Grounding – It’s Not About Gardening

There has been a lot of debate lately about whether or not you should walk, jog, or go running with shoes or go au natural. (We are talking about going barefoot, not sans clothing!) Although going barefoot is more natural, shoes do protect your feet, etc. etc. While the discussion about shoes is going on many people are overlooking a method of improving your health by going barefoot and its called grounding.

Light Step Barefoot

Photo credit: bigstock

Have you ever noticed that when you are on a vacation at the beach that you feel better and sleep better? You might think it’s because you are super relaxed, and surely that is part of it, but there’s another reason why. It’s because while you were lying on the sand or walking on the shore you were “grounded” to the earth, your body becoming immersed with negative charged free electrons.  Positive electrons can build up in our bodies and by making direct contact with the ground we balance this out. You already know that your body and all its cells have electrical energy. With our cell phones, Wi-Fi, and electrical power lines surrounding us every day, it’s no wonder many of us have a large amount of positive electrons built up in our bodies.

 

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Humans use to ground themselves daily as they spent the majority of their time outside and had some type of direct contact to the earth. Humans use to walk barefoot, did their gardening, worked out in the fields, or slept on the ground. Recently, however, we walk on cement with our rubber soled shoes; we are exposed to EMF’s on a daily basis, and sleep in our beds which are definitely NOT on the ground.

Although it has been well established it doesn’t seem that many people are aware that the earth has a continuously renewed supply of mobile electrons.   There have been several studies done that show that when we practice grounding (sometimes also called Earthing) it normalizes our daily rhythm and improves the way we sleep. There are many benefits to grounding including:

  • Speeds healing
  • Reduces inflammation by neutralizing positive electrons
  • Relieves muscle tension and headaches
  • Increases energy
  • Improves blood pressure and blood flow
  • Greatly improves sleep
  • Lowers stress by reducing stress hormones
  • Lessens menstrual and female hormone symptoms
  • Protects the body from EMF’s
  • Reduces or eliminates snoring
  • Supports adrenal health

If what you are looking for is a good night’s sleep then grounding is the answer for you. They sell Earthing “mats” which plug into an electrical outlet and thereby grounds you as the earth’s natural electrons flow through the ground wire that is in the electrical system of your house or apartment. Read more about simple ways to sleep better every night.

The easiest, and cheapest, way, of course, is to just go outside and kick off your shoes. In order for this is work you must be barefoot and come into direct contact with rock, dirt, grass, or water. This is where the beach is one of the best places to do this as water is highly conductive and the salt water from the ocean is high in magnesium.

Even if you aren’t near the ocean, you can benefit from going barefoot. Take your lunch break in the park and put your feet in the grass. Walk through a park barefoot. Take off your shoes in your backyard or lie on the grass. Try to incorporate a bit of grounding into your daily schedule and soon you will find yourself looking forward to your new found foot freedom.

Sources:

Wellnessmama.com

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