Name: Laura Park Figueroa, MS, OTR/L
Location: Berkeley, CA
Practice Area: Entrepreneurship & Pediatrics
Favorite Occupation: Hike reading (it’s a thing!)
How often do you engage in your favorite occupation?
“2-3 times per week for 1-2 hours.”
What do you get out of it?
“Fresh air, sunshine, exercise, intellectual stimulation, new ideas, mental clarity, reduction of visual fatigue, happiness, stress reduction.”
What does it mean to your lyfe?
“I realized when starting my PhD program a few years ago that the amount of reading required was overwhelming. I hated being so sedentary sitting or lying around reading all the time. I decided to take my reading on a hike with me and now I LOVE doing my reading. I see it as a way to get exercise AND finish schoolwork. It’s an efficient and effective use of my limited time during the week and makes me look forward to doing all of my reading. I walk slowly and try to choose trails that are wide and easily navigated so that my attention can be on the book or article in front of me. And the best thing is that I can look around at all of the beauty surrounding me to give my eyes a much-needed rest as I read for several hours at a time. Hiking in nature while reading allows me to really let new ideas from my reading sink into my mind. I can stop reading for a bit and just walk and think whenever I want to. It is truly my favorite occupation as it combines two of my favorites: reading and hiking. :)”
I can honestly say that I have never tried this before, but may need to start incorporating this into my routine. Anyone else participate in hike reading?
