I know that summer is when most of us kind of tune out a “routine” and that’s certainly been the case for me, but today I wanted to share something different than I ever talk about (and then I have other travel stuff too): I have started going back to the gym. I know that’s not something people tune into me to hear about, but I think there are some important elements of what I have to say today, so I’m sharing. And then I’m so excited to share what I’ve been writing, because I’ve been on an intense creative kick and it feels amazing. Perhaps it’s due to being back at the gym…
Whatever you’re here for, thank you for tuning in. This summer has seen some great emails from people with lots of questions about travel, about Florida politics and living here, and about blogging. Besides being my day job, I love getting to message back and forth with people about all of this stuff, so keep the questions coming!
Unrelated to anything else, and before I dig into everything I planned on sharing, I have a recommendation for daily joy: get a birdfeeder with a camera. I know this is an off-the-wall note, but I love getting to watch the birds in our backyard up close. This week we even had a screech owl visit! Anyways, super cool and you should get one (the link is an affiliate, fyi). Easy daily doses of wildlife joy.
You may not know this about me but I used to be a fitness instructor. I taught kickboxing, weightlifting and aquafit. True story. I used to nearly live at the gym and if you knew my personality and energy level, that makes complete sense. Fast forward to having kids and being a stay-at-home-dad and I don’t work in fitness anymore and now I’m responsible for my own activity level and making sure that I stay healthy. My paycheck doesn’t depend on it. I’ll tell ya, it’s difficult to keep up with being intentionally active daily when you’re given the option to not be.
So here’s the scoop: a year and a half ago, I went back to the gym as a member and started taking group fitness classes again. That, paired with actually using the fitness equipment that we have in our garage, has helped me get back to feeling like my old me, the one with energy and focus. Inactivity really made my brain function in a not-cool way and I was so distracted by that spiral that I couldn’t see it. Fast forward to now and actually being consistent with making my body move more than back and forth from my coffee pot, and I feel worlds better on every level: sleeping better, not being perpetually exhausted, being able to be more on-the-go when I have to be, and also being able to focus on work way better.
So this is where my random life advice is coming into play: make yourself move and be active on the regular, even when you’re not in a consistent routine. As we get older and our body chemistry shifts and changes, being active every day absolutely makes a difference in how daily life feels. I’m not a doctor of any sort and I know that everyone has a different level of ability for being active, but if you have ten minutes to an hour of wasted time each day, break that up with doing something that really gets you moving and makes your body remember that it’s capable and working for you.
With that, so um, our brains all work differently and some of us have the patience to sit at a desk and work through sheets and sheets of numbers, or to bust out 10k words of scholarly work in a day, and then the rest of us can’t focus enough to read through four paragraphs of something we’re deeply interested in. Or we fall so deep into a rabbit hole that it’s just as frustrating as not being able to focus. Anyways, I’ve got both of those wolves inside me. I actually spoke about this at a conference in June and it was amazing to see people connect to that concept. So here’s the thing about how I manage my brain and its “spiciness” so that I can be creative and productive.
One of the things I do that helps me reset my brain and totally gets my creative side moving again is doing something physical for a few minutes. Sometimes this is me taking a quick walk around the block and sometimes it’s walking up and down the stairs a few times. Since we live in Florida and have a swimming pool, I’ll also do a quick jump in the pool. Any of these things will literally stop my mental spin and I can get back to being focused.
Another thing I do that is the exact opposite and usually works the same way is to just lay on the floor, fully stretched out like a starfish with my eyes closed. Between the blood flow and dimming the visual distractions, just a few minutes like this brings me back around.
I will say that on days that I begin with going to the gym or doing a half hour workout of some sort in my garage are the days when I am much less scattered and have more mental clarity. I’m sure there’s science behind it all, but I just care that it works for me and has changed how my day-to-day goes.
