10 Ways to Embrace Adventure at Any Age

About 30 minutes into my trail runs I get that feeling described as The Zone.

At this point I've jogged away the grogginess of the early morning. I'm scanning the trail ahead for obstacles while dodging tree roots, hopping streams and carefully placing my feet to avoid a tumble. I'm intensely present. A lift in mood comes over me — and with it mental clarity.

This mindfulness is our emotional response to what mental health experts broadly define as adventurous activities — any undertaking that requires focus on the task at hand. Being in nature helps, but the activity doesn't need to be risky or even physically demanding, only one that challenges us, appeals to our curiosity or requires us to learn something new.

"It can be as simple as scavenger hunts on walks, exploring the surrounding areas," says Hillary Cauthen, PsyD, CMPC, and executive board member for the Association for Applied Sport Psychology. "The real question is: Which activity do you need to assist in providing you the core coping and emotional boost at the time? This mindset will add clarity, confidence and enhanced creativity."

See the following 10 low-risk, big-reward ideas for attainable adventures.

The positive impact of outdoor adventure on the mental well-being of young adults has been documented in the Journal of Adolescence.

But Sarah Goldman, director of Professional & Virtual Programs for Outward Bound, says adults have a lot to gain from regularly challenging themselves, too, particularly in an outdoor environment.

An "adventure" can be any activity that breaks the patterns or routines we've set for ourselves, says Goldman, adding that most of the adults in her outdoor leadership activity are trying skills — like rock climbing — in the Outward Bound programs for the first time.

Never kayaked? Take a class that teaches the basics. Want to learn how to mountain bike? Or, what about sailing? Give it a try.

"The value in these courses for adults has a much different significance than it does for teenagers," says Goldman. "These experiences hold a mirror up for them. The lack of distraction allows them to take stock and take inventory and go back to their normal routine with a different perspective."

Haven't climbed a tree since you were a kid? Then this sounds like the perfect time. Organizations like Piedmont Tree Climbing provide the equipment and teach how to climb safely. "It's so important — that deliberate pursuit of challenge," says Goldman. "As adults, we forget how good that feels. We need that reminder of what we can do and what we're capable of."

On my morning trail runs, I often pass the same photographer toting a tripod. He's always smiling, clearly enjoying his hunt for the perfect shot — what naturopathic physician Dr. Taryn Forrelli calls an "awe activity."

"All of my best thoughts happen out on the trails," says Dr. Forrelli, who says you can enjoy beneficial brain chemistry created simply by being out in nature. "Just being in the presence of forest environments lowers cortisol, the body’s main stress hormone," she says. "So much goodness comes from being surrounded by nature. That in itself is a form of medicine."