12: What Does Your Environment Have To Do With Your Well-Being?

In this episode of Group X Appeal, Kimberly and Terry delve into the concept of environmental well-being. They discuss the benefits of connecting with nature in addition to being able to enhance your indoor environments through decluttering and creating positive sensory experiences. 

The conversation emphasizes the significance of finding joy and peace in our surroundings, encouraging you to engage with your environments to feel uplifted and inspired.

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- @kimberlyspreenglick on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube
- email: kimberly@theinspiredlifeuniversity.com
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- @terryshorter on Instagram & Facebook
- email: terry@rippedplanet.com
- website: www.rippedplanet.com

Transcript

Hey there, Terri and. Kimberly. We're here episode number 11 where we are talking today about environmental well being, which just simply means having a what? Having and or creating positivity wherever it is you spend a great deal of your time in and anything else. There's another part of the definition as well, isn't there? Yeah, it's also about connecting with nature like getting outside outdoors and connecting with nature. Yes, there's so much to see out there and Kimberly is going to kick that off actually.

finding some beauty in nature. Yeah. I mean, it's so important that this great, big, beautiful world that we live in to be willing to, and to set time aside to get out and explore. There's so much beauty in nature and a couple of ideas that we kind of brainstorm. What if you got out to a local garden? You know, there are a lot of parks. There's actually a park near my house that has a small meditation garden. What if you found a local botanical garden? There's lots of those across the world. Check out a

a botanical garden that has been manicured in a way that really highlights the beauty of nature. And for me, a big one for me is waterfalls, waterfalls, lakes, rivers, pretty much any kind of water feature is such beauty to me. I love forests. I love being in a forest. I love being surrounded by lush green color. just being able to get out and appreciate all that nature has to offer.

I think is so incredibly healthy. Absolutely. And you know, when you're out there in nature, all of your senses are stimulated. One of my favorite things to do when I'm out there, I can feel the energy when you're out in nature. Well, it's all alive. Right? Yeah. It's amazing that you can be out in the forest. It's one of my favorite places to be as well.

immediately you can smell the pine. can hear the animals, you know, scurrying or the birds flying. You can, taste, you know, the, the dew in the morning. mean, all kinds of senses are activated when you're outside. Absolutely. So got to explore, got to explore for sure. Get out there and find that beauty. another thing while you're out there in nature, be active, you know, I'm somebody who can't stay still for very long at all. I've got to get up and move.

Kimberly/terry (02:21.976)
You can do stuff like go for a walk. I'm a big walker. Huge walker. love walking. So when I used to travel all the time, would wherever I was, I would get out of the hotel as soon as possible and I'd just start walking. And sometimes it was through more urban streets and settings, but sometimes I just find a local park and I'd just go walk. I used to drive my mother insane.

Why must you always be off gallivanting? It worries me. She called it gallivanting. So I think you should gallivant. Yeah. Don't just walk. You need to gallivant. We need to write that down. I love that. So gallivant, go on a bike ride. go for a picnic. I haven't done that for ever. Right? Yeah. One of my favorite things is a picnic overlooking the ocean at sunset. You that. You can't. We are so lucky here on the West coast. if you're not anywhere near the ocean, come visit us.

Come say hi. Other things, being active outdoors, sports, right? In different kinds of events. We mentioned in one of the past episodes, pickleball. That's the big Well, how could we not mention pickleball right now? It's the fastest growing sport on the planet. And you see just such a broad range of demographics on those pickleball courts nowadays, from teenagers all the way to mature adults like us.

Are we mature? don't know who you're talking about. I meant to immature adults like us. Speak for yourself. And mature adults. So yeah, pickleball is like the hot new trend right now. Shoot some hoops. Get out on the blacktop. I can play horse. There we go. That works. Yeah. Right. Just getting outside. Listening to live music. That's being active as well. outside, yeah. Right. All fun activities. So yeah, please let us know what kind of actor activities you like.

that causes you, know, kind of sparks that environmental wellbeing for you. Yeah. And you know, the one thing that we didn't mention is probably, I know my favorite, and I think it's at least one of your favorites is hiking. Yeah. Getting out and challenge yourself a little bit more than a gallivant. Yeah. But not much more. Pretty close. Well, it depends. If we do Black Star Canyon. That's a hike. Yeah.

