Getting Outside with Merrell and Zappos

*sponsored by Zappos*

I don’t need to tell anyone that it’s an unprecedented time. Everyone is feeling the effects of stay-at-home orders and social distancing during this global pandemic. While I consider myself extremely privileged to still be employed and able to work from home, I can’t pretend it hasn’t had negative effects on my mental health. As someone whose main coping mechanism is to go outside when I am feeling anxious or down, being forced indoors has definitely been tough. Most of our public lands in Washington State are closed until further notice, and even if they weren’t, driving to them feels like an irresponsible decision since I would be potentially risking the health of people in remote communities in my quest for adventure. Luckily, it’s still possible to get outside responsibly, you just have to adjust your mindset.

Earlier this year, I started planning some big mountaineering objectives and I originally snagged these Merrell Bravada low hikers as approach shoes. I hate wearing my mountaineering boots so I love having a lightweight low hiker for the easier parts of the trail. They turned out to be equally great for walking around my neighborhood trails with Kuma. I love that they don’t have that standard bulky hiking boot look, even though they have many of the same features. This makes them perfect for low key city adventures as well as the trails once they are open again! Zappos has fast and free shipping with a 365-day return policy so I can be sure my shoes will stand up to the beating I put them through. You can purchase the Merrell Bravada low hikers here.

While social distancing measures are in effect, I have drastically changed how I get outside. I only go to places I can access by human power to make sure I keep my impact local. For me, this includes biking, running and walking. Instead of letting this feel constricting, I have decided to view it as a great opportunity to explore my own neighborhood with my dog Kuma. To respect the guidelines of social distancing, I have avoided popular parks that I know tend to be crowded in favor of hidden gems I have been finding on Google Maps. The trails and green area from this blog post happen to be four blocks away from my house and I barely saw anyone on them while I was exploring. The main bike and walking path in this park is super wide so I can easily keep six feet between myself and anyone else on the path. The other trails are narrower, so I visit them during less busy times of the day.

Since I can’t train as hard as I would like, I have been bringing my yoga mat with me to my local park to get more in tune with how my body is feeling. I am the worst at recovery exercises which has led to a lot of avoidable overuse injuries in the past. Having this time to sit outside and stretch in the sun has already had noticeable effects on how tight and sore my body has been feeling after my workouts. I’ve even been able to pick up new skills like working on my headstands. It’s a great reminder for me to slow down for the little stuff and not to push myself so hard all of the time. I am hoping once this ends I can keep this practice going and avoid injuries in the future!

It’s still possible to get outside and have fun while respecting the rules of social distancing. I’d love to hear in the comments how you have been getting your outdoor time in! I hope you all are staying safe out there. Eventually, this will be over and we will all be on the trails again. I can’t wait to test out the Merrell Bravada Waterproof hikers on the side of a mountain and be sure to check out Zappos.com to get your own pair so you are ready for the outdoors! Hopefully, I will see some of you out there! #GotItOnZappos #MerrellOutside #CreateYourTrail