Element Series Part 1: The Earth & YOU | E043
Are you connecting to the earth every day or getting outside?
Should you be?
In this week’s episode, we’re kicking off our new Element series and diving into all things Earth! We’re going over why it’s important to connect with nature, easy ways to start, and some of the benefits you can expect from stepping outside, touching the ground, and getting a little dirty (it washes off, we promise!) Whatever your experience so far has been with the outdoors, whether you grew up on a farm or find yourself stuck in a concrete jungle, it’s never too late to get out there! So, let’s dig in!
In This Episode
Podcast update & how to sign up for more content! (1:10)
Earth’s connection to health & wellness (2:43)
Why we focus on baseline habits (7:34)
Getting children outside to build up their immune system - but how? (9:53)
Building more connection through regenerative farming at home (11:55)
A message for the indoor people & Evie’s journey to being a Holistic Boujee (13:30)
Accessing nature in concrete jungles - how and why it's important (16:09)
Details about our retreats in Greece, Oregon, & Ohio: Our inspiration & what to expect (18:13)
How nature helps process emotions (22:28)
Connecting with Earth at home: Helpful tips & a challenge for you! (23:48)
And if you enjoyed this, be sure to check back in for future episodes within the Element series: Air, water, and fire coming up! Two of these episodes will be premium episodes for those within our Optimized Wellness Community, so be sure to join!
Resources Mentioned
Join the Optimized Wellness Community to access our premium content!
Catch up on Season 2, Episode 2 on Grounding
Listen to Season 4, Episode 9 on Regenerative Farming & Supplementation
Submit your question for the show!
Transcript
Toréa Rodriguez 0:08
Welcome to the Wildly Optimized Wellness podcast. I am your host, Toréa Rodriguez. And I’m joined by the lovely co host, Evie Takacs. Both of us are Functional Diagnostic Nutrition practitioners and we love working with women from all over the world, through our virtual programs, helping women not only feel better, but actually achieve that vibrant, no holds barred version of themselves, they’ve been missing for a long time, and how we actually get there. Well, that is what this show is all about. Now, please keep in mind that this podcast is created for educational purposes only and should never be used as a replacement for medical diagnosis or treatment. And if you like what you hear today, we would love for you to hit that follow button, leave a review in Apple podcast, share with your friends, and keep coming back for more. Let’s start today’s adventure shall we?
Toréa Rodriguez 1:01
Oh, welcome back to wildly optimize wellness podcast everybody, you've probably noticed we've been shaking things up a little bit here with the podcasts. And we've gone to a new format. So every other week, you'll be getting this on the regular seed that you get in your favorite player, Spotify, Apple podcasts, you name it. And if you want to hear the deeper discussion, so you want to have access to the opposite weeks, those are now part of the premium podcasts that can be found in the wildly update sorry, in the optimized wellness membership community is where you get access to the wildly optimized wellness podcast premium. And you get a private URL there so that you can put it into your favorite player and you can listen weekly, and it's no big deal. But we've got a lot of really cool things over there. We've got classes and workshops and wonderful community of women to join you in this exploration of this thing that we call wellness and exploration of life. So we're going to get right to it, Evie and I are we've decided to do an element series. So we're tying in some of the earth elements of earth, air, water and fire into a discussion around each and how those relate to our overall health and wellness and our connectedness to nature. And of course, we've been getting this idea because we've been planning our retreats for 2023. And our retreats have a lot of exercises that are surrounding these kinds of elements. So today we're going to talk all about Earth, and what we think about Earth and how it relates so Evie, why don't you kick us off with what comes to mind just off the top of the cuff of like Earth, what does that mean to you in terms of health and wellness?
Evie Takacs 3:00
Right away. And we talked about this, this, I started to think about, obviously being outdoors and then also being barefoot outdoors. I don't know why. But that's just what comes to mind right away is the earth thing, which we've talked about in episodes previous to this. That is what comes to mind for me of feeling very connected and being able to feel the earth like on my own body. That's that's immediately where my mind goes.