Kimberly/terry (04:35.256)
He introduced me to a hike locally here called Black Star Canyon. Let's just say you need your feet and your hands to get through this hike. It's awesome. We call it bouldering. Bouldering. Is that what we call it? bouldering. I was bouldering. Yes. Yes. And gallivanting. And gallivanting. All at the same time. So what if you don't want to be active? What if you just need some time to chill? Yeah. You know, I think that one tip is be active. And our third tip when it comes to being out in nature is just.

be, you know, I mean, I think for all of us, there are certain settings in nature that sparks a sense of joy and a sense of ease. I think for us being, we're both Pisces. and so for us it's water, just being near water. love being in water, but honestly, just being near water is so my happy place. I just can't even, there are no words.

mountains for a lot of people, it's mountains being out up in the mountains. And I love mountains too, but I like to visit the mountains. I want to live, as much as possible close to the ocean, but lakes in the mountains are really beautiful too. So I get a little water there too. For some it's the desert. not so much a desert girl. mean, for some people, the desert is like this magical place we hear all about. you know, spiritual places like, like Sedona Arizona is known for having this kind of magical energy to it and such.

so for some it's the desert. So there are these different settings where you have an opportunity to go and you don't necessarily have to explore as an agenda. You don't have to be active as an agenda. In fact, you don't have to have an agenda at all other than just the intention that you're going to just be. Maybe this is where we practice some breathing techniques or meditation or just, you know, Hey, power nap power. Talked about that works too important to that.

Yeah, getting grateful for being in that environment as well. That's an activity where you're just being and getting grounded. One other microclimate that came to mind as you were talking about being around water. Yes, we love being around water as Pisces. I love frozen water too. So when I'm out in the snow, that's another place that brings me joy. Super peaceful. I snowboard and so I love being out there just sitting in the snow with my board on my feet.

Kimberly/terry (06:55.02)
That's a very peaceful and just serene time or place to be out and just enjoy. I think one of my favorite things growing up on the East Coast was just after it snowed. The calmness. And it's just so quiet and calm. yeah. That's cool. So that is a cool one. So those are some of the three key environmental well-being tips that we have. Again, finding beauty out in nature, being active, and then just

Just being, just getting grounded, just simply being. But what about indoors? So if we're talking about spending your time inside, how can we make your environment get to a place where you are relaxed, where you're calm, where you feel that, you just feel that sense of peace. That's the word I was looking for.

Peace, ease, joy. Don't we all want more of that? We do. So what can we do? What's one thing we can do? Well, I think one of the things is decluttering your space, you know, creating, creating that physical space. So you got to Marie Kondo that stuff. That's what we're going to call it from now on. We're not decluttering. We're Marie Kondoing. We turned her into a verb. Right? That's awesome. That's all right. Well, same with boulders. We were bouldering and now we're, we're Kondoing.

So yeah, declutter your space. If you're a person that loves, has to have things in its proper place and in a certain order, you like to be able to find things quickly, get rid of stuff. know, there's what's called, Catherine Ponder wrote the book, The Law of Prosperity. And she talked about one of the laws, which I loved and implemented in my life is the vacuum law.

So getting rid of things and not necessarily even tangible physical things just things that you don't need in your life anymore Just kind of being rid of those releasing those so you can create more space for better things in your life So because when you create physical space you create energetic space. Yeah, so it's fascinating the connection there. Absolutely So once you declutter your space and you've got you know, you got your environment kind of set what are some other things you can do to?

Kimberly/terry (09:11.992)
happened to some sensory. Yeah, you know, for me, it's about, you know, as we mentioned, we were kind of defining environmental well being. If you look around in any space where you tend to spend a lot of time. Now, this could be your kitchen. This could be like for me, I work from home. So, you know, my office space, what can you do? Or maybe you an office you go to, maybe you spend a lot of time in your car. So it's anywhere you spend a lot of time. What can you do to spark joy?

How can you add inspiration in some way, form? And so we think about kind of the different senses. And the first would be visual. What can we do visually to add to the space? Now that we've decluttered, what can we very intentionally add to the space? So where I work, I have a little wall behind me. It's actually a wall this way and a wall this way. And on one wall, it's like a mini vision board that I have. And then on the other wall, I call it my wall of inspiration.

And there I've got some of my favorite quotes. I've got pictures of friends and family. And then most importantly, when I'm working, I have notes and cards from previous clients. So when I'm working and maybe I start to feel a little burned out and need some inspiration, I just turn around and look at that wall. I see quotes and pictures of people I care about. And then those notes from clients that it just fuels me for the journey to get inspired and get back to the good work that I want to do.

