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Think about the last time you were walking barefoot on the beach. I bet it felt great, but why exactly? Was it the sun? The ocean? The sand? Whatever the reason, there is a different energy around bodies of water (including rivers, lakes, and streams) and when we are barefoot outside. When you pay attention it’s easy to recognize. It’s intuitive, natural, it just seems like a healthy place to be right?
The hard science around grounding is pretty thin, but while it’s great to have “proof” something works, we don’t have enough lifetimes to wait for this. There is a vast supply of electrons on the earth’s surface that we have been in contact with for millennia, but our modern lifestyles have disconnected us from them. We wear shoes and spend too much time indoors, which many believe is a direct contributor to body inflammation.
Inflammation is being shown to be at the root of just about any chronic health disorder including chronic pain, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, arthritis, cancer, and many others. Our bodies are on fire, and grounding seems to help put out the flames through the transfer of negatively charged electrons into the body where they neutralize the positively charged free radicals that promote inflammation. Click here to nerd out on some of the research done to date.
We need to live an “anti-inflammatory” lifestyle in every way that we can. There are many simple ways to do this and as usual, they have to do with basic lifestyle choices that the majority of us simply do not do on a regular basis.
Grounding is free, simple, fun, and a natural part of our evolution. It’s part of nature, and nature heals us plain and simple. We do not need a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trial with 500,000 people over 15 years to tell us this. Just take your shoes off and go outside:) Grass, dirt, concrete all of it works, but I prefer grass and dirt myself.
I have monitored my HRV (heart rate variability) for years now. This is an excellent measure of recovery, energy levels, and ability to perform at a given level. It's the space between each heartbeat, and it should be varied like a symphony.
For example, every time I go camping and sleep outside, walk around barefoot, take a dip in the river or lake, etc., it always shoots up. Always. Check out the night of July 4th last month. This is the highest HRV I have ever had in fact:
Exactly what it is supposed to look like, a slow, steady, varied upward climb throughout the night. In fact, if you look where there is a little data missing, you can see it likely would’ve been even higher. High HRV & low heart rate = kick-ass state of recovery. This means I feel on point and my body is keeping inflammation levels well under control. Awesome sauce. The link I included earlier on some of the science includes HRV data from a double-blind study.
Last week on Instagram Live @emmalombardiwellness and I dug a little deeper into the topic of grounding, including different ways to accomplish it indoors. Please visit either one of our Instagram Bio's to see the recording of the session under, "Coach Snacks", where all of or sessions live.
As a health coach, it’s my job to support my clients in their health goals. Part of this is holding them accountable for the steps they commit to which can totally transform their health. Most of us know some of what we should be doing, but we don’t do it until it's too late. Disease prevention and feeling awesome is a choice for the vast majority of us.
Lastly, don’t forget to follow me on Instagram below where I am always posting on a variety of useful and easy ways to build health inside the body instead of disease. It is about breaking free. To learn more check out my website and read about my clients who have taken charge of their own health!
Break-Free, Bart Thurman, FDN-P, INHC, AFDNP Functional Health Coaching Cafe of Life Chiropractic 1325 Dry Creek Drive #307 Longmont, CO 80503 Office: 720-849-0124 Website: www.breakfreewellness.net Instagram: @bart_breakfreewellness
