Nature and Joy: a Collaborative Approach to Whole Body Wellness

Nature and

Joy

A Collaborative Approach to Whole Body Wellness

BY KERRY KINCY

TERESA JOHNSON PHOTOS

"Nature makes us feel alive...”

One quarter of a mile before reaching the entrance gates to Fort Hill Farms, I could feel my spine relaxing. I had been lulled into reverie with the preceding two miles through this little sleepy town that led me to meet Kristin Orr. Kristin leads and facilitates her personalized Boundless Energy, Joyercise fitness sessions, held individually or in small groups on her farm. The sessions are open to women 18 years and older, and are personalized according to the goals of the individual.

Upon turning in, I was dazzled and welcomed to the property by vivacious, ruby-red winterberry bushes popping with vibrant color. I’m not sure I could have chosen a better day to take the hour ride to Thompson, which sits quietly in the farthest northeast corner of our state. The sun was shining and the fall colors were just at their

"Nature makes us feel alive...”

peak as I drove North along 395. Nature makes us feel alive and vital and it renews and restores us continuously, allowing us to feel better, to think well and to deepen our understanding of others and ourselves. The drive itself felt healthy.

After exploring the gardens, and as I walked toward the corn maze, I noticed one other vehicle nearby. Despite the howling wind, a petite woman appeared, holding an enormous bundle of branches and tinder. I couldn’t see her face and wasn’t sure if the energy in her step was because she was utilizing the momentum of the gusts - or if she was really cold and seeking refuge from the wind. She loaded the bundle into her Jeep singlehandedly, never putting her heap of branches on the ground, and this is the perfect way to describe Kristin, founder of the Boundless Energy: Joyercize program. She’s a positively radiant individual who shares a huge grin (and an incredible passion for nature) with adults who are hoping to find joy through exercising outdoors.

I’d read about Kristin’s own boundless energy and the connections she had personally made over the years to nature - and how she herself had discovered more joy and happiness in the process. More importantly, I learned about the sometimes-forgotten connections between mind and body that, once

realized, have benefits for whole body wellness. Kristin’s program utilizes the natural gifts of the land she works, to enhance the workouts she leads with others.

Kristin explained that many people find going to the gym to work out, or taking a fitness class, overwhelming. Many of us have experienced this: we’re not confident among a sea of experts, or simply intimidated by the machines. Maybe we’re just plain selfconscious. But if going to the gym feels like work, then it will always be work - and exercise should never feel defeating. “You should feel joyous while

exercising,” said Kristin. “The idea of being inside a building, with florescent lights, on cold machines or even worse, sticky and sweaty ones,” she giggled, “why would anyone choose that over being outside here or anywhere, in nature, exercising and feeling joy at the same time?” Indeed.

We have our conversation as Kristin runs up to a pumpkin station to help a familiar customer choose the best pumpkin, then returns to the creamery to scoop two cones of ice cream, and in the midst of it all, prepares for the arrival of her private clients for their

individualized dose of Joyercize. Kristin’s boundless energy commands your attention, and even on the windiest (and chilliest) days, is completely infectious.

Her clients today - Mrs. Van Nieuwenhuyze and her daughter Lynn - have begun weekly Joyercise sessions, utilizing the benefits of working out in nature and finding joy in the experience. Memory disease can leave people like Mrs. Van Nieuwenhuyze (and their caregivers), feeling tired, less joyful, more anxious, and even agitated. Behavior and personality often change

"You should feel joyous while exercising...”

"Kristin’s program utilizes the natural gifts of the land she works, to enhance the workouts she leads with others.”

"When you arrive at Fort Hill Farms, you become part of nature’s delight...”

with dementia, and adjusting both mind and body to those ever-changing symptoms is hard work. Dementia can also alter how a person responds to different environments. Noise, crowds and activity may be overstimulating - difficult to process and understand.

Lynn and her mom decided Kristin’s program would be perfect for them to try together: “Joyercise is rooted in a lifeaffirming physical space that is safe, non-clinical and emotionally, spiritually and physically stimulating.” Lynn explained. She shared that it’s not only a feel-good, natural

stimulation to the senses, but also, she realizes that someday, she may not be able to share these experiences with her mother, so these memories are important to create. For Lynn’s mother, familiarity is helpful; Kristin incorporates the normalcy of the routines her mom had in the days before dementia, and she gets to feel like herself again. Memories of drives together, taking in the beauty of the town she’s lived and raised her children in - there’s a safeness and familiarity that eases her, and allows her to feel a sense of self and contribution to her family again.

Part of their individualized Joyercize routine includes bringing milk home for her husband, and of course, celebrating achieving her wellness goals with two scoops of chocolate ice cream. Lynn shares that there’s peace and joy in the ordinary - yet, for her and her mom, extraordinary - time spent with Kristin. Even though her mother may not recollect the time spent there together, the subsequent hours left in the day feel calmer for both of them. “Kristin exemplifies what making the most out of life everyday looks like.”

"Kristin is the very special connection that bridges the gap between joy, exercise and nature.”

"Kristin is the very special connection that bridges the gap between joy, exercise and nature.”

Kristin

Participating in the session with Mrs. Van Nieuwenhuyze, Lynn and Kristin was a privilege; I was able to witness firsthand the effects that joy and exercise can have on the human spirit. Kristin is the very special connection that bridges the gap between joy, exercise and nature. Effortlessly, she promotes the many benefits that being outdoors can have for all of us, whether strong or weak in our exploration, both physically and for our emotional wellbeing. When you arrive at Fort Hill Farms, you become part of nature’s delight; whether it’s the song of the birds or the sheer enormity of the rolling hills, there’s strength in connecting to nature, and the satisfaction and vitality it brings.

Kristin provides these opportunities to give her clients the tools to invite joy into their lives through workout sessions on the farm. These experiences actively engage all the senses and nourish the whole body in meaningful ways. Each client I spoke to was happy that they had chosen this natural approach to wellness. The exploration and discovery of themselves in the process only added to the success they felt physically in their bodies. The relationships created between nature connectedness and happiness appeared to be positive and significant. Nature’s restorative effects may just explain Kristin’s boundless energy that envelops not only her acres of farmland, but everyone who has the chance to stand with her in the sunlight, and witness her radiant joy.

FORT HILL FARMS is located at 260 Quaddick Rd. In Thompson, CT. For more information, call Kristin Orr at 860-923-3439, or email herrootsrundeep@gmail.com.