Modern Body Xperiment

Cultivating Environmental Wellness: Small Steps to a Healthier Environment

• Dan and Jenni

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Embark on a transformative journey with Jenni and I as we navigate the crucial connection between our environment and overall wellness. Imagine a spoke in a wheel, not just any spoke, but one that holds the key to balancing every aspect of your health—this is environmental wellness. Our lively discussion unravels how the spaces we inhabit, from the grandeur of nature to the intimacy of our personal havens, interact with and impact our physical, mental, and emotional states. We'll share a treasure trove of strategies to enrich your relationship with the environment, emphasizing the powerful seven Rs for a mindful existence. Ready to embrace a lifestyle that celebrates sustainability and well-being? Come aboard and let's set sail towards a greener horizon together.

Feel the pulse of nature's therapeutic rhythm as we uncover the soul-soothing benefits of connecting with the great outdoors. Jenni and I dissect the importance of reducing our ecological footprint, not by grand gestures, but through simple acts like reusing, repairing, and thoughtfully consuming. If your heart yearns for a mindful existence that nurtures both personal harmony and Mother Earth, you won't want to miss out on this chapter of our enlightening expedition.

Wrapping up our enlightening excursion, we shine the spotlight on you, our cherished listeners, inviting you to join the conversation around personal and global wellness. Share your innovative thoughts and feedback, and connect with us through our digital portals. Anticipation buzzes in the air for our 'Wilderness Rookies' YouTube channel, which promises to be a visual feast for all who find solace in nature's embrace. We sign off with heartfelt gratitude, hopeful that our podcast has planted seeds of inspiration to flourish along your environmental wellness journey. Whether behind the wheel or nestled at home, let our voices be your guide to a more balanced and eco-conscious life.

Dan:

Welcome to the Will of Wellness podcast where we embark on a transformative journey through the intricate facets of health and well-being.

Jenni:

Join us as we explore the interconnected spokes of the wellness wheel, delving into physical, mental, emotional, social, spiritual and environmental health.

Dan:

Our experiences and insightful discussions will help empower you to achieve balance and harmony in your life, guiding you towards a healthier, happier you.

Jenni:

Get ready to spin the wheel and uncover the secrets of a fulfilling and well-rounded life.

Dan:

Hey guys, welcome back to the Wheel of Wellness podcast. I'm your host, dan. I'm your host, jenny. Today we're going to be going over one of the specific spokes on the Wheel of Wellness. We're going to be going over environmental wellness. Environmental wellness is an extremely important part of the wheel because of the balance of it. It's important for what it is, but if you don't pay attention to it, you're going to lose aspects in other parts of the Wheel of Wellness. I think that to understand and to be able to put the proper priority on the environmental wellness that you need to take care of yourself and to pay attention to, I think you need a definition of it.

Jenni:

Yeah, and that definition of environmental wellness refers to our awareness of ourselves within the environment and also the environment around us, including the natural and the built environments that we have.

Dan:

So you'd say it might be nature as a whole, and then also, like our house, our workplace, even our vehicle. Yes, Right. The cities we live in, even your attitude. That's true, because that's very internal, but that is also an environment, and your environment could also be the people that are in your environment as well, couldn't it?

Jenni:

Yeah, because that can obviously be a positive thing or a negative thing.

Dan:

You know it is a very it's a fundamental component of the wellness wheel and there is different levels of it. You have a global environment that you need to pay attention to. Local wellness, environmental wellness you have to pay attention to and your personal wellness, just like we were talking about the spaces that we inhabit. But to go over it first, to go to when we're first talking about, let's talk about the global aspects of it.

Jenni:

Yeah, so there's seven Rs in the global aspect which are rethink, refuse, reduce, repair, reuse, recycle and replace.

Dan:

Now one thing I know we were talking about earlier, one thing that's not mentioned there and it's not an R is not convenience.

Jenni:

Yeah, that's my biggest issue with this, but with that being, said.

