Being outside and immersed in the magic of nature is an important part of a healthy lifestyle!

 

 
     Hi there, it’s Elaine Gardner, the founder of DesignYourHealthyLife.com. Today I want to talk about the healing power of nature. I’m very fortunate because I have this little beauty that you see behind me, this beautiful pond, just up the street from my house. And I also have a large yard at my house with a lot of wildlife, which we truly enjoy. It’s why we live in the house that we do. We actually have a very tiny house, especially for a family of four, but we really love our yard and the wildlife that comes through it.

     Nature is just so incredibly magical to me, and something that we often get very disconnected from. We’re driving in cars all day, and sitting in office buildings, and we spend so much time indoors that we forget the simple beauty and the magical healing that can come from being outdoors in nature and enjoying it. And certainly everyone has a different connection to nature. For me, my absolute favorite place to be is at the ocean, and my favorite nature sound is ocean waves. But the sound of rustling leaves is a close second to that.

     And the warmer months are what speaks to me, and that’s no mystery as I’m sure I’ve talked to you about it before. For some people, they love the winter months and they’re magical for them. Some people love skiing, and the cold, and that just makes me feel like wanting to hibernate. I do have a little theory about that. As mammals we are meant to have a partial hibernation and that’s a natural response on the part of our bodies to do so. But anyway, the Earth is so incredibly healing and it’s such an important part of a healthy lifestyle to identify what speaks to you about nature, and to get outside and to enjoy it.

     And it’s not just enjoyment that benefits your health. There are healing properties that aren’t easily defined, things that we don’t see, such as the energy and the vibration of healing. And the Earth itself is just incredible for what it can do. There are studies that show that Earthing, (which is just the technique of being connected to the Earth with your bare skin), can change the levels of stress hormones in your body and reset your sleeping and waking cycles when they’re off. It can even help people when they travel internationally to get adjusted to a new time schedule.

     So 20 minutes of bare skin on the ground (can’t be a manmade surface) can do amazing things for you. And if you practice that technique on a daily basis, there’s been a lot of studies that show how incredibly healing it is. It can be ant-inflammatory and help the body’s healing processes. And there’s also some simple tools that you can use, when it’s not possible to be outside and connected to the Earth. But those are just some examples of the incredible healing power of nature.

     So I’m encouraging you today to get a sense of what your relationship with nature is and to try to connect more deeply and more often with the things that really serve you in the natural world. I always want you to have the tools to develop the health that you need, to live the life that you deserve. Until next time, see you soon.