Get out of the house and re wild yourself to improve health and well being

Cold water swimming

Submersing yourself in cold water sounds brutal, but there are many health rewards. A few years ago I came across Wim Hof's book "The Wim Hof method". I read it through with a huge interest and once I finished the book, I started his fundamental course to learn more. I finished the course over ten weeks period. I have already been doing yoga everyday, therefore I just needed to add breathing exercises and cold showers. The ice bath frightened me the most. And even though I am a good swimmer, I was always scared of open waters. But what is the saying? Try things that scare you the most. Get out of your comfort zone!.

During lock down, as many of us, I was not able to go swimming to the leisure centre. I live by the sea and whilst walking a dog, I had noticed more and more people swimming all year round. They encouraged me to start this as well. It was not the first time I swam in the sea, but I always was wearing my wet suit. I bought the rest of the gear I needed, and safety equipment, as it can be dangerous. My first wild swim was in the lake district. I was shocked, but never regretted starting. It gives me enormous joy, happiness, instant mood boost and long lasting energy for the rest of the day. You can take a dip in the sea, a lake or a river. You can even buy a barrel and create your cold water space in your back garden! Remember to start slowly, get used to cold water first by having cold showers. Cold water will give you a natural high, activate your good feeling hormones, improve circulation and immune system, and will help you release stress. Overall, it can be an extraordinary experience, where you will feel refreshed and rejuvenated. Cold water therapy is medically used to treat several disease symptoms such as athletic injuries, muscle spasms, inflammation, improving blood flow, weight loss and more. It has been used for healing since 2500 BCE by the Egyptians and recent research reveals that cold water therapy is an effective alternative to sleeping pills.

If you would like to try, find local groups on Facebook and join the crowd. You also could encourage your family to go with you together, as I do. We always go us three, my husband, my dog and I. It will be safer as care must always be taken when entering open waters.

"The Wim Hof Method", Wim Hof. He is also called Ice Man and he uses cold temperatures to stimulate healing, maximise energy, restore restful sleep, and clear the mind.

Star gazing

Anyone who has spent time gazing a the night sky will know that stargazing can leave you pretty awestruck. However, research has shown that exposure to the night sky can actually lower stress and increase a positive mood.

Last year my family and I went to the lakes in our camper van and we spent every night sitting around the log fire and gazing at the stars. After one week we felt refreshed as never before, full of energy and relaxed. We were so lucky to have brilliant weather, sunny warm days and cold frosty and clear nights.

Star gazing acts like meditation, soothing anxiety at the deepest level. Everyone's experience is different but for me it was connecting with something way bigger than me.

So what do you need to get star gazing? Not much. Just your eyes and a clear sky. Sadly, few of us can truly stargaze because of light pollution. So for the true experience, we will need to head away from civilisation on a cloud-free night.

Barefoot walking or Earthing

Have you ever wondered why taking off your shoes and stretching your toes amongst the soft grass feels so good? It is a simple process of walking barefoot on soil, grass, or sand. It will allow electrons to move freely between your body and the earth.

Everything in the whole world is grounded to the mother Earth. It has an infinite supply of electrons and they are constantly recharged by the sun, lightening and the orbit of the earth.

The idea is that the electrical charge helps to rid our bodies of inflammation-causing free radicals. The trouble is we don't spend much time barefoot on the land nor at home anymore so we are missing the process.

Barefoot walking will give you a whole bunch of well being benefits from regulating your cortisol levels and blood sugar levels to easing chronic pain and improving your sleep. As well as this, spending time in nature will enhance your mood, reduce stress and anxiety. You will feel more grounded and centred, able to focus on tasks and tackle problems with more calm and clarity.

Start walking barefoot at home, in your garden where you feel safe. Do it at least 30 minutes a day. When you can and are able to, do it outside in nature, on the beach, on the grass or paddle in the water.

I walk barefoot on the beach, paddle in the water, on the grass while camping, and at home.

Foraging

Super foods for free! Foraging is a gathering of edible and medicinal plants and fungi. Whether you live in a large city, in the open countryside or by the coast, you will find more ingredients growing in the wild than you can imagine. Foraging is more than having and getting, you will learn about so many things, nature, history and medicines. Paying close observation to the plants and wild things around us puts us directly in touch with our

ancestors, and also we can end up with lovely ingredients to use in our meals, states Fiona Bird in her book “The Forager’s Kitchen Handbook”.

I love foraging and do it as much as possible. You can find dandelions easily, they are all around us and it is a beautiful detoxifier for your liver! Use leaves in your salads, roots can be used for tea. You can swap them for rocket salad leaves and save some money. Another one that

I love gathering at the end of summer, early autumn is blackberries. You can swap them for blueberries. They are an excellent source of anthocyanins-good for heart and brain health and reducing inflammation. I also love gathering porcini, my favourite mushrooms! I used to

forage as a child and a teenager, and I only gather plants and mushrooms that I really know well. You have to remember, if in doubt-don't pick, avoid plants that may be spread with pesticides and always wash well before eating, and the most important-leave something for

the wild, don’t dig plants up, except for dandelions.

Being outside, as you know by now, is very good for us, it helps with mental illness, health problems, and gives us a sense of well being. Even if you don’t find anything for the dinner table, it is guaranteed you will have a good time. You don’t need to go far to forage. Start from home. In the UK, you can find nuts, seeds, fruits, vegetables and more, however, you should always seek permission before you forage on private land.

“The Forager’s Kitchen Handbook”, Fiona Bird.

Forest bathing

Forest bathing is very popular in Japan, as it combines mindfulness techniques with the therapeutic energy of the forest to create a well being experience that can leave you feeling calm and refreshed. I would like this to become one of the cornerstones in UK healthcare as in Japan. Studies have shown that forest bathing actually reduces stress levels, which is not only good for your mental health but leads to improvements in your physical health too, including a boost to your immunity. What is more, during forest bathing you can try various breathing exercises that will help

your body clean out damaged and dysfunctional mitochondria and replace them with healthy one. These are powerful exercises that you will be able to do while walking. This type of breathing which is called Intermittent hypoxic breathing is mainly known in the athletic world, however, in the case of non-athletes it may even get more benefits. If you are looking for a real nature boost, you don’t need to travel to Japan to discover the

amazing benefits of shinrin yoku or as we call it, forest bathing. You can escape hustle and bustle and let forest work its magic. Forest holidays offer various locations in England, Wales and Scotland. You only need to find the one the most suitable for you and go find forest healing.