Dan:

You know, convenience isn't always the most important thing. You know, we have to think globally, because this is our planet. We're leaving it for others and we're also inhabiting it with others. Now, these different Rs that we're talking about reducing the things that we use. There's plenty of times when we, you know, you pour a drink at a fast food restaurant. Next thing, you know, the cup just doesn't look right or the top has bent a little bit. You go ask for another cup. Why not just use that? Reduce your use of those type things? There's things that we use that we can repair. You know, whether it be a jacket, a shirt, a pair of shoes, things that you can repair, you can reuse. There's definitely ways that you can pay attention to your environment and the way you interact with it.

Jenni:

With these seven Rs, and one of those things is to conserve energy. So maybe look for appliances that are energy efficient. Maybe you want to make sure turning off the lights in your home, like our son, never does.

Dan:

Oh my goodness, that's so true.

Jenni:

When you're not using them, turn them off. Plugging electronics, you know, using program, program programmable. Anyway, use programmable thermostats.

Dan:

Yeah, actually we have. Recently we've gone into using programmable lights to where we can set up a schedule outside for the lights, also internal lights to a. It helps with our security but it also helps with reducing our use or consumption of energy overall because we don't let the lights be on all night the exterior lights but still we're able to see what's going on outside. Also help our neighbors when they're walking their dogs and things like that.

Jenni:

And you know, let's be honest, it helps the environment but also helps our electric bill. Very true.

Dan:

Now globally. Another way that we can talk about this is actually interacting in. Another one of the seven Rs is reducing chemical exposure. One thing you can opt for natural and eco-friendly alternatives to conventional cleaning and personal care products. You try and minimize exposure to harmful chemicals by using biodegradable, non-toxic and environmentally friendly options. There. There is this one app that I absolutely love. It's EWG. Look it up on the Apple App Store. It will give you a rating on different things. You don't want to use things that are going to be harsh for your body or harsh for your environment.

Jenni:

I'm sure they have it for Android as well.

Dan:

Yeah, they probably do. You're right, I always forget that. I'm sorry.

Jenni:

You can tell we're Apple people.

Dan:

Very true.

Jenni:

The one thing, too, about this is just always rule of thumb the less the ingredients, the better.

Dan:

You want to see very, very little lists and really, if you want to get deep into the weeds on this, you want to be able to understand what each of the ingredients are.

Jenni:

Yeah, you want to be able to at least pronounce them and understand what it is that you're looking at.

Dan:

Those are some things that a lot of people talk about with global environmental awareness and health. But if we go ahead and take it into a personal level, this is what I really want to delve into, I really want to get into, because this is where people don't talk about it a lot and they just assume that people understand these things.

Jenni:

Yeah, when you think environmental, you just think of just that. Environmental the outside.

Dan:

You remember Captain Planet and then cartoon. You're a kid.

Jenni:

You don't necessarily think about the environmental health within yourself.

Dan:

Within yourself and your immediate surroundings. Yeah, now, one thing that we always talk about is obviously embracing nature, being out there, spending times outdoors.

Jenni:

Yeah, hiking is huge. I mean, that really helps my mental well-being, especially if I'm having a bad day. I've been going out walking the dog actually helps me with clarity and just kind of resets my focus, even before I go to work. It kind of gets me moving and wakes me up and then gives me a good start to the day and then after work it just kind of de-stresses me.

Dan:

You're being outside in fresh air and seeing things. And there's one thing that Andrew Huberman talks about in Andrew Huberman Lab. That's being able to get morning sunlight into your eyes and getting evening sunlight into your eyes. That goes ahead and sets circadian rhythms.

Jenni:

Yeah, which is very true, but unfortunately when you live in Ohio in the wintertime you don't always get that opportunity. But there is ways you can do it, like the hatch.

Dan:

Exactly, we have a hatch alarm clock which is scheduled to go ahead and wake us up with soft lights and soft noises, like a sunrise, like a sunrise, and have us go to bed with soft noises, birds and, you know, a decreasing light, just like a sunset.

Jenni:

Exactly.

Dan:

So you know, connecting with nature, it for me, it always lowers my stress level, it's boosts my mood, it just it's always beneficial for me.

