5 Reasons to Re-introduce Nature Into Your Life

The other day I was eating lunch with a friend at Panera Bread right across the street from a lot of beautiful old oak trees.  Not a big green belt or anything, just a lot that hadn’t been developed yet.  I kept staring at it from the window and my friend remarked, “You know they’re taking out that big lot of trees right?  They’re going to develop it into an apartment complex.” My heart sank.  Why?  We’re surrounded by three shopping centers, why do they need to take out the only little spot of nature left over here?

You know, I think–and this could be a long shot here–if the people in charge of those plans spent more time in nature they might reconsider taking out the 10 remaining trees on an area of overdeveloped land.   Just a couple of hours a week sitting and enjoying the quiet, the clean air, soil beneath their feet, could make all the difference.  Just saying.

I recently took up a Sunday afternoon hiking ritual with my boyfriend and despite our constant comparisons between video game environments and actual nature, we’ve started to notice some pretty nice benefits to actually spending some time outside.

So, if you’re in the need of a reason, or a few, to get back in touch with nature…here are 5.

1. Vitamin D

Doctors and nutritionists always tell you to take your vitamins.  Well here’s one you can knock off the list just by standing outside.  There’s a lot of hype and controversy about the benefits of Vitamin D, but if you only want to stick to the facts, the Mayo Clinic will tell you that Vitamin D helps to “maintain normal blood levels of calcium and phosphorus” and “[aid] in the absorption of calcium, helping to form and maintain strong bones.” In addition, “research also suggests that vitamin D may provide protection from osteoporosis, hypertension (high blood pressure), cancer, and several autoimmune diseases.”  So bottom line…it’s not doing any harm.  But remember, you only need about 10 mins of direct sunlight to get a good daily dose of Vitamin D.  If you’ll be out for an extended period of time–wear sunscreen.

2. Step Away from the Screen, your eyes will thank you.

If you’re anything like me, there’s some sort of screen on and glowing nearby just about every hour of the day.  I work on a computer, and go home and relax over television and video games.  I’ve even gone over to the e-book dark side and now read on a screen as well.  But if you go outside (and decidedly leave your phone stashed) you get a good hearty break from the screen.  This has a number of benefits.  First of all, your eyes can relax. Eye strain is extremely common among heavy computer users.  Go take a walk on your smoke break, go drink a cup of tea in the backyard instead of flipping on the TV after dinner. Like I said, your eyes will thank you.

3. De-stress, Re-center

There’s been a barrage of articles recently about how people are overstimulated, constantly multi-tasking and more stressed than ever. As technology makes tasks easier and we move closer and closer to a 24 hour society people are expected to do more and more with their day, and by more I don’t mean more twiddling of thumbs or shooting the breeze.  People are overworked.  Well, this article in the Huffington Post tested the effects of nature during and outside of work, and not surprisingly not only did nature help to relax test subjects after being exposed to stressful situations but it actually improved their cognitive function.  More interestingly, they even tested if exposing people to a high-definition view of nature (as in on TV) had the same effect.  Nope.  The real thing is the only one that worked.

4. Staying Grounded

Here’s where I’m going to go New Age on you.  A medium once told me that one of my biggest problems was staying grounded.  I spend so much time worrying about the things that had happened, what’s about to happen, what I need to, and what I could have done better that I lose touch with the present and the important things in it like my body, my intuition and my spiritual well-being. People get out of touch with nature but they also get out of touch with themselves. After I took up hiking on the weekends I started to notice that I could hear myself again, if that makes any sense.  I was out there just enjoying the trees, feeling the energy around me, and you’d be surprise how little you have to try to hear yourself think when there’s no other noise around you. Enjoy a natural moment of just being present.

5. Nature is pretty much vital to our existence.

This goes back to the first statement.  I know some people just DON’T like nature or being in it.  But, even if that’s true, we kind of have to consume nature to live.  (Not kind of, we just straight up do.) There’s not a lot of nutrients in artificial or processed foods, you’ve got to have the nature kind if you plan on living a healthy life.  Trees provide oxygen.  Nature provides shelter to animal life that we in turn eat or use for materials.  And, if you’re a believer in global warming, well, enough said. I know we’re in the tech-age where just about anything can be done on a computer or made in a factory but there are some things you just can’t deny or replace. So if you won’t go outside, at least go eat a salad, or even a steak, and take a sec to appreciate that nature made ‘em possible.

