PZ26.com

The temperatures are sending the thermometer’s mercury skywards and flowers and babies seem to be popping up everywhere. The great outdoors is a pleasant place to be right now. Inspired by what the majority of you are hankering for right now, here are five outside-the-box ways to take your movement outdoors.

Hiking
Hiking, as most of us come to realize at one point or another, is just walking with a scenic overlook. And surprisingly, no matter where you live, there are a plenty of hikes to take you through meadows, woodlands, and by waterfalls. Who knew? LocalHikes.com is an incredibly comprehensive site with lots of comments and advice direct from hikers who’ve taken the suggested trails. AmericanTrails.org is a well-organized compendium showing trails where you can walk, run or ride your horse or mountain bike. TrailLink.org has info on more than 30,000 trails nationwide, and is synced with Google Maps and Google biking directions. Site users can also upload photos so you can get a preview of your potential trail destination.

Yoga
Taking your sun salutations outside can energize your practice in a deep way. Imagine, if you will, a sun salutation where you actually salute the sun. Pretty coo, huh? Check Meetup.com for yoga groups that take their yoga to parks and green spaces in urban areas. Or take your personal practice to your backyard or Central Park with this outdoor yoga series you can do on your own.

Swimming
You can always go for a round of laps at your local gym, but why not get a group of friends together and seek out one of 1,000 swimming holes in the US? You’ll likely have to hike to get to your hidden spot which will make the eventual arrival at a cool, hidden spring all the more delightful. Check out SwimmingHoles.org to see what’s in your area.

Play
When was the last time you settled yourself into a swing and pumped your legs until you were reaching the sky? Go to the playground with your kids, and instead of watching from the park bench, join in. Chase them, push them in the swing, throw a frisbee, kick a soccer ball. Watch the way your children are naturally physical and present in their bodies and embrace the fun of being active. No kids? Get together a group of friends on Sunday afternoon for a game of catch.

Team sports
Joining an informal sports league is a really great way to be physical and social at the same time. Often, practice extends into getting coffee or just hanging out, which, if you’re looking for companionship as well as exercise, is a perfect pairing. Your local YMCA, Craigslist.org and Meetup.com are all good places to check for groups playing everything from bocce to soccer to softball to horseshoes.

Let the truth be heard: According to a new study, eating small servings of chocolate daily could decrease your risk of having a heart attack or stroke by almost 40 percent.

While previous studies have linked heart health and dark chocolate, this is the first long term study (one that followed 20,000 people for over eight years) to report such delicious results.

Is my happiness hitting you through your computer screen? Chocolate and I are good friends.

So what is it about the sweet stuff that makes it the perfect snack for health and happiness? Researchers believe it to be the Flavonols, similar to those found in both veggies and red wine, that help muscles in blood vessels to relax, leading to a drop in blood pressure.

It’s no wonder why a little nibble of chocolate after a long and stressful day seems to soothe and calm.  It actually can.

More research is necessary to discover the direct correlation between small (and we mean small: roughly one square of a chocolate bar) doses of chocolate and good health. But for now, feel free to help yourself to a (small) serving of the decedent stuff daily–guilt-free.