Toréa Rodriguez 3:23
Yeah, I think I mean, you and I have been using earthing and grounding as a modality for a while. Yeah, so for me, Earth really means the soil, right, and the things that grow from the soil. So I was blessed as a young child blessed and cursed, right? For real. But I was blessed to be able to grow up in a natural environment. So I grew up on a ranch that was surrounded by national forests. So I grew up basically in nature, it was quite amazing. And it was also the thing that I wanted the least of when I hit high school, I was like, get me into the city give me all the friends you know, give me in a car like that kind of thing. But what comes to mind is just the memories come up of me playing with the earth like being next to the river and playing with the rocks next to the river and like throwing the rocks in the river. Like I have fond memories of that and being barefoot as a kid on the grass or even just walking the path to the river. So I think grounding is such a wonderful way for us to feel connected to the earth. And we won't spend the whole time this time talking about grounding because we've got another episode so. point that in the show notes and we'll put that on the YouTube video. But I really do think that our connectedness to the planet is important, especially if you start to consider the fact that you know every cell in our body works through electricity, right? There's this positive negative The transfer of electrons in every cell of our body and then every bio chemical function, we're really transferring electrons. And so, so are other beings. So the plants do this, the animals do this, etc. And this is one of the ways that we are connected because the earth actually can take on some of that energy from us. And that's why we like grounding as a principle so much.
Toréa Rodriguez 3:23
Yeah, absolutely. And I was speaking to somebody else on my other podcast, and he is one who he's a forager. And so we were talking about foraging and being out in nature. And one of the things that he said that stuck with me is that, you know, people think nature is a museum, like, we can't go out and touch it, and feel it and experience it. And we need to remember that we can, and we shouldn't be doing that, right, we've become so disconnected from being out in nature. And it's just something that maybe we go to, and we experience, on vacation or on a weekend trip. But it's not something that is so much part of our day to day anymore. And so that's caused a big disconnect for us that it's not something that we need to just observe. It's something that we can and should be involved in and very, you know, a part of and touching and feeling and smelling and partaking in and growing our food and so that really, like that, quote, really stuck with me when he said that, and I think about that a lot of how much of my day is outside of nature and how does that translate to how I feel? And I mean, we had this, that was one of our very first episodes we did with MAK, we're talking wow, you know, presence and being outside in the outdoors.
Toréa Rodriguez 6:16
That's right.
Evie Takacs 6:23
And I remember thinking after that conversation of gosh, I, there's a big correlation to how I feel mentally and physically, and to the amount of time that I spend outside.
Toréa Rodriguez 6:46
A thousand percent.
Evie Takacs 6:48
It's hard now because, okay, in the wintertime, it's a little bit different. It gets darker earlier, it's like chillier. And I've worked I've learned to work around that, because I don't think that there's any bad weather, I think there's bad clothes. And so I try and dress appropriately. And just kind of suck it up and realize, again, the correlation of when I get outside, I feel much better in multiple areas of my life. And so I'm always trying to drive that home, even with clients and like my friends to have what did you get outside today? And it's cool, because now my friends will text me like on a nice sunny day, they're like, oh, did you get outside today? Did you go out? It's like, I love that they know that about me that that's such a big part of who I am and who how that makes me feel fueled for myself, and helps me fill up my cups, and then I can pour into other people too.
Toréa Rodriguez 7:32
Yeah, I love that aspect about being outside. And if you think about it, we sleep in a box, and we get ready in a box. And if we're working in an office, then we get in a box that's got wheels on it, and then we go to the office, and then we go back into another box, you know, and the reverse on the way home. And for those of us that work at home, we get up and go to work in the same box. Right?
Evie Takacs 7:55
Yeah.
