7 Tips to Get Your Princess Girlfriend Into Outdoor Activities

Does your girlfriend book a therapy session every time she sees a spider?

For her, shopping for wooden furniture counts as taking a nature walk?

And when the escalators are broken, she asks you to carry her up the stairs?

In short, your sweetheart likes to take it easy and you're wondering how you'll manage to convince her to share your passion for outdoor physical activities?

In the following text, you'll find some tips to transform your luxury scaredy-cat into Lara Croft.

1. Respect Who She Is

Funny to say, but it's essential: accept her as she is and do what you usually do, trust nature. If she notices your big happy guy face every time you come back from an outdoor activity, she'll eventually wonder what the secret to your happiness is.

And then you might be in trouble!

Because if she can't understand your passion for the outdoors, she might well imagine that you're seeing another girl...

So take this conversion seriously, but give her space and forget your performance and competition criteria. Unless your girlfriend is very competitive by nature and challenging her becomes a source of motivation, avoid pushing her or questioning her efforts. Congratulate her on her progress, while being sincere (if you overdo it, she'll think you're mocking her or trying to sweet-talk her).

You can change someone's habits without changing their deep nature. To achieve this, you need to be honest in your intentions.

Be clear with her and mention that you'd like her to accompany you on your outdoor outings. Describe how you feel when you're in nature and how it would be amplified if she could share that with you. Be ready to make efforts to make it enjoyable for her and above all keep hope - with patience, you can achieve anything.

2. Listen and Take It Easy

Two major reasons can explain why someone doesn't like being in nature as an adult: they experienced a disturbing event there, or they weren't used to discomfort or the unexpected.

Survival is a very powerful instinct that guides our actions often without us being fully aware of it. So you need to listen to your girlfriend's fears and avoid trivializing or denigrating them.

Maybe in her childhood, she experienced something terrible in the woods. She may have even repressed memories of these events, so rushing her is really not a good idea (even if you think you're as strong as Dr. Phil and you're certain you know her well).

It's important that you listen to her needs and the feelings that fuel her resistance. Then you can take time to present facts to help her rationalize things. Show her articles, show her proof of what you're saying.

If your girlfriend is afraid of encountering wild animals, you can mention that it's quite rare and that animals tend to flee from us. You can also start with more urban trails to help her gain confidence (yes, I know there are some psychopathic squirrels at Mont-Royal, but there's a way to avoid them).

If your girlfriend doesn't like getting dirty, you can reassure her that it's not necessary to roll in mud to have fun in the woods. Start with developed trails and avoid going hiking after a storm (if your girlfriend doesn't like getting dirty, starting with mountain biking might not be a good idea).

If she goes crazy with mosquitoes, stack the odds in your favor by initiating activities on water, by bike, in fall or winter - basically in a context where bugs are less in a position of strength. When she's connected to the happiness of doing an outdoor activity with you, she'll eventually find ways to accompany you despite her discomforts.

Above all, learn to better understand what she likes and suggest an activity that's likely to please her. Essential at the beginning: suggest activities that are within her physical fitness level, not too long, nor too intense.

3. Emphasize the "Shape"

Body appearance is a constant concern for the majority of women.

Fitness is also a better quality of life for everyone. If your girlfriend isn't inclined toward physical activities in general, nature could well become the ideal theater for her transformation. Physical activity is in the DNA of all humans and moving in nature is much less constraining than a gym or organized sport.

In nature, we feel less like we're making efforts, we don't have to constrain ourselves to as many rules, we can go at our own pace.

And if she resists your health arguments, there's no shortage of studies to prove the importance of moving. If the rational argument has no hold on her motivation, insist on what she feels after moving. Weight maintenance, cardio improvement, sleep and mood quality are just a few examples of physical and psychological aspects that improve when we move.

Remind her how proud she is when, for the first time in summer, she puts on her bathing suit and realizes she still fits in it. Well yes, she'll be able to continue eating chips (sometimes) and keep her shape, and even improve it (on this fact, you'd better keep that to yourself...).

4. Accept Doing Something You're Not Entirely Comfortable With

Yes, because if you ask your other half to step out of her comfort zone by agreeing to follow you on your outdoor adventures, you'll also have to expect to make efforts to do the same.