And then other things can be like flowers and such that, pictures that just spark joy. I've got one picture on my wall. That's me laying under a Palm tree, because that's a favorite place for me. So it's a picture of a Palm tree. So lots of things visually can spark joy. And so then we got to go with auditory, the things that we can hear, you know, what kind of sound are you creating in your space? Could you play some music that is either soothing, if that's the vibe you're going for, or maybe it's uplifting.

Maybe it's one of Terry's daughter Keoni's new songs. That could be really cool. So you have the music that maybe suits the vibe that you're trying to create based on what you're doing in the environment. You have the, maybe it's just like white noise where there are a lot of apps for that, like Calm or Inside Timer. And it could be something like a.

Kimberly/terry (11:34.848)
rainfall or ocean waves or what if you had an actual water feature like one of those tabletop water fountains, things like that, something that creates some kind of, of sound. And if you prefer the complete silence, that's okay too. But it's about being intentional about the vibe you're trying to create for yourself in that space where you spend a lot of time. And then of course the third sense would be the olfactory. so what is olfactory? Do you say old?

Factory, like an old building, like a rundown building. It is not an old rundown building. As a matter of fact, it is, let me school you. The sense of smell. All right. All facts. Yes. All factory, which I'm not schooling him because he's the one that found this term for us. I was like, what is the term? So I know visual and auditory. What's the term for smell? So I think I said something like smellatory. Smellatory. Smellatory. Sure.

I would have gone with that, but people come here to learn stuff. You know that, isn't that awesome? It's true. It's pretty spectacular. I actually think about it. So when you think of the olfactory, your sense of smell in the space that you spend time, what are things that kind of spark joy that inspire you for some people? It's candles or it's incense. I'm really big on like the heated wax melter thingies. They probably have a name.

heated wax melter is good. The H W Did just make it an acronym? Yes. I love it. But there are the little units that you put the little wax squares on it melts and then releases this beautiful smell and they last forever. they're amazing. also another opportunity to appreciate flowers, you know, visually they're beautiful, but if you get flowers that smell really good, my favorite in case anyone's wondering Asian lilies, like especially the stargazer, they're

beautiful, but they also smell so good. Whenever I have those on my countertop, when I walk into my house, I just, I smell them and it just makes me smile. could be herbs. kind of herbs, rosemary, basil, right? That those kind of herbs, two, legal, those two. and I don't, I don't think this is an herb, but I love cinnamon, cinnamon. Yeah. Especially kind of in the fall throughout the holiday season, I'll get like the pine cones and like, but the cinnamon. Yeah.

Kimberly/terry (14:00.396)
all the different essential oils and things like that, that can bring sense to life that, actually all elicit different feelings, just like I mention this with the visual, but colors. Yeah. I listed different emotions within us. Like blue is known to be more calming yellow for a happy uplifting red for powerful. did you just growl? I just growled.

so back to the olfactory, think one of my favorite.

Kimberly/terry (14:35.096)
We're going back to the old factory. No, back to the sense of smell. what about chocolate chip cookies or any baked goods for that matter? Any big, well, of course who we're talking to. All right. So you know what I've gotten really good at? can't wait to hear. mean, better make them and bring them. If you like this, I will definitely make some and bring them for you. Yes. answer is yes. chocolate chip banana bread muffins.

You had me at chocolate chip. I, and I make them, you know, all organic. I protein and I've been able to master it. Cause I've been on a kick lately for, finding really good recipes, but then swapping things out to make them healthy. I am not gonna lie. am not always successful, but this I got down. I love it. Yeah. Well, one of our, one of our guests that we have, lined up eventually is, is a chef who does just that. She specializes in that. Chef Maria.

Amen, Chef Moran. So you guys are going to love each other. yeah, so all those different senses to stimulate those. Yeah, just to get that, you know, stir up those emotions of well-being, right? Yeah, absolutely. Right. So, you know, getting out, this is number three or number two rather. No, this is number three. This is it. This is You're bringing it home. You are the grand finale.

So we started with, you know, outdoor, you know, outdoor environmental wellbeing, but let's say you want to get out of your day to day environment to other positive environments that spark joy that happened to be indoors. Right. So, for me, I love comedy clubs. love seeing comedians. know you do too. You appreciate a good laugh. do. Right. that's one of, one of the things that I love to have done in a while. we're gonna have to change that. We're gonna have to do that.

So we have an amazing comedy club that's like 15 minutes away. There's, we should be there every week all the time. Like every day, if I could, I love to laugh. I know you do too. So comedy club live music. You just were at a concert last week. That brought you joy. know it did so much joy. Michael Franti is one of my favorite live performers. If you don't know who Michael Franti is, you have homework, but his live shows, like he is liquid joy. is. You can list, pick up any of his albums and you will love.