Toréa Rodriguez 7:55
And it does take a concerted effort. And this is one of the reasons why Evie and I really focus in on baseline habits. Because if you don't have your routines down, and life throws you a curveball, then things will feel haywire-ish, they already will, but they'll feel less haywire-ish, if you have your routines to rely upon. And one of those for me is literally getting up, going out and taking the dog for a walk first thing in the morning. And that gets me outside, it gets me out in nature, it puts me in touch with what's happening on a more maybe not global scale, but definitely in a climate scale. Because I can assess the weather get an idea for what's happening there. I am seeing the similar trees on my route every day, right and I see the similar birds that are on the route every day. So it's, it's nice for me to have that connection with nature, because it keeps it number one it keeps my nervous system calm. Right on the days that I don't do that. I feel a lot more stress when I'm at work than the days that I don't. And it also reminds me to have contact points with nature. So even if I have my shoes on, I will take a conscious effort to try and touch a tree or you know, touch the grass if I'm bending down or taking a picture of a sunrise or whatever I try and touch the ground as much as I can. And I remember when I was talking to somebody about doing something like that, it sounds so minor to me, but they were like Oh, aren't you worried like what you're gonna get on your hands? And have it's like, no. But this comes from the kid that grew up you know, playing playing cookware with mud pies, right even like literal mud like not mud pie the sweet but mud as a pie. Yeah. So you know and it reminds me about the research that is out there that shows that children One who grow up in farm environments and urban environments actually have a much more resilient immune system. And if you think about it, what we're touching on the natural earth is a ton of microbes. And I can either be be gross, or it can be, oh, I'm just expanding my microbiome on my skin. And that's how I see it doesn't mean that I don't wash my hands. I mean, come on, let's be real. When I come in, I'll wash my hands before you eat. Right? That's common sense. But at the same time, that kind of contact with nature is one of the ways that we build and maintain immune system resiliency. And the earth is what provides up for us.
Evie Takacs 10:39
Yeah, and it's such an important thing for young kids to be exposed to as well, like you brought up the study of kids getting exposed to the bacteria and the, you know, the basically microbiome of the earth early on, like when their microbiome is really disestablishing the first two years of life, right? Like, I've heard something that was like, if you want to know how someone's immune system is going to be take a snapshot of their microbiome at age two.
Toréa Rodriguez 11:03
Yeah.
Evie Takacs 11:04
And that really got me really thinking, I'm like, Wow, all the kids that are over sanitized, they're not outside all the time. You know, the parents are kind of nervous about the germs at school. And, again, I'm not a parent, I'm not going to act like I know what that's like. I'm sure it is hell to have that at home all the time for some months at a time. But there's also the long term benefit of like, is it really that bad or detrimental for your kid to be exposed to all of this stuff? And, again, that goes back to what I said before of we're not putting ourselves out in nature, nearly enough. No, and at least majority of people aren't? Yeah, and so that we are almost robbing ourselves of a healthier body by not being outside as much. And I think that that's really detrimental to our long term health, and, again, a free way that we can support our immune system, and we're not taking advantage of that.
Toréa Rodriguez 11:54
Yeah, we really are not. And, you know, last season, I think it was episode nine of last season, where we talked to Ret and Vita from Ned, we were talking about regenerative farming. And really regenerative farming is about taking care of our soil. Right, it's about restoring the soil microbiome and fungal matrix that is in our soil so that it's nutrient rich. And when I think about, you know, putting my hands in the dirt, when I'm using my container garden, right, I've got some containers where I'll grow some vegetables, putting my hands in that Earth, because it's a full system that has been, you know, treated in a way not treated with chemicals, but treat it in a way with, you know, the types of organic materials that were composting inside the soil to build that, that soil feels differently in my hands than, say, soil that I could get from across the street. And so to know that there's this kind of energy that can be transmitted both to us and taken from us with just the earth in our hands on the earth. That's a pretty grounding, no pun intended, or maybe pun intended. Not quite sure. But that that makes me feel like I'm held, so to speak. It's very strange way for me to put it but it does make me feel held knowing that, that exchange of nutrients and that exchange of magnetic energy is there. And that that's part of the process.