Reciprocity is one of the most interesting dimensions of couple dynamics and you'd be crazy not to take advantage of the opportunity to broaden your horizons.

And stepping out of your comfort zone to get closer to your girlfriend could well look like stimulating your zen gene more.

I can assure you that every girl's heart melts before beauty. Nature is full of it. Doing physical activity in nature is therefore an ideal setting to bring you closer together.

Concretely, if the lady wants to spend 3 hours by a waterfall listening to the sound of flowing water, it means you should expect to shorten your list of objectives. Sure, you won't have time to complete the 5 km you wanted to do, to show her the viewpoint you had planned on your route, but is it really that important?

If she enjoys soaking her feet and sunbathing on a rock for hours, don't rush her too much to force her to conform to your habits. Take into consideration the efforts she's made to familiarize herself with your world.

Romance is the zen gene that activates when there are two of you.

Do something with her that you wouldn't think to do if she weren't there. In nature, there are plenty of activities to amplify that feeling of being alone in the world.

Having a picnic by a river.

Going to see the stars at the top of a mountain.

Going to sleep in a shelter by a lake.

Snowshoeing on a full moon night.

Whatever you decide to do, keep her needs and interests in mind and adapt to this new reality.

5. Use Her Friends

Well, at first glance, this might look like a form of manipulation - using her friends to achieve your goals - but in the end, your girlfriend might end up thanking you for your initiative.

You'd be surprised by the pulling power that friends can have on a person. When your entire network of friends is involved in something, it's hard to resist the wave, for fear of being excluded or missing an important event.

And believe me, nature outings are often the theater of memorable memories, especially when they happen in a group. And if your girlfriend is the type who likes having attention on her, she'll always prefer to understand the reference to inside jokes circulating in her friend group - she'll be the one insisting on following you.

If you think about it properly, there are surely people in your sweetheart's network who are active or who like the outdoors and who could join you (at least at the beginning). You got it - it's time to invite them.

Having a new experience in a group with people we're comfortable with gives us confidence and pushes us to step out of our comfort zone more easily, so that's another advantage.

If your girlfriend is more of the sociable type, it might also be an opportunity to join an outdoor group to make new connections. Being part of a group is a good way to maintain interest in outdoor activities.

6. Buy Her Clothes

You'll be surprised to learn that many girls won't want to do outdoor activities just because they're not equipped and don't know what to wear to go in the woods. Yes, I know, it might seem a bit futile, but it's the truth.

Don't try to convince her that deer don't care what she looks like - you'll just waste your time. Because in her genes there's something that tells her that in the woods there are also handsome outdoorsmen, but especially "other girls" who will surely have cute fashion kits to excite their males.

Moreover, comfort is essential and for girls, appearance is part of the definition of the word. If your girlfriend isn't comfortable with what she has to wear, you're likely to never be able to take her to a place wilder than Lafontaine Park.

Since you're an outdoor enthusiast, you know which piece of clothing is most important for practicing your favorite sport. Go shopping with her, make sure she chooses something she likes and will be excited to wear.

You'll be surprised by the effect this piece of clothing will have on her motivation to follow you.

7. Prepare Your Outings and Reserve a Surprise for Her

Preparation is the key to success. Prepare your bag in advance and plan everything in its place. Make sure to choose trails adapted to her physical condition.

For the first outings, stack all odds in your favor: choose a sunny day, plan all technical details, make sure you know the way to the destination well; carry the bag yourself if necessary, but make sure she's comfortable and free from all stress.

End the day beautifully with a surprise: a meal at a trendy restaurant, an evening at the spa, a comedy show... whatever, the important thing is to make the first outing an unforgettable experience.

In closing, be certain of one thing: if your girlfriend has decided to walk part of the way with you, it's because somewhere inside, she knows that your passion for the outdoors has contributed to making you the person she loves.

And if you haven't yet dared to take the step to include your other half in what you love doing most, you seriously need to question the reasons that motivate this exclusion.

Nature is an idyllic setting for advancing a couple's relationship. It's in this context that people are most authentic. Doing outdoor activities with the one you've chosen might be the best way you'll ever have to know who she is.

Why should you deprive yourself of this happiness?