Chronically raised stress levels have a major effect on your body and quality of life. Stress is linked to heart disease, weight gain, acne, depression, anxiety, and even cancer. Our stress response was designed to help get us out of a bad situation such as a lion chasing you. It was never meant to be used all day everyday. When this happens, the rest of the healing functions in our body don't work right. If you experience chronic gut problems, inability to lose weight, constantly feeling tired, or increased feelings of anxiety, you probably have way too much stress hormones circulating.
Thankfully, there are many ways to reduce your stress hormones. This includes meditating, taking a DIY wellness retreat, putting your electronics away an hour before bed, and decreasing your processed food intake. There's also one SUPER simple thing you can do - literally right NOW - to significantly decrease your stress hormone levels. It's called "Grounding".
What is Grounding?
Grounding (or earthing) is where you walk around barefoot on the ground. That's it! I know, I know, it sounds a little woo woo. But there are actual scientific studies to support this long known fact.
The Science Deets
The earth releases electrons that create what's called a "negative potential" (in this case, "negative" is a good thing!). This potential has been found by studies to help reset our biological clocks which controls hormones such as cortisol (stress hormone). We naturally need cortisol in the morning to help wake us up, but it's supposed to gradually decrease throughout the day and allow for melatonin (sleep hormone) to rise. With technology, high sugar diets, and stressful work environments, this rhythm gets disrupted, and cortisol levels remain high all day, which makes it much more difficult to fall and stay asleep.
The simple act of taking your shoes off and walking around outside can help reset this rhythm and reduce your cortisol levels. Researchers are also finding that grounding can significantly decrease your inflammatory levels and boost your immune system!
Get outside and take your shoes off
You may have noticed a theme by now if you've read some of my past articles. I'm a big believer in reducing stress levels for overall health. And I practice what I preach. Every morning, I sit outside on the ground barefoot and meditate for 20 minutes before I do anything else. Starting your day with grounding (and meditation for that matter!) helps to reset your body's internal hormone clock to fit what it naturally should be in order to promote longevity and a state of wellbeing. If you aren't a fan of meditation, you can at least slip your shoes off and walk outside (preferably in grass or on the beach!) to reset your clock.
Your Nutritionist,
Autumn
Autumn Elle Nutrition
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