[Resolution] #71 Create a Homemade Beauty Product

I went to my first Mary Kay party the other day.  My sister and I partnered with a woman named Karen as fellow direct salesmen and did a combo make-up & chocolate party.  So, before we dished out brownies to the hungry masses we got to try out putting on our Mary Kay faces.  I never thought I’d ever be involved in anything Mary Kay.  I was under the impression that anyone associated was well-off and pretentious, but I’m happy this time to report that at least in Karen’s case this is not so.  She’s actually a really fantastic lady who’s in the business to because she (paraphrasing) enjoys the feeling she gets from making people feel beautiful and self-confident.

Unfortunately, I didn’t walk away with any products that night but I did walk away with the knowledge that my skin care routine needs work.  When I created this resolution I was thinking face mask? Sugar scrub?  But what I was in real dire need of was a face cleanser.  Don’t gawk at me, but… (confession time) I never remove my make-up.  Not officially at least, it just happens to come off in the shower.

Well, unbeknownst to me, I’m basically damning myself to early aging and blemished skin. So for this resolution I decided to take a page out of the Mary Kay book and create an ‘exfoliating cleanser.’

I did a bit of searching and found this great blog, “It’s Not Easy to Be Green” that had this recipe for a homemade facial cleanser.

It’s a pretty easy concoction to make.  In the article it called for:

• Baking Soda
• Jojoba Oil
• Essential oil of your choice and
• Honey (optional)

I went ahead and got the honey; local honey from the bulk section so I apologize for the ugly bottle. I’ve heard it actually has really impressive qualities when used topically. And then chose lavender oil since not only does it smell good but it’s also good for boosting psychic abilities.  Two-fer.

If you want to find out more about essential oils and the properties and uses of each one, you can check out this list that has a ton of information to help find an oil you could benefit from.  I also won’t blame you if you go by what smells good.

So, to keep portions small and prevent caking, the article suggested putting the baking soda in a spice jar with a shaker lid (with the holes in it).  It’s a lot easier to store that way since you can’t seal those damn boxes.  Then, fill a dropper bottle with jojoba oil and a few drops of essential oil.  I just used three and it was plenty fragrant.

When you’re ready to use it, dampen your face with warm water.  Shake the baking soda once into your hand, add 3-5 drops of the oil mixture, then a dollop of honey.  Mix gently with your fingers and apply to your face.

I instantly loved this cleanser.  The baking soda is fine but still gritty so you can feel it exfoliating as your rub it in. The honey doesn’t end up being sticky when mixed with the water already on your face.  Then, when I rinsed it off my skin was so smooth! Not dry or tight like with other cleansers I’ve tried.  I suspect it has something to do with the oil.  It’s in a small enough quantity to moisturize without leaving your face oily.

The oils are a bit of an investment at first, but a little goes a LONG way.  I guarantee you’ll save loads using this stuff instead of that expensive chemical stuff at the drug store.

Thanks again to It’s Not Easy to Be Green for the idea.  If you’re at all interested in other ways of living green, this blog is a great resource.  I plan to poke around more later. Maybe there are some other habits I should look at changing.

A Thank You to the Musicians Who Know Us Better Than Ourselves

You know those songs that you have on your iPod that you’ve long forgotten about?  Yeah, we all have them.

How about those songs that come on and seem like they are talking specifically about you?  Yeah, we have those too.

Today, as I drove down the road, still on the trailing end of a week full of soul searching and trying to sort the voices in my head, one of those songs came on and managed to cut through everything.

The song: Brand New Day by Ryan Star.  It goes a little something like this (and the video is promo material for the television show Lie to Me for which this is the theme song):

I began to pluck out words that had come out of my mouth not days earlier, “I’ve stayed in one place for too long. Gotta get on the run again.”  “Turn back the clock.”  “Give me some time.” But, luckily Ryan Star was able to finish the thought that I hadn’t been able to yet.

“Let’s open our eyes to the brand new day.”

It’s a song about allowing yourself to dream, and about going after the things that you’re hell bent and passionate about.  Picking up, moving, seeking, and constantly re-inventing yourself.  Each day is a new day, it’s never EVER too late. The part of the inner conversation I hadn’t reached yet.

Music has a level of truth, passion and emotion that is untouched by anything else.  I hope all of you musicians out there realized that you are answering people’s questions, making them believe in things they thought were lost, and helping them get just a little bit closer to themselves. So on behalf of all of the people you’ve touched with your music, thank you.