How Working From Outside is Beneficial to Your Health

by | air quality, earthing, happiness, health, healthy home, simple life, ventilation, VOCs, working

This post was written by Griffin Parrish, an intern at Siege Media. He's drawn on reputable sources to back up his work and what he's written for us is so inspiring.

Of course, I would also add cautions around wireless technology, and encourage everyone to connect to the internet via ethernet (cables).

Enjoy!

Lucinda

Health Benefits of Working From Outside

With an increasing number of people working from home, some are taking it to the next level by working from outside. With a variety of mental and physical health benefits, taking your work outside is a great way to improve your daily life. Whether you take your laptop to a park or work from your backyard or balcony, there are many ways to transform your work life for the better.

What Does It Mean to Work From Outside?

Working from outside (WFO) is a new trend in working from home – where you can complete your daily work outside in a natural environment. WFO is especially easy for those who already work from home. Without being tied down to a specific office building, you can easily find a place to work without being trapped indoors.

Examples of WFO locations include:

    • Coffee shops with outdoor seating
    • Parks
    • Backyards
    • Balconies
    • Pergolas, porches, patios

By working outside in nature, you can reap the benefits of being outdoors without falling behind in your job.

What Are the Benefits of Working From Outside?

In a traditional office setting, many workers spend all day stuck indoors. It is estimated that the average person spends 90% of their time inside. 

Spending all day sitting inside without any exposure to sunlight or fresh air can be detrimental to your mental and physical health. 

Read along to learn how swapping your indoor office for an outdoor workspace can positively impact your health and wellbeing.

Increased Energy Levels

By exposing yourself to fresh air and sunlight when WFO, you can naturally increase your energy levels. Rather than relying on stimulants like coffee or energy drinks, moving your workspace outside is a great way to naturally feel more energetic. 

With the natural energy you gain from working outside, you won’t have to worry about a caffeine crash later in the day.

Reduced Feelings of Anxiety

Spending time outdoors is linked to several mental health benefits. One of the major benefits of WFO is reduced feelings of stress and anxiety. 

Whether you take a short outdoor walk between meetings or move your computer outside for the day, being out in nature is a great way to feel calm and elevate your mood.

Decreased Exposure to Indoor Air Pollutants

In an indoor environment, air pollutants are two to five times more common than in the outdoors. 

Consistent exposure to indoor air pollution can lead to various negative health effects, including:

    • Eyes, nose, and throat irritation
    • Headaches
    • Dizziness and fatigue
    • Respiratory diseases
    • Cancer 

By WFO and limiting your time indoors, you can decrease your exposure to these harmful pollutants, therefore decreasing your risk for health issues.

plastic free

Boosted Feelings of Creativity

In addition to spending time WFO, walking outside can also lead to improved brain function. By taking short walks periodically throughout your workday, you can experience an estimated 60% increase in creativity and problem-solving skills. 

To maximise these benefits, try walking to your favorite outdoor work location instead of driving.

Increased Happiness

When trading your indoor office space for the great outdoors, you will notice an increase in your happiness levels. Even if you’re only outside for as little as 30 minutes per week, it has been proven that it can decrease your depression by 7%. 

With an improved mood, the workday will be more enjoyable and go by faster.

Lower Blood Pressure

In addition to increased levels of happiness, spending 30 minutes outdoors per week can also decrease your risk of high blood pressure. High blood pressure can lead to many adverse health effects including:

    • Headaches
    • Vision problems
    • Fatigue
    • Heart palpitations
    • Shortness of breath

By reducing your time spent indoors, you can help decrease your risk of heart disease and other high blood pressure symptoms.

Natural Pain Relief

When compared to those who spent their time indoors, people who regularly spent time outside had reduced levels of inflammation. 

Rather than spending your time inside and continually reaching for pain medication, WFO can provide you with natural pain relief.

Better Cognitive Function

While WFO, you may notice yourself becoming more productive. This is no coincidence, as spending as little as an hour outside has been linked to a 20% improvement in memory and attention span. 

By WFO, you are not only improving your mental and physical health, but also your performance.

Tips For Creating an Outdoor Workspace

Now that you know all of the benefits that WFO can provide, you may be wondering how you can successfully work from your outdoor space. 

Check out this helpful infographic from Angi to learn more about how you can create a comfortable and effective WFO space.

Work From the Outdoors

Infographic by Angi.com

References

 Included directly via hyperlinks.

If you'd like more information on how to set this up safely
– avoiding hidden hazards, then book a call with Lucinda today.