Kimberly/terry (17:01.3)
every song on every single album because he is Mr. Positivity. So we need more Michael Franti in the world for sure. Theater, Broadway shows for example, or any kind of theater. Yeah, remember I just saw Hamilton recently. Hamilton. And she loved it. Loved it. Yeah. Two thumbs up at least, right? As many thumbs as I could find, I would give it. So those are a few things. Museums, right? Yeah. let's go for like the

the low cost kind of activities that are indoors. Museums don't cost a lot of money. If you're in DC where you're from, museums are what? Free. Free to be. Absolutely. So, then some people, not Kimberly and I, but we know a lot of people love this kind of, it sparks this kind of joy is retail therapy. Yeah, I don't get it. Like I, my 12 year old son likes to shop more than I do. That is no joke.

Wow. Yeah. Yeah. It's not, it's not a thing for me either. My daughter, course loves it. She wrote a song actually just daunted me right now called retail therapy. I have to play it for you. So it's such a cool song and she brings it. So, you know, those are just some ideas where you can get out of that day to day kind of environment that you're accustomed to, whether in your office, whether you're, you know, running your kids around to their activities, whatever you may be doing.

Put it on your calendar, schedule, schedule getting out and experiencing the energy, the love, the light that all these other kind of activities have in store. So what's your favorite, by the way, out all the things that we mentioned, getting out and about comedy, of course, you love As far as the changing environments? Yeah, changing environments. Next to comedy, gosh. It's a toss up. it's so hard, because I love live music.

I love theater. I love movies too. Just like, like movie theater. She just loves it all. didn't mention movie theater. Yeah. I love going to the movies. Like the ability to kind of escape into someone else's imagination for an hour and half to two hours is such a gift. It's really cool. So I kind of love it all. It's hard. That's awesome. I'm actually going to a drive-in movie theater on Saturday. Back to where, you know, I grew up. Haven't been there since I was a kid. What are you seeing?

Kimberly/terry (19:24.568)
I'm going to see Venom 3. okay. The new one. So it's a new movie, brand new movie, old school style. Is it like the speaker on the side of the car? They have the radio frequency in the car now. Yeah, it's in the car now. So I used to love that. The metal speakers you hang on your glass window, hoping it's not going to break. So let us know what, you know, a few of the things like in your, your environment indoors, for example, what kind of

Inspiration do you add to your space? it auditory? Is it visual? Is it olfactory? my. And then when you're outdoors, what are some of the... sexy six all over again. Olfactory. I don't say things that cool. I'm going to find a word that I can say really cool. You say all kinds of words. going bring it. You do. You do. It's going be brought in. Well, just bring it. You already brought it. So...

We can't wait to hear the activities, both outdoor and indoor. I just mentioned the indoor stuff, but outdoor. Let us know what kind of activities, because we want ideas too. We want to be inspired by you. Yes, please let us know. And by all means, share this episode with anyone you think can benefit from just the concept of being more connected to your environment, both indoor and outdoor, and creating more positivity wherever it is you spend a good deal of time.

Wheel of Wellbeing first started coming together. I had a lot of people question me on the idea of environmental well-being. It's like, what is that? It's so important. It's so important. So it is worth giving some time and focus to. So check that out and just kind of do a little self-inquiry, a little self-assessment, and see where you have some opportunity to be more inspired. And then share that with us. Share this episode with others so they can be more inspired, we hope, because that's our goal. Right. For sure.

If you haven't downloaded it yet, if you're on one of the podcast platforms, download it. If you're on YouTube, you got a place to comment. Let us know your thoughts. Yes, we would love to hear that. And they can find us over on the book of face and the gram of Insta. And the tube of you. And the tube of you. The tube of you. So, well, fantastic. Well, we again, as always, we thank you, we appreciate you, we love you.

Kimberly/terry (21:42.104)
really thank you for joining and taking the time to listen the last few minutes about environmental wellbeing. Make sure that you listen to any of the past ones, past episodes you haven't listened to, as we just newly came into double digits here at group X appeal. and you're not going to want to miss episode number 12, which is all about social wellbeing. We're not social creatures. Well, I think we are probably more social than most.

But we are all social beings. are hardware for connection. We are going to dive deep into that. Let's go. So until next time, as always, we want to wish you a great day. And why? It's a great day to have my friends. Get it. Take care. Much love.