Why Carrie Underwood Likes Going Outside

American Idol winner Carrie Underwood is serious about living a healthy lifestyle. Here’s why she says going outside is so important.

Carrie Underwood spent a lot of time outdoors as a child

Carrie Underwood says she spent a lot of time outdoors when she was a child. Most of her days were spent watching the animals and running around the farm. She says she and her friends were usually “running wild” since they didn’t have a lot of TV channels to choose from.

“My friends and I spent a lot of time outside, hunting for snakes, scooping tadpoles and turtles out of the pond to look at them, catching frogs in the ditch or fireflies in the fields at dusk (and letting them go again), chasing each other through the pastures and backyards and little stands of trees here and there,” wrote Underwood in her book Find Your Path. “My family didn’t have cable, so we had maybe five TV channels. What else was I gonna do but go play outside?”

Why Carrie Underwood likes to go outside

Underwood says a simple way to stay healthy is to spend time outside. She says time outdoors could be as simple as taking a walk. You might even feel compelled to do a cartwheel, roll around in the grass, or go for a run.

“Remember when you were a kid, how you used to play outside, running around, rolling in the grass, climbing trees?” wrote Underwood. “There’s no reason you can’t do some of that now, as an adult. These days, many of us don’t get outside much, but it’s healthy to be out in the sunshine and the fresh air. You could start by taking a walk or a hike in a local park or wilderness area, or even just around your own neighborhood.”

Carrie Underwood says you can stay active by playing with your kids

If you have children or little ones around, join them during their outdoor time. Underwood advises playing with your kids instead of just watching them while you sit on a bench.  

“Take your kids to the playground and don’t just sit on the bench—play with them!” she wrote. “Run around, walk barefoot in the grass, take deep breaths of the fresh air. If you’re up for it, you could even see if you remember how to do a cartwheel, or climb a tree, or just run for no reason.”

She discourages spending too much time indoors

Underwood says spending too much time indoors can cause you to you feel disconnected. For her, it feels like “waking up” when she goes out and experiences the world. One benefit of getting out is that you’ll likely experience an instant lift in your mood.

Spending too much time inside, especially staring at a television or a computer screen, can make people feel disconnected from themselves. Going outside and looking around at the real world can feel like waking up again. Get out there and reconnect with your physical body. Start by trying to be outside for just a few minutes every day and work up from there.

You don’t have to do anything fancy. Even if you just step outside and breathe the fresh air and feel the sun and the wind and listen to the birds, it can totally change your mood.

Carrie Underwood in ‘Find Your Path’

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