I don’t exercise in a gym. I don’t use weights, machines or equipment of any kind. I rarely do push-ups, sit-ups or other repetitive exercises.

I am fit simply through moving naturally. I run, I walk, I climb, I balance I swim… I go on epic adventures.

Epic Adventures : The Ultimate Workout

It all started as a mission to find Skoo, a badly named but infamous hangout spot somewhere in the woods behind my house. Skoo had been talked about for years, but none of us had ever been there. We were told it was a perfect stretch of golden sand along a crystal blue river. We were told the trees hung lazily, shielding you from the sun. We were told the fish jumped six feet high and the birds sang in perfect harmony. We were told Bigfoot and his wife danced the tango on this golden floor.

Okay maybe not the last one but you get the idea: Skoo was epic and we had to find it.

And so we set off into the woods. Four 16 year old bros on a mission, and nothing, not even Bigfoot’s swinging hips, would stand in our way.

We pushed forward like an army of four, hurdling trees and crossing rivers. Creating battles and fighting them. Up fallen logs and down muddy banks. Ever onward like four nerds who actually knew where they were going.

Four hours later we staggered through my front door, looking like we had challenged a mountain lion to a cage-fight. We were caked in mud, exhausted, but smiling.

We never did find Skoo; the crystalline waters, golden sand and rhythmic hairiness somehow eluded us. In the process however, we found something else. Something better. We found a way of staying in shape, of having fun and testing our limits that has stayed with me ever since. I call it the Epic Adventure.

Since that first day many years ago, I have been on dozens of epic adventures- making a fire along the rivers frozen bank, chasing and tracking deer, exploring the jungles of Costa Rica and India… Never growing tired of the beauty of nature and the challenge of testing my physical limits in fun and explorative ways.

Even today, I still exercise in this way.

And I know I am happier and fitter because of it.

A Beginners Guide to Being Epic

The name says it all…Epic Adventure. Nature and movement is all that is needed. A boyish sense of reckless abandon is encouraged :)

To get started, simply spend 30 minutes or more in nature, moving in whatever way you feel inclined to move. It really doesn’t matter what you do, simply being in nature will give you immense health benefits. Go for a trail run, swim in the ocean, climb a tree. Better yet, combine them all into one flowing and explorative… Adventure.

Breathe in the clean, rejuvenating air. Bask in the suns healing rays. Be present. Soak up the good energy in the woods.

Why Time Spent in Nature is So Important

Picture yourself in a cubicle, punching away at your keyboard, your eyes dropping from hours of staring at your monitor, the rhythmic drone of the air conditioner ringing through the office.

Now picture yourself in the woods. The sun filtering through the green leaves of the treetops, a cool breeze gently kissing your skin.

When you look at it this way, it’s so obvious that one is naturally conducive to disease and unhappiness while the other would fill you with energy and vitality. Yet when it comes to total health, time spent in nature is often overlooked or disregarded completely.

With our busy lives, constant distractions, and growing lack of forests, we are more thoroughly disconnected from nature then we ever have been. And it’s not our fault. For years we have been striving to tame nature, to mold it to suit our desires, and unfortunately, we have succeeded. However, in our haste we have forgotten a critical aspect of life on earth. Something absolutely vital to our health. Something programmed in our very DNA.

Think about it. Humans have been living in nature far longer than in the social conventions, never ending media, and unnatural living patterns that is modern society. For thousands of years our ancestors ran, swam and climbed the planet as hunter gatherers, living every moment in nature.

In the same way that animals plucked from the wild and placed in zoos develop physical and mental abnormalities, our way of life is innately flawed. Our unnatural existence spawns disease, obesity and depression for one simple reason: It is unnatural to our biology as human beings on earth.

Final Thoughts

Consider yourself lucky. You are one of the few people who are even aware of how destructive this “zoo human” existence is to our physical and mental wellbeing. Many people are suffering yet fail to realize the underlying cause of their pain. Let’s change that. My goal is to help bring natural movement mainstream, to question peoples ideas about health and fitness, and to initiate a movement of people who are regaining their strength and vitality one epic adventure at a time.

Are you in?

Decide to better yourself, your relationships, and the planet by making a positive shift in your life today.

To your health and happiness,

Logan