How healthy you are is dependent on your environment
Over the past few months, I have really taken an interest in reviewing the concepts and ideas that I see commonly associated with the area of health and wellness.
Generally, it seems that this type of article would be focusing on what I call the Big Three: Nutrition, movement and the shiny new kid on block, meditation. Despite the undeniable importance of The Big Three, there is seemingly a lack of attention placed on how important our environment is for our health.
To help connect with this point, I want you to think about the last time you visited a world renowned travel destination to only find that this so called paradise is full of rubbish, plastic and a generally unhealthy environment.
How did you feel? Were you at peace and did you feel your body completely shift into repair mode or did you notice a thinking that centred on a description of place as "somewhere that would have been magic twenty years ago".
How about the city of Delhi, India. In December 2017, the pollution levels were claimed to be comparable to smoking 50 cigarettes a day. Think about that. Every day, over eighteen million people are breathing in the toxins that are clearly not conducive to any kind of optimal health. Recently in Delhi, India played Sri Lanka in a game of cricket and it is reported that play had to be frequented stopped because of the negative effects that were visible to the visiting Sri Lankan team.
Notwithstanding my concern for the Sri Lankan team, my curiosity is about the future trajectory for the health of eighteen million people who on a daily basis are living and breathing in the city?
In many ways, the story about Delhi is an extreme case. However, this is also a story that highlights the significance of why the health of our environment matters. Here are some questions for you to consider:
- How much do you value the environment?
- What feelings do you associate between the environment and your health?
- When was the last time you made a decision that benefited the environment?
- Where is the most picturesque place you have visited?
- What is one habit that you know you could change that contribute to the promotion of the environment?
I know that talk about the environment is not as glossy and exciting as a new chia seed recipe or a different variation of a plank. But this matters for all of us.
To anyone interested in exploring this more, I suggest you visit: https://www.conservation.org/Pages/default.aspx