Jenni:

Yeah, it really helps my well being, especially if you suffer from anxiety or any type of you know depression. Those things really help your helps, you helps the people around you, and it's a good thing.

Dan:

Now also talking about our personal spaces and our personal local environmental wellness. You got to go for comfort, my favorite.

Jenni:

Thing.

Dan:

We're talking about our house. You know we have a strong need for safety and security. You know security is one part of environmental wellness and we kind of broached on with the lights. You know we make sure that we have the lights that go ahead and they turn on a certain times to where they help us with our security. You know also, with that being said, temperature is a big thing.

Jenni:

Being able to be comfortable in your temperature, especially if your spouse will let you put the heat on in the winter time.

Dan:

You have the heat on, you try and regulate it. You try and modulate it where you don't use too much heat in the winter time and too much air conditioning in the summertime.

Jenni:

Another thing with the security part of this. We have a home security system and I gotta say if it's set I always sleep a little bit better knowing that it's set at night, and then always wake up a little better too because I forget it was set. And the alarm, the actual, the actual alarm, the beeping, yelling, screaming siren, helps you wake up, yeah it's probably not the best way to wake up, but it does help me go to sleep knowing that we're secure.

Dan:

To go ahead and double down on the comfort part of it. You have to look at the physical comfort as far as like your furniture. Yeah, you know, we have very comfortable recliners. Very comfortable bed. Different things that we talk about, you know. You can talk about the floors. Yes, you can have. We have hardwood floors, but in certain places we have carpet, which I hate you hate hardwood floors.

Jenni:

No, I hate the carpet.

Dan:

Yeah, but they also help the comfort of your feet.

Jenni:

Yeah, I can go without that, though I prefer the visual effects, so mentally it helps me to get rid of the carpet.

Dan:

Well, with that being said, you know you might be able to make it more cozy and more comfortable with you with simple changes like with us have smaller carpets by the bed, or decide to start saving for larger items like a more comfortable couch or a more comfortable recliner. Things like that can really enhance your comfort level.

Jenni:

Or, you know, putting wood stairs in. We're gonna do that. Get rid of the ugly carpets.

Dan:

Anything, whatever it does apply.

Jenni:

But whatever works for you guys, that makes you comfortable, by all means. If that means a heating blanket and a comfortable recliner at night, go for it.

Dan:

Oh yeah, I agree with that. Definitely that's about going for comfort. Now, one thing that's sure big on is cutting the clutter.

Jenni:

Yes, I cannot stand it. So we had three kids at home. They're all gone. They're all adults in college, about to graduate, have jobs, and, except one, he kind of comes home every now and then and stays for a few days. Right, but we still have all of their junk in our house.

Dan:

Oh, it's terrible. It's just, it's not really stacked up. We have it put away in closets, we have it put away in storage areas, but no room. It's all there.

Jenni:

There's nothing else that can go there. Yeah, so it makes it for me. When I have to open a closet and stuff starts falling on me, I've got a big problem with that and that's not very comfortable for me.

Dan:

So cutting the clutter. You know clutter can make you feel worried, it can make you feel sad, it can make you feel helpless, I know it makes you feel depressed.

Jenni:

It really does.

Dan:

So one way to do that which I know that you've done here recently, is start with a small area, and you didn't start with really a small area. You know a counter, you can declutter a shelf, things like that.

Jenni:

I decluttered our entire kitchen.

Dan:

Yes, you did. You definitely decluttered that.

Jenni:

Yeah, my philosophy is this if you have not seen it or used it within a year, you probably don't need it.

Dan:

And when you did that it kind of gave you a. It gave you a sense of peace and also gave you a sense of accomplishment.

Jenni:

Yeah, and it kind of felt nice because it's like a new kitchen now.

Dan:

Now, when you feel a little stressed, you can go into the kitchen and just sit there and go yeah, until.

Jenni:

I get to the next room.

Dan:

Yeah.

Jenni:

I'm just going to get a big dumpster, start throwing stuff in it.

Dan:

Now, the next way that you can look at things is you can delight your senses. That can be colors that you find appealing, whether it be for your furniture or walls. Accent pieces.