Book Here

Support Your Health by Creating a Healthy Home

by | air pollution, buildings and health, environmental sensitivities, environmental stressors, grinding teeth, happiness, health, healthy home, indoor air quality, indoor environmental health, mould, self-care, sleep, stress, ventilation, VOCs, water damage, wireless technology

Perhaps you’ve heard about “healthy homes” and wondered how a home could support your health?

Or maybe you’ve wondered what you could do to create a healthy home?

And, if you’ve been with me for a while, you’ll likely just be eager for more strategies to support your health.

Please know, that no matter where you’re at, every step you take is a step in the right direction.

Let's get started.

Does Your Home Support Your Health?

It could be! You don’t have to be bed-bound to be experiencing the effects of hidden hazards in your home – you might be fit and well but feel a bit off at times.

Since there are so many signs and symptoms which may suggest your home could be hampering your health, and many of these may also have medical causes… The best thing to do is to start by observing.

Here’s my key question: do you feel better when away from your home?

From my experience with clients over the last 9 years, the vast majority have reported that when they spend time away from their homes, their symptoms become less severe. For some, it’s almost instant. For others, it is gradual.

What are some of the common symptoms when your home doesn't support your health?

Given we’re all different, these will vary from person to person. However, here are some of the more common symptoms.

  • Headaches
  • Sore and/or dry eyes
  • Poor sleep
  • Heightened levels of stress or agitation
  • Sore and/or tight muscles
  • Feeling not quite right (aka malaise)
  • Foggy or muddled head
  • Low energy
  • Vertigo or losing balance (only when at home)
  • Grinding or clenching teeth (aka bruxism)
  • Runny nose
  • Depression, anxiety, rage, angry outbursts

Please remember, there can also be medical causes for some of these, and these should also be ruled out – as some of the medical causes could be sinister.

Let me tell you about Beth and Jo

Beth and Jo were renting, and not long after moving into their new place, they began to feel unwell. Things got worse day by day, and eventually they both needed time off from work.

Alarm bells started to ring for them when they found they felt worse when resting at home.

Jo spent the days outside weathering the cold Melbourne winter.

Beth felt so bad at home, she opted not to take time off – the fact was, she felt better there anyway.

When I attended their home, it was clear that they had some big issues with water ingress and mould. They decided to break their lease and get out of there A.S.A.P.

For Beth and Jo the link was super obvious. However, for many people, the changes can be subtle and not so readily noticed.

Let's consider some easy (and free) ways that you can get started on right away.

Cap Screen Time

Studies have established there is a variety of adverse health effects linked to screen time. Apart from the more obvious ones such as dry eyes, there can be a range of other effects.

The effects of shortwave light (SWL) from the LED lights in screens was studied by Israeli researchers, Green, et al, in 2017. They discovered that 2 hours of evening device use resulted in increased wakefulness at night, low-quality sleep, and suppressed melatonin production.

But wait – there’s more!

The research team also noticed symptoms the next day, including an elevated level of sleepiness, a decrease in the capacity to concentrate, poor mood, and reduced performance levels when performing actions.

What also came to light (excuse the pun!) was that dimming the lights on the screen didn't make much difference to the aftereffects that they had observed.

Here’s what I recommend –

Reducing screen time in the evening by setting a curfew. In my home, we started by selecting a time that worked for everyone to “down phones/devices.” For us, it's 7:00PM. Find a time that works for your household and stick to it.

Clean Your Air

Australians spend between 90 and 95 percent of their time indoors (State of Knowledge, 2001).

Knowing this can help us to understand the important role which our homes (and offices) have in our wellbeing.

I was shocked to discover that many people rarely open windows and doors, and that occupants rely on the heating and cooling systems to control the indoor environment.

This means that the indoor air is rarely (if ever) exchanged, and the result is that indoor air contaminants continuously increase. Often, too, I’ve seen a decrease in oxygen levels and an increase in carbon dioxide. There are statistics around that show that indoor air can be 5-10 times more polluted than outdoor air.

Ventilation is key and done regularly, will allow indoor air to be exchanged with and refreshed by outdoor air.

The quickest and easiest way to do this is to do a lap of your home, opening every single door and window. It can take as few as 2 minutes to exchange the air in your home. It is ideal to do this hourly.

Down the Device

Various exciting technologies over the last 15 years have made it easier for people to be hooked on their devices. Have you noticed anytime you have a question, you reach for your device and search for an answer?

We've already touched on the shortwave light from LEDs in screens, but there’s more to it than that.