Since we’ve been back from Alaska and I’ve been working towards having a consistent routine and being active throughout the day, I’ve been able to really work through the writing side of my job. With my brain always bouncing all over the place, I start writing articles and lists like it’s nobody’s business. Getting back on track since I’m home for two months has been amazing for witling all of that down and chucking the ideas that I’m no longer interested in writing about. Cutting the fat absolutely helps me write more because I feel less overwhelmed by all the things I think I need to work on, and with a small pile of docs and sticky notes in front of me, I can rip through the important stuff much better.
One of the things that often trips me up is that I will write a really long article or outline something I think is important to write about, and then I will pour over it continually, so many times that I hate the piece and can’t ever publish it even though there’s been a lot of work put into it. That’s been something I tackled this week, those long pieces that I’ve started to hate. But publishing them instead of letting them go to waste has felt great and I think it’s helping me move forward into clearing out more of the mental clutter that weighs me down.
I love getting to share when I write new stuff, and this week I have some really fun travel guides and tips to share for Alaska, the Florida Keys and Hawaii. This week I’ll have some fresh Maine and Montana pieces to share too, but I feel great about what’s new this week!
2TravelDads.com - We did an amazing 12 days in Alaska last month and from that I built out an easy to use Unique Alaska Road Trip itinerary with all the info about the adventure, including the Alaska Marine Highway (ferry system). From that, I also did a deep dive into two of our destinations: Valdez on Prince William Sound and McCarthy/Wrangell-St Elias National Park. Check it all out, because NOW is a great time to start planning for next summer’s visit to Alaska.
MyAlaskaTrip.com - I’ve been working the most on these pieces as they ultimately get to be a part of something bigger I’m working on. From our trip last month, check out these awesome experiences that YOU can do too:
Whitewater Rafting on the Matanuska River (doable from Anchorage)
Guide to Wrangell-St Elias National Park & an Easy 5 Day Itinerary for it
The Inn at Whittier (through the tunnel)
A few other pieces I completed on My Alaska Trip include the Best Time to Visit Alaska: Season by Season and a feature from the Boat Company all about the Roadless Rule and how the current administration is ready to deeply harm Southeast Alaska’s Tongass National Forest.
MyAlohaTrip.com - Finally I got to publish a piece I started forever ago. It’s a pretty great guide to visiting the five volcanoes of the Big Island of Hawai’i. I’m glad to be working through Hawaii articles again, because I love getting to share all about this beautiful place.
I’ll not give away the farm on everything we have coming up, but I am really excited for my September trip back to Alaska. Two years ago I entered the lottery to get to stay at Brooks Lodge in Katmai National Park and it’s finally happening! Next month I get to do an incredible tour of Glacier Bay National Park, Homer, Kodiak and Katmai. It’s going to be phenomenal and I already have a HEAVY content plan.
I have some really lovely partners supporting my work when I’m there, so I would love to call them out and thank them for making things happen and understanding the value of first-person storytelling.
Alaska Seaplanes in Juneau, who will be providing transportation to Glacier Bay NP
the Silverbow Inn in downtown Juneau - a boutique stay directly in downtown
Homer, Alaska - the tourism board liked the stories I told them I want to write and they’re helping me bring them to life. The Kenai Peninsula in the fall is amazing and I can’t wait to share everything from Homer.
Kodiak’s Friends by the Ocean - this beautiful lodging and retreat space is going to be wonderful to share, as Kodiak is one of those Alaska destinations that a lot of people think is just not an easy place to visit. I’m going to prove them wrong and Friends by the Ocean is helping me do that!
Kodiak Bear Bus - I’m all about sharing the activities and tours that regular people can do, and the Bear Bus is one of those options, making wildlife viewing accessible and affordable, which is awesome because so many wildlife tours are cost-prohibitive for a lot of people.
There’s more to share, but that’s enough to whet your whistle for the upcoming trip.
Thank you for following along and I hope everything I’ve shared today is helpful, either for your daily life or planning some great trips. Safe travels, stay healthy, and we’ll catch you next week!
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