The best healing and wellness support system we have is called Nature.

Each week I share the latest in 1 thing I’m doing, 2 things I’ve learnt and 3 things to explore.

Here’s this week’s edition incorporating ancestral wisdom, quantum health and biophysics as we tackle daily sunrise viewing, phones, actions and more.

Happy Reading!

1 THING I’M DOING

Trying to see every sunrise

The past twelve months has seen my obsession for all things circadian health and circadian rhythms go from “yeah, I know what a circadian rhythm is” to “stop everything people! We need to optimise our circadian rhythms, like now!” Here’s why.

The best healing and wellness support system we have and can tap into is called Nature.

The sad thing is, our connection to nature is diminishing by the day and our circadian rhythms, our sleep cycles and our biological clocks have all been completely distorted by modern living as a result.

The outcome. Chronic illnesses and diseases are going up and energy levels, stress, mental health and happiness are plummeting down. So, what’s the answer?

In the wise words of Julie Andrews in The Sound of Music, we have to start at the very beginning my friends, and that means at the beginning of every day.

Mastering our health begins with mastering our light exposure.

Each sunrise is our chance to tell our body and our master clock (called our suprachiasmatic nucleus) what time it is. This then starts a whole cascade of rhythms and biological processes that helps us through the day, and even helps us sleep better at night.

Viewing morning sunlight is one of the most important things we can do for our physical, mental and emotional health and seeing that it’s something everyone can do, at zero cost mind you, the bang for your buck is sun-sational. ☀️

So what you want to do is, you want to get outside within the first hour of sunrise – this is our golden hour. On a clear day 5 – 10 minutes will set your circadian clock and on a cloudy day, 10 – 15 minutes is what you’ll need. Personally, this is my morning walk the puppy time, so I’m happy to be out there for much longer.

If you wear glasses or contacts, it would be great if you could remove these (if it’s safe for you of course) and sunglasses are an absolute no no! I try to walk towards the sun and look in its general direction (when it’s out). I find this quite comfortable but of course, you need to be eye’s wise, so never stare directly at the sun if you find this painful or uncomfortable.

This early morning up and at ‘em sunrise viewing is something our ancestors have been doing for eons and something that animals do instinctively. Nature is constantly leaving us clues so let’s learn from her.

2 THINGS I’VE LEARNT

Infradian & Ultradian

Did you know that in addition to our circadian rhythm, we also had an infradian rhythm and ultradian rhythm? Me neither.

​Infradian rhythms​ are biorhythms that last longer than a day and 24 hours. These can be annual cycles, seasonal cycles or monthly cycles, with the most common one being a woman’s monthly menstrual cycle. We also have seasonal cycles, like our tendency to gain weight in late Autumn and winter and sleep less during summer (who knew, right?).

Animals also have infradians rhythms which we probably notice more. Things like when animals hibernate, shed fur and malt, and when they breed during different seasons.

​Ultradian rhythms​ are biorhythms and biological cycles that last less than 24 hours. These can include everything from our heartbeat cycle to digestion and respiration to our nightly sleep cycle which lasts 90 – 120 minutes. Unlike our circadian rhythm processes, ultradian rhythms tend to be shorter and repeated over a certain time.

What surprised me about these two biorhythms is that first, I had never heard of them. But what I really loved is that it reminded me (again!) of how closely we are connected and aligned to nature’s cycles.

Our body is so aaamazing and how it works is so clever. I also love the fact that if my pants feel a little tighter in the next few weeks, it’s totally not because I’ve been munching out on more chocolate of late, and totally because the infradian made me do it!!

✔️ Action Item – see how many sunrises you can see this week

Do you know where my phone is?

How many times a day do we say those words or reach for our phone? Our phones have become a blessing as much as they are a curse and I often wish they would just go back to being what they were meant to be, a phone.

One of the worst things about our phone is their constant magnetic force. Pulling us towards them, we feel compelled to check the latest updates, emails, post, or ping. But this is something we need to keep a check on.

A study done by IDC found that 80% of people grab their smartphone within 15 minutes of waking. Argh!! Here are three big reasons why that’s not a good idea at all…

😖 # 1 Increased stress and anxiety – When you wake up and immediately check your phone, you’re being bombarded with new messages, emails and to-dos. This often creates a feeling of stress and anxiety at a time we should be peaceful and calm.

⏰ # 2 Your time and attention are hijacked – By checking socials, emails or messages right after waking up, you’re letting other people’s opinions, requests, and advertising into your head. This stifles your own thoughts, diminishes your creativity and takes away the opportunity for new ideas and solutions to flow.

📱 # 3 Blue light over sunlight – Our phones emit a blue light which is very different to natural light. Having this light as the first light your eyes see isn’t the healthiest way to start to your day. Instead of picking up your phone, heading outside and swapping the blue light for natural sunlight is a much better option.

The study conducted surveyed over 7,000 people between the ages of 18 and 44 who owned iPhones or Android smartphones. Whilst a number of people said they used their phone as an alarm clock 😲 we won’t even go there (right now), giving yourself at least one hour phone free time in the morning is the least I would suggest.

✔️Action Item – wait 60 minutes before picking up your phone in the morning

3 THINGS TO EXPLORE

Sleep Fact of the Week

Chronic sleep deprivation weakens our immune system making it harder for our body to ​fight off infections​.

If you still think that prioritising sleep is just for old people and is boring, think again. There is nothing old or boring about being healthy. Having a robust immune system and being able to fight off infections is pretty empowering really. 

So as we head into the colder winter months, now is a great time to give our immune system some love by hopping into bed at a reasonable hour and making sure you get your 7 – 9 hours of good quality sleep each night. Sweet dreams!

✔️Action Item – get to bed at a time that gives you 7- 9 hours sleep AND gets you up in time for the morning sunrise

Every Action Has a Reaction

We need to think about our future as a series of probabilities, not certainties. Everything we do is either getting us closer to enjoying a healthy and happy life or taking us further away from it.

If you’re not getting stronger, you’re getting weaker and with so much being thrown at us these days, now is no time to be weak.

We need to build our strength and resilience physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. Our future is not guaranteed. We get to help write the story and the more positive practices we do everyday, the higher the probability our future is going to be a good one.

Freedom

“Everything can be taken from a person but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.” – Viktor Frankl