Our energy, emotional and mental health can take a whack with the constant pings and interruptions when we’ve got an email, SMS or a notification from an app or social media. Our sleep is easily affected when we’ve seen/heard something distressing right before bed.

One of my guiding principles is “the precautionary principle.” This means that something has to be proven to be safe, and unless it has, then I limit use or access to it.

So while the scientists re debating the semantics about health vs biological effects, I choose to minimise my exposure to wireless radiation.

Apart from the potential health risks, there are the mental and emotional health risks that most have already experienced. On top of this, I value quiet time to reflect, form my own opinions, and rest my eyes from the eternal scrolls…

Thus, I recommend choosing times in your day where you are without your devices.

Instead, you could go for a walk in nature (and bring in the many health benefits of Shin-Rin Yoku, or “forest bathing”), read a book or magazine, play a board game, draw, dance, sing, play… I’m sure you can easily find joyful ways to spend your time.

BONUS TIP: Have a look at your screen time (your device measures this) and multiply it by 365 to see just how many hours (or weeks!!) you’re spending with your device. Then ponder what else you could do with that time.

Creating a Healthy Home Can Support Your Health and Wellbeing

Create an oasis for yourself at home in which you can feel safe, nourished, and happy…

Knowing that your home does support your health.

You can do this!

And if you want my help…

Book a Call Here

And if you'd like more tips, check this out.

Spiders: Managing them Naturally

by | happiness, health, healthy home, indoor environmental health, natural pest management, pests

Spiders… Cockroaches… Beetles & Bugs

Spiders, cockroaches, beetles and bugs can give even the toughest person a bit of a shock.

I am a massive insect lover, but I can get spooked sometimes.

One night, I crawled into bed.

Closed the mosquito net and snuggled down under the covers.

I pulled out my book and adjusted the nightlight so I could read for a bit.

Then I saw it laying right there on the pillow next to me…

I big, glossy, brown cockroach!

I yelped and leapt out of bed.

Once it was safely outside, I returned to my bed… gingerly checking for any more of them.

Yuk!

So many of our insects are considered “pests.”

What Are Pests Really?

Reality is, that a “pest” is something in the wrong place at the wrong time.

A lot of the time, pests are due to human behaviour.

Such as an introduced species with no natural predators; or planting fields of the same plant, with no natural controls

How Do We Manage Pests?

There has been a plethora of chemical pesticides (and herbicides) used by people since World War II, many of which have not been tested adequately.

Bear in mind, too, that testing is based on LD50 (lethal dose 50).

LD50 is a very cruel method that science uses. It means that the dosage of what is being tested is increased until 50% of the animals it is being tested on die.

Then remaining animals are “terminated,” thereby eradicating information about longer-term effects.

Most people are aware of what happened with DDT, and glyphosate seems to be a modern version of this.

Glyphosate is extensively used in Australia and annihilates microorganisms in soil, increasing risk of diseases; reduces root growth and worms, which obviously detrimentally affects nutrient-uptake; and is not biodegradable (Blazey, 2012, 18-19).

You can read more about glyphosate in an article by Dr Stephanie Seneff here.

Controlling Pests In The Home Can Be Simple And Safe

I always recommend these steps for ANY pest:

1st STEP Remove the attraction (be it food, water or shelter)
2nd STEP Prevent entry into your home
3rd STEP Repel or deter pests naturally

Let’s Look at Spiders…

spiders

Spiders love to eat insects.

Sometimes having them around can actually be a blessing as some they eat other spiders too; as well as mosquitoes, cockroaches, earwigs, moths and flies.

To manage spiders, we are going to look at a three-pronged approach:

  • Prevention
  • Management
  • Deterring

Prevention

Prevent spiders from entering your home:

  • Seal gaps and cracks around windows and the foundations of your home
  • Caulk around where pipes and cables enter your home
  • Install a weather guard at the base of external doors

Keep porch and garden lights off, or replace with a yellow bulb

Remove food and shelter – take rubbish out every day, clean up after meals, avoid clutter, ensure you store your food in sealed containers

Ensure that ducted heating is intact – and if not, cover the vents, repair any damage to external walls

Install fly screens on all doors and windows. Make sure you clean them regularly so as not to hamper ventilation

Keep bins away from the house or where children play

 

Management

Remove webs and egg sacs – unless they are from redback spider as these should be removed by a professional

Introduce plants that attract birds – they will naturally keep spiders under control

Catching bugs (especially spiders) with a glass jar and releasing them outside is preferable to killing them

In the case of white-tailed spiders, be sure to shake out your shoes and any clothing on the floor before putting them on

Keep on top of your housekeeping

 

Deterring

Grow eucalyptus

Rub lemon peel on windowsills or wherever you want to deter spiders

Fill a spray bottle with water and add 20 drops of any citrus essential oil (lemon, orange, bergamot, lime), shake and spray on surfaces

Fill a spray bottle with water and add 20 drops of peppermint essential oil, shake and spray on surfaces

 

Want More Help?