Jenni:

And you can do some research into this too, because greens and blues and neutral colors tend to be very relaxing to the brain and there's a lot of research around this.

Dan:

Oh yeah, color therapy and color stimulation is very important. With that you can also take photos and objects that have special meaning to you. That gives you peace, that gives you calm and you where you can see them often.

Jenni:

Yeah, that's important too. You want to add artwork that you might like, or if you love fish, or you want an aquarium that's relaxing to you, or some sort of water noise or a sound element.

Dan:

Yeah, that's one thing with an aquarium you get to see the fish but also the sound of the filter. That's kind of like our hatch, a hatch light. You have that sound. That background sound is not necessarily the hum of an air conditioner or the hum of the lights or the outside traffic. You know we have birds and we have nature sounds.

Jenni:

Yeah, some people might like a hum, like a fan or something. I know some people like I used to be like that where I need a fan on just to sleep, but since we've gone to the hatch it's actually even better.

Dan:

It's a combination of sound and light, to begin with to put you to sleep and also to wake you up. And that takes us on to the next one enhanced your lighting. That is, you know, making sure you get as much natural light in the house as you can. Natural light it improves your mood and enhances your morale about things and lowers your fatigue. It actually reduces your eye strain as well.

Jenni:

Yeah, I have to agree with that. The natural light is great, especially for me in the summer. I always go back on the deck and just take in the sun because it really relaxes me and makes me feel I don't know, just makes me feel like I'm getting my vitamin D.

Dan:

It's a good environment for you.

Jenni:

Yeah, it's really relaxing. So if you can find a place like that and which is good, just have something that is, you know, comfort for you.

Dan:

Now you talk about things like being outside nature. You might think about being able to bring nature in.

Jenni:

Yes.

Dan:

Now that would be like bringing plants inside. You know a lot of people have a green thumb and they'll have plants inside and it's just a beautiful environment that they have. They show studies really show that even having plants in the house it can help you reduce stress. It reduces your anger, it reduces your fear and it increases your endorphins and your feel good mood.

Jenni:

That's my problem. I can't bring plants in the house because they die Like I literally killed a cactus. I do not have a green thumb.

Dan:

But we did have a garden before and we were quasi successful with it. That was good With your help.

Jenni:

of course, not so much for me, but I wish I did have a green thumb, because I think gardening is wonderful. I just don't do good with it.

Dan:

It's another environment you go ahead and engage in and it will be a bit good for you. Now, next up, we talk about the hatch with the sounds and the light. Another thing is to reduce the roar around you. This is huge, so this is huge for me. You got to be mindful about your personal noise production and the noise production of those around you.

Jenni:

For me.

Dan:

I sit down and I'm going to watch television with my wife. A TV show that she's really interested in I can watch with her. Next thing, you know, I'm getting blasted with just a tidal wave of noise, because the personal noise production is a roar.

Jenni:

I can't help that I have trouble hearing sometimes.

Dan:

So we can find a way to actually, you know, reduce the roar yeah, listen to it and be able to enjoy it, to not be overwhelmed by noise.

Jenni:

I mean, he's not wrong, it does get a little noisy. But the one thing I hate is when you're watching a show and all of a sudden it goes to an ad and it's super loud but the show is super low, so you have to keep turning it up.

Dan:

Well, in that same light, the same thing, when you are watching television and you turn it off, and we come back and we turn the TV on to start watching it, then you're like, oh my goodness, it's so loud because you left it at I don't know, 98% volume. Well, anyway, we can just agree to disagree on that, but you have to pay attention to the noises around you. A lot of times I'll put in my earbuds. They have the noise canceling and that helps me sometimes.

Jenni:

Yeah, and a big one for me is my phone. Because of my job it gets blown up quite often and there is times I have to be like okay, I got to turn this, I got to turn it off, I can't, I'm going to put it on vibrate and then I'm going to turn it over so the light doesn't catch my eye and I'm just going to leave it. I'm going to walk away, even take my watch off and put it on charge so I don't feel the vibration. Because you know, if I don't, I will be working 24 seven.

Dan:

You know you also. You paid attention to that. I'll give you kudos on this with setting up a do not disturb time on your phone and your watch.

