1 Thing I’m Doing
Going somewhere…
Going nowhere, has never been my thing. Be it physically, mentally, emotionally or spiritually, I’m usually on the move.
Always peeling back layers, trying to understand who I am, why I’m here, what this wild ride of life is all about, and how I can make my precious time more joyful… more meaningful.
Now, I know that’s a lot to unpack (and no, I haven’t been tackling all of that this week!). But I have been reflecting on how much time I’m physically on the move this week, thanks to a study I stumbled across below.
It seems over the past 20 years, the amount of time we spend outside our home has drastically declined. And whilst the COVID years and lockdowns were obviously responsible for the dramatic shift down, it seems we have never recovered post-2020. We’re still indoors… and it’s showing in our bodies, minds, and spirits.
But what hit me even harder was this.
We’re not just spending less time in the sun.
We’re spending less time with each other.
Socialising, volunteering, sharing meals, helping and caring for others — these have all gone down. These activities aren’t just nice extras to have. They’re essential to our human experience. Yet we’ve traded them for convenience and comfort.
I get it – working from home has its perks (since selling my business, I work from home too!), but we need to be more intentional about creating real-world movement and real-world connections.
And whilst online shopping may be “convenient”, getting groceries delivered to your door means less movement and less human contact. Even the simple task of carrying your groceries is beneficial! And if you’re like me and shop at a friendly organic grocery store, you know that the warm greetings, casual chats and cheeky laughs are part of the magic (shout out to you Flynn!)
Remember “easy” and “convenient” does not mean better for your!
So here’s what I’m doing: eating breakfast and lunch outside (of course), meeting friends in nature, tending to the garden, heading away to the beach for a few days, taking long walks, planning trips, joining a church group, and always, always saying no to online grocery delivery.
Because I don’t want to go nowhere.
I want to go somewhere.
2 Things I’ve Learned
Is It Chewing Gum….or Plastic in Disguise?
Did you know the building blocks of chewing gum are similar to what’s found in car tyres, plastic bags, and bottles?
Yep. Not exactly what you expect when you pop a piece in your mouth.
A recent study found that chewing gum releases between 100 to 600 microplastics per gram into your saliva. Considering your average piece of gum weighs between 2 to 6 grams, that means a single piece could release up to 3,000 plastic particles. Into. Your. Mouth. 🤯
And if you’re thinking, “Well, I only chew natural gum…” — think again.
The study found that both synthetic and natural gums released similar levels of microplastics.
In fact, even “natural” gum was found to contain the same plastic polymers — including polyolefins (like polyethylene and polypropylene), polyethylene terephthalates, polyacrylamides, and polystyrenes.
And no, before you go thinking of clever ways to get around this, chewing longer doesn’t help. Most of the microplastics detach within the first two minutes of chewing.
I’m not one for chewing gum, but judging by the shelves at the supermarket, someone out there is. So, the next time you pop that gum (if that’s your thing), you may want to check the ingredients. And if you know of a clean, plastic-free alternative that doesn’t contain any of these polymers, let us know — I’m all ears…or is that teeth? 🤣🤣
Autoimmune Diseases Discriminate — And It’s Women That Suffer
Did you know that 75% of autoimmune sufferers are women? And that there are over 100 types of autoimmune diseases that exist?
Neither did I. And how both staggering, and sad.
What is it about women that our immune systems — the very thing designed to protect us — starts attacking our own healthy cells and tissues?
Somewhere along the way, our bodies have begun to see themselves as the enemy. And to fight against itself. But why?
Is it the high fructose corn syrup? Or not spinning fast enough in spin classes or sweating on treadmills? Nope. It’s our environment.
It’s the food you eat. The water you drink. The light you live under. The job you do. It’s the emotions you’ve buried. The trauma you’ve held. The stress that simmers quietly beneath the surface.
And perhaps even more importantly — it’s the loss of connection to the one force that used to help us metabolise it all: Nature.
Mother Nature is our alchemist.
We are the electrons, the chemistry, the living elements she once helped assemble, so perfectly and in harmony.
But in our separation from her, we’ve lost that sacred partnership.
We’ve stopped processing the toxins of modern life — so now, we carry them with us. In our blood, in our cells and in our genes.
The rise of autoimmune disease is both terrifying… and strangely hopeful. Because there is a way back.
Mother Nature hasn’t turned her back on us. She’s still here — waiting for us to rejoin her flow.
And your genes? They’re not a done deal. They’re a library of your lived experience — and you still get to write the next chapter.
Biology isn’t fixed. You can rise above your programming. You can heal.
It just requires coming home — to rhythm, to light, to meaning, to joy.
To Nature. And to yourself.
✔️ Action Item: If this has sparked your interest, here are just a few studies that show the connection between circadian health and healing autoimmune diseases:
“Disrupted circadian rhythms exacerbate autoimmune”: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39823532/
“Altered Circadian Rhythm pathways have been implicated in diseases such as diabetes, neurological conditions, and systemic autoimmune diseases (SADs).” : https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10419593/
“The existing body of knowledge demonstrates that circadian clock genes are inextricably linked to autoimmune diseases.” : https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34118460/
3 Things to Explore
The Myth of Monotony
“Ugh, not the washing again.” “Do I really have to make the bed?”
We treat repetition as boring. And we consider a lot of what we do in life as monotonous.
But what if it isn’t?
Nature doesn’t complain about rising each day. The sun still shows up in her full glory — every morning without fail in the East. The ocean doesn’t roll her eyes at the tide’s eternal dance. Bees don’t get sick of jumping from flower to flower, and just give up.
There’s no such thing as monotony in Nature. Only rhythm.
You don’t have to look at your life and the jobs that need to be done as monotonous. They are all important in some way.
Maybe the morning chores are sacred too — if we let them be.
Maybe the school lunches are the core memories that will keep us warm when we’re old and grey. Or an opportunity to sneak in a little “I love you” note from Mum.
Whatever it is that you find monotonous, just know, that we are blessed to have the gift of movement, strength, and to be right here, right now.
Life is fragile and an amazing gift. And there is nothing monotonous about that!
What Sets Your Soul on Fire?
Let me ask you something little, but big. What lights your soul on fire?
Not what you’re good at. What you get paid to do. Not what makes sense on paper. But what truly brings you back to life?
Because if you don’t know what that is — or if you’ve forgotten — you might be operating from a version of yourself that’s… well, dimmed. De-magnetised. Out of sync with your truth.
And when we operate from that space for too long, we start making choices that don’t feel right.
We say yes to things we don’t want. We fill our time with things that don’t matter. We lose our compass — and that sacred spark.
So it’s time to pause. Breathe. And gently ask yourself: What lights me up?
Is it long walks in the park. A quiet cup of tea at sunrise? Crocheting, gardening, writing, singing, cooking with your kids, laughing at funny movies until your stomach hurts? Maybe it’s surfing. Or dancing. Or disappearing into a book.
Whatever it is, do more of that.
Because the point of “health” isn’t just to get your lab results looking good and taking a handful of supplements.
The point of health is life. The joy, vitality, depth and meaning.
Health isn’t the destination. It’s the vessel — the driver — that helps you get to where your soul wants to go.
If we’re only ever focusing on supplements, steps, and protocols…we’ve forgotten why we’re here in the first place.
It’s time to shift our focus back to what really matters. Not just how to be healthy — but how to live fully. To reconnect with who we are. To become magnetic again.
Every Walk With Nature
“In every walk with Nature, one receives far more than he seeks”. – John Muir
Leave a Reply