Book a Hidden Hazards Hotline call

How is Your Wi-Fi Router Like Your Oven?

by | building biology, buildings and health, ehs, electromagnetic radiation, EMF, environmental sensitivities, happiness, health, indoor environmental health, radiofrequencies

Wi-Fi – we are surrounded by wi-fi all the time. But there is something that you can do that can significantly minimise your exposure… and it is free!

Why would you want to? There are risks associated with using this technology. This is “radiofrequency EMF” and has been classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer classified it as a “category 2B” which means that they recognise it as being potentially carcinogenic to humans.

Apart from cancer, there are other associated risks – including sleep disturbance, grinding teeth, muscle tension, as well as reactions that happen on a cellular level (voltage-gated calcium channels, reactions of blood cells…).

I want to share with you a simple tip that can make a big difference.

From today onwards, I want you to think of your wi-fi router like you do your oven.

HUH?????

Yup!
Your wi-fi router is like your oven.

From now on:

  1. When you want to use it, turn it on.
  2. Let it warm up.
  3. Use it.
  4. Turn it off again.

Simply by doing this, you can greatly reduce your exposure and begin to create new patterns around its use.

When you are ready, I highly recommend changing over to an ethernet-only router – and there ARE many choices.

Contact me – this is one of the many EMF problems I love to tackle.

Life Lessons

by | affirmations, death, happiness, health, life lessons, self-care

Life Lessons

Reminders of life lessons often happen when we least expect them – and most need the nudge. Something happened this week that really made me stop and think – a LOT. I witnessed something traumatic that picked my up by the scruff and gave me a good shaking. It made me want to reach out to you, because maybe this will help you to – but also because I haven't been writing all that often, and that is something I want to change.

Here's what happened:

I was in Canberra last week for work – and finished it off with my “3 Keys to Creating a Healthier Home” workshop at WoW (it was great to have a room full of people who were interested and informed and wanted to make a difference) and my Dad's 91st birthday (he is in such good health and spirit). At the airport, I was heading over to the desk to check my luggage in when I spotted an older gentleman sitting on the floor with his head in his hands, his wife standing next to him looking concerned. Our exchange went like this:
“Are you both okay?” I enquire. “He's not,” she says. “What can I do to help you?” “Nothing, we are just deciding whether we are flying or not.” “Can I get help for you? Do want me to get airport staff? Medical aid??” “No, we're fine,” she assures me.
I join the queue, not wanting to be an annoying stranger, but really sensing the need to help them. A few minutes later, I hear a crash. I turn to see him collapsed on the floor. They had begun to walk, and he collapsed.

Things happened quickly now.

There was a crowd of passengers around him, assisting. One comes back to ask the airline staff to get the paramedics – the staff spring into action. Then, they flip the man onto his back and begin CPR – pumping his chest and then breathing for him.

I am in shock – he is dead.

They stop CPR as they have revived him… Thank goodness!!

Without more story, he was still alive the last time I saw him – and I hope that he is okay.

I really was in shock.

It was clear they needed help. I had offered. They refused.

He collapsed, died and was revived. I put myself in her shoes – her loved one collapsed and died in front of eyes.

Just like that.

The “what if's” flooded my mind. What if I had've called for help regardless and he didn't die there? What if…?????

Needless to say, I was a very upset and crying a lot.

Then, instead of beating myself up for not seeking the help that they hadn't wanted, instead I focused on the lessons.

Life Lessons: here is what I learned from this

  1. Make the most of the here and now – every person, moment, event, etc because you never know when things will change.
  2. Don't put things off – do them now – take action! I often catch myself thinking, “I'll do that when I retire.” I may not make it!
  3. Don't leave things unresolved – sort out problems, heal wounds, build bridges.
  4. If there is something wrong, reach out, tell the truth about what is going on – not like the little boy who cried wolf, but genuinely.
I hope that sharing this traumatic situation will be of benefit to you and others. I invite you to reach out to someone to remind them you love them – and perhaps even stretch that out to someone with whom there has been some discomfort with. Have a happy and healthy day. Shine and Succeed!
Lucinda
#lifelessons #makethemostofeverything #makepeace