Jenni:

I did that at night when we go to sleep. Obviously our kids can call in or anything like that and I'll hear that. But pretty much that's it.

Dan:

Now talking about this entire personal environmental wellness thing. You don't have to do everything at once.

Jenni:

You can start small.

Dan:

You know it might be getting your wife to turn the volume down by, I don't know, 3040, 60 decibels it might be able to like. We talked about clearing off the counter, giving yourself a space, that's clear. You know clear up a drawer that you might be able, that you've had cluttered with everything in there since the seventh grade.

Jenni:

And it took me a long time to do the whole vibrate and do not disturb on my phone.

Dan:

I mean it took some time to get adjusted to the good thing to do would be to do an audit for yourself to see what causes you stress and see which one of these things that actually is affecting you and which ones you notice. The things you notice like for me obviously I mean I'm making a joke of it, but the sound, that's one thing that really affects me and takes me out of my wellness. I know that one thing for you is your visual clutter.

Jenni:

Yes, which you consider a mess.

Dan:

So start small, see things that you think can be effective for you to go ahead and make changes with.

Jenni:

Yeah, and then consider, like, what activities you find most healing and adapt the space to them. So if you like to read, you might want to move a comfortable chair and, you know, in a room that's, you know, has some natural light, and be able to just sit there and read your book and get away from you. Know, I like to. I do a lot of audio books because I drive a lot. But it's nice to do that because it gives you kind of like an alternative reality, like you're in a different story, you're in somebody else's story. Yeah, you can get out of your own story for a minute.

Dan:

You can part, mentalize the hub, the rush and everything that you're in.

Jenni:

Right.

Dan:

Now another thing you might have a space in your room or even a partial use room. You know multi-use, but at the time that you want to, you can go ahead and get there and have a meditation space to where you do like a sound or even a roma therapy.

Dan:

I know we were big in the roma therapy for a while and that still is affected for us at times. But lighting is key, the sounds are key, the colors, the tapestries, the fabrics that you use is so key and you can start building things piece by piece to make things more sense are huge too.

Jenni:

So I like the aroma therapy. There's a lot of studies in that. You know you like eucalyptus. It's supposed to be calming, and there's just a lot of different things that you can do with that.

Dan:

Very true, and you can start building those things to make your place environmentally well for you.

Jenni:

So, in conclusion, environmental wellness plays a crucial role in promoting our well-being and fostering harmonious relationships between individuals and those surroundings.

Dan:

You know, we looked at the way we can deal with it globally. We looked at the way that we can deal with it personally and obviously, just like we had talked about with the noise and clutter and things of that nature, how our environment, with people around us, is very important as well and how we can interact with that.

Jenni:

Yeah, having a positive attitude is going to change within yourself, the environment within yourself, if you have a positive attitude around everyone else, because then they're going to be more likely to be positive as well.

Dan:

And when those things start getting frustrating, you can go outside in nature and that's going to help you heal with that.

Jenni:

Yes, that way you can take that negativity right out the door hey guys, this was our podcast on environmental wellness.

Dan:

We covered a little bit on global, we covered a lot on personal and we just want you guys to learn and if you have any ideas on this and how we can improve our personal wellness areas, or you have any ideas on how we can work on globally, please let us know.

Jenni:

Yes, we always want to hear from you guys, and if you like what we're doing, let us know that too, so we can dig a little deeper on some topics, if you're interested in something that we're not covering.

Dan:

Yeah, you can reach out to us on our website, wwwwheelofwheelantspodcastcom, on our Instagram or our Facebook page. On each one of those, just reach out to us DMS or email us and let us know what we can do guys.

Jenni:

And just a little quick note here eventually we will get this up and running wilderness rookies, so that way you guys can see some of these nature hikes that we do.

Dan:

That'll be a YouTube channel. Yep, excellent. Hey guys, we appreciate your time. We know it's valuable. It's valuable to us. Thank you, hopefully you guys were using this in your environmental wellness, maybe when you're going on a drive. Look forward to talking to you guys soon. You guys have a great day.