Think Exercise and Hydration Many hotels have exercise rooms and swimming pools, but also ask for a walk- ing map of the area to explore interesting sights on foot. State and national parks provide scenic and invigorating hiking trails. Bring a daypack for healthful snacks and water.


Note that people often mistake hun- ger for thirst, and it’s easy to become de- hydrated when travelling. Keep a refillable water bottle to refresh and reenergize.


Here’s to fun, safe and healthy travels.


Melinda Hemmelgarn, aka the “Food Sleuth”, is a registered dietitian and award-winning writer and radio host at kopn.org, in Columbia, MO. She co-created F.A.R.M.: Food, Art, Revolu- tion Media to support organic farmers (Enduring-Image.blogspot.com). Reach her at FoodSleuth@gmail.com.


Health Food Finds on the Road


Eat Well Everywhere part of the Eat Well Guide


Locate real, good food via zip code or city and state. EatWellGuide.org (free)


Local Harvest Find a farmers’ market by product or location. LocalHarvest.org (free)


Vegetarian Journal’s Guide to Natural Foods Restaurants in the U.S. and Canada Search by state and city to find the healthiest fare. vrg.org/restaurant/ index.php (free)


Bon’ App Track calories of healthy food ac- cessed nearby. Bon-App.com (free)


Locavore App


Identify seasonal, local food and pin- point nearby farmers’ markets. GetLocavore.com (free)


Happy Cow App Enjoy this compassionate guide to vegan and vegetarian-friendly restau- rants. Tinyurl.com/6rt2dbq


iVegetarian App Locate healthy and sustainable vegetarian restaurants. Tinyurl. com/6orgcq3 (free)


BORN TO EXPLORE by Joe Robinson I


t happens to all of us. We wake up one day and realize that we have been here before—just like yesterday and the day before that. Today is des- tined to be the same as all the others: safe, comfortable… and boring. Often, we need to engage in new experiences to be more vital and happy. Research from psychiatrist and neurosci- entist Dr. Gregory Berns, Ph.D., author of Satisfaction, shows that our brains benefit from new experiences so much so that the process releases the feel-good chemical dopamine. According to a study published in the journal Neuron, it is even triggered by the mere expecta- tion of a new experience. Researchers call this the “exploration bonus.” We are born to explore. Dr. Norman Doidge, author of The Brain that Changes Itself, maintains that connections be- tween brain neurons, called dendrites, develop in response to new experiences, and they shrink or vanish altogether if they’re not stimulated with new informa- tion. To keep our brains happy, we have to keep moving forward into the new. If novelty feels so good and does good things for us, why do we usually stick with what we know? The answer lies deep in the emotional center of the brain, called the amygdala, which perceives the unknown as potentially threatening. As a result, we often over- estimate the potential risk inherent in a new experience and underestimate the consequences of playing it safe. The good news is that we can over- ride this default. Here are some practical


ways to build the necessary life skills— our venture aptitude—to pursue new experiences and really start living. Do it to do it. When you approach an experience with this attitude, there is no harm to your self-worth because your objective isn’t the result, but the experi- ence; the pursuit of knowledge, chal- lenge or enjoyment—and that’s egoless. Advance into the fear. You inflame


fear by running from it, and you reduce it with every step that you take facing straight at it.


Make the unknown more know-


able. Knowledge trumps irrational fears. Talk to others that have par- ticipated in experiences you wish to engage in. Do research. Don’t look at the mountaintop.


Break down big goals (running a race, acting in a neighborhood play) into small, incremental goals (running around the block, taking a beginner’s voice class) to build competence and confidence. Dabble. Sample the offerings. Try


several different classes or events to see which ones excite you the most. Judge your life by how much you


try, not by the results. That removes the fear and alibis, and puts you squarely in the center of the place where you are at your happiest—absorbed in life- affirming experiences.


Joe Robinson is a work-life-balance trainer and coach, and author of Don’t Miss Your Life. He shares motivational essays at DontMissYourLife.net.


natural awakenings June 2012 23


inspiration


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