing and well-being,…
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Click here to read the whole article Any good doctor, veterinarian, or mechanic understands that wellness isn’t just about fixing what’s already broken. Maintenance and preventative care are vital, if not the most important components of a healthy lifestyle. My truck often gives me grief — unsurprising, considering its age and the odometer reading. Several…
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Appalachian Ecotherapy and Why We Need it Now Click here to read the whole article The beeping of the EKG machines were testing the last remnants of my sanity. Chinese water torture in the form of sound, a shrill metronome marking the growing distance between myself and reality. Forty-eight sleepless hours in the ICU. I…
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Little Occoquan Run – Photo credit: Sarah Vogel Appalachian Ecotherapy and Why We Need it Now Click here to read the whole article I dipped my paddle into the water. No rhythm — a couple of haphazard and lazy strokes every now and again was enough. Propel, drift, repeat. Occasionally, I made an effort to…
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Appalachian Ecotherapy and Why We Need it Now Click here to read the whole article False Promises and Re-thinking ‘Normal’ When Plato looked at the night sky, his heart brimmed with optimism that human curiosity would “compel the soul to look upward and lead us from this world to another.” A lofty notion perhaps, but…
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Appalachian Ecotherapy and Why We Need it Now Click here to read the whole article Part 2: Why We Need Ecotherapy As I sit here pecking at my keyboard in the darkness of my basement apartment, F.lux dims my computer monitor and transitions to a warm, yellowish glow. Every evening when the sun goes down,…
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Appalachian Ecotherapy and Why We Need it Now Click here to read the whole article “¿Cuál es tu trabajo?” Cocho asked me. What do you do for work? It was a difficult question to answer, especially since my Spanish skills amounted to the capabilities of a toddler. Before I began traveling, I was a qualified…
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I have played sports since I was five years old. I tumbled and flipped my way through gymnastics, played softball and track and field in high school, and I cheer-led in a bevy of sports. I love the idea of being an athlete and seeing how my body responds to physical challenges. Sports, in those…
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Learn how yoga can improve athletic performance with simple stretches! A few years ago, while training for a tennis tournament in the Caribbean, I asked some of my male friends to hit with me before my match. Prior to getting on the tennis court, I did some side stretching and yoga poses that I knew…
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Photo: Izzy Gifford climbs at the Riverrock Climbing Comp in Richmond, VA Have climbing gyms ruined rock climbing—or opened it to new audiences? Climbing’s popularity has skyrocketed in the last few years, thanks in part to both its induction into the Olympics beginning in Tokyo next year and recent films like The Dawn Wall and Free…
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Lakeshore (roughly 2 miles out and back) and Little Mountain Falls Trails (roughly 4 mile loop) This isn’t far from the house, and I love how dog friendly state parks are. We usually string a few trails together to get some decent mileage. Our usual route is The Lake Shore Trail to Little Mountain Fall…
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Locals reveal their favorite spots for in-town adventure It’s five o’clock on a Wednesday afternoon. You want to get outside after a long day of work or classes, but you don’t have the time to drive two hours to your favorite hike or crag. Athletes and adventurers from across the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast show us…
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Erwan Le Corre likes to talk about spearfishing. He can go into detail about fighting the currents and the challenge of holding your breath at the bottom of the sea. How you have to learn about the fish’s behavior. Le Corre lives on Mexico’s coast with his wife and three kids and spends as much…
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Top 5 Outdoor Sports for Beginners and Amateurs Outdoor sports for beginners and amateurs include some of the activities we did engage in while growing up. They are easy to do, not much training is required, and the sporting gear isn’t costly – you can get it in your local store or online. Are you…
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The Todericos make it a point to refer to the event as an incident and not an accident. “We are survivors, not victims.” As Denise Gorondy-Toderico and Ben Toderico decorate their living room for the holidays, the doors leading to the back yard are left open as their two boys, Gavin (6 at the time) and Cormac (4…
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