Last year I read an eye opening book by Clinton Ober called “Earthing“.
Clinton’s book is full of all the latest research and the huge benefits that can be had from Earthing or Grounding yourself.
Earthing has been proven to produce such amazing results for recovery that many of the cyclists in the “Tour de France” last year were embracing it.
Research is also highlighting many other benefits of Earthing or Grounding yourself including:
- Anti-inflammatory effects
- Reducing stress by Activating your Parasympathetic Nervous System
- Thinning the Blood by Reducing Blood Viscosity
- Improving Sleep by Normalising Cortisol Levels
- Acting as a Powerful Antioxidant
- Speeding up Healing Times from Exercise or Injury
What is Earthing or Grounding?
Earthing is quite simply the act of touching your skin to the Earth to take advantage of the never ending supply of negative ions on the Earths surface.
The moment your skin makes contact with the Earth your body absorbs trillions of these negative ions and they act as a nutrient to the body.
Here’s what Clinton had to say in his own words:
“Your body becomes suffused with negative charged free electrons abundantly present on the surface of the earth. Your body immediately equalises to the same electric energy level, or potential, as the earth.”
Why Should We Care About Earthing?
Think about your regular day.
You wake up, walk around on your insulated floor, put on your insulated shoes, drive to work in your insulated car, sit at your desk, drive home, watch TV, go to bed.
For most people your skin rarely makes contact with the Earth.
This is very different from our evolutionary ancestors who spent more time outside working and touching the Earth on a daily basis.
Now think about how great it feels when you take off your shoes and walk on the grass. How about walking barefoot along a beach? What about how great it feels after a day of gardening, camping, swimming in the sea or paddling in a stream?
There is something intuitive and instinctive about our connection with the earth that when embraced it pays us back in dividends.
It is also worth noting that both Chinese Medicine and Ayurvedic Medicine have both been using Earthing for 1000’s of years.
How it Works?
The voltage of the surface of the earth is zero.
The body is made up of over 70% water along with lots of other minerals making your body highly conductive.
When you make contact with the earth your body is Grounded or Earthed and becomes a zero voltage.
Our super conductivity can also work against us by absorbing Electro Magnetic Fields from all our electrical appliances and mobile phones. Earthing helps to neutralise these Electro Magnetic Fields.
How to start Earthing?
In a modern world Earthing is not as easy as it used to be but research from Clinton Ober and many others have shown that regular Earthing or Grounding can have great health benefits.
My simple advice would be to make the most of the good weather and get outside into nature more often.
Spend more time walking barefoot. Make contact with the Earth more often by touching nature.
In short, be instinctive and live like a child again.
There is a reason why kids love water and walking around without shoes on, it goes back millions of years!
For more on this topic visit Clinton’s website www.earthing.com