Evie Takacs 13:30
Yeah. And as I'm listening to you, I'm like, Yeah, I totally get that for sure. But for someone who's listening, and how I was years ago, I would have been like, are you serious? Like, do you really feel that way? How is that possible with the earth? And so I encourage the listeners who are maybe haven't gotten to this point in their health journey, or have been exposed or you know, had an experience like this for themselves. So just be open minded. I'm like, is there another perspective I can take to being outside? Because I did it I was the person that I didn't think anything of it. Right. I didn't think I haven't been outside recently. I haven't done this. But the more that I started to hear these sorts of conversations, through friends, family through other practitioners, you know that I was working with our coaches that I'd hire, and they would encourage me get that sunlight in the morning and go outside, put your feet in the grass. And I was just like, I have nothing to lose at this point. I'll try it. And I really was open minded. And that helped me realize, Wow, there is something to this. And I didn't know the science behind it. I just knew that I felt differently.
Toréa Rodriguez 14:29
Yeah.
Evie Takacs 14:29
So for those who are listening that are like, No, I like being inside. I don't want to be outside. I'm not an outdoor gal. Maybe but maybe not be open to what we're saying. Because sure, you might not feel what we feel right now. But you might in six months or a year, but you're not going to know if you feel that way unless you actually give it a try in a more open minded and curious so well how do I feel when I get outside and put my hands in the dirt? Right? Yeah, I might not like that. It gets my manicure messed up. But that can also be washed off. Right? Yeah. So because I'm I I was recently told I'm holistic bougie, right. I'm holisctic but also very bougie. I like my nice things. I don't like to get super dirty all the time. But I find the value in it right? I love getting my hands in the dirt. I love being outside, I love getting, you know, being out in the woods and all that. And I'm finding more appreciation for that as time is going on. Yeah. And so I get it where you're like then not for me, I don't really want to be sweating or anything like that. But just give it a try and see what you learned about yourself and how you feel after because what you're seeking and what you're feeling might actually come from you putting yourself in that position to get a little uncomfortable and do something unfamiliar. Yes, when you walk away feeling like, wow, that felt really good. Right. So really accomplished, then you're gonna know that that's an access point to get there. And I think that's been really cool for me to learn throughout the years of the things that I was seeking in the way that I wanted to feel. I could do that just by doing the things that we're talking about now that I had no intention of trying.
Toréa Rodriguez 15:55
Yeah, I mean, that's a really great point. And I think it's easy for me to lose sight of it. Because I've always been nature girl at heart, right? So for me, this is like old hat. And I didn't even think to talk about something like this, right. But at the same time, it's there are a lot of people that are on our planet now that don't have that opportunity. Or don't know that they have that opportunity, right? It's like we live in very congested cities or populated areas. And it's very easy to stay isolated from nature and from the earth in general. Yet, at the same time, you know, there's always an open space somewhere. I just recently got back from a week long training that's in the middle of Dallas, Texas. And if you were to ask me in Dallas, Texas has more concrete than most places. And I'm still able to find open spaces there, you know, and use the trick of looking at Google Maps and look for the green spots and head that direction and go for a walk. And what's amazing is I can usually find a green space that's got a running trail through it. And I can even take myself off the concrete running trail and go actually spend some time on the earth whether I'm in my earthing sandals or not, it's it's really time for me to just connect with the natural world that is around me. And I was surprised actually, this time, I got to see so many different birds, I saw a great blue heron and I saw a hawk and I saw an entire murder of crows and all of this wonderful wildlife that was there. And you know, be able to have that moment of stillness to remain connected with the Earth, even though I'm in a very populated, concrete covered location. And that was great. And I think you're absolutely right, in that it doesn't mean that you have to get sweaty, it does not mean that you have to get rolled around in the mud like a pig, we're not asking you to do that. But to start really considering our relationship to the earth as a planet and the soil as a whole. And how that is can be so life giving, if we're starting to nurture it in a way that it can nurture us.
Evie Takacs 18:12
Yeah.
Toréa Rodriguez 18:13
And I think that, for me really is the inspiration behind why we've decided to do some of these in person experiences like the wilderness reset retreat in October, so that somebody who's never been in the situation can come and be in a safe situation, you're not going to be run, run down by bears, you're not going to be you know, surrounded by spiders, there isn't any of that. But you're still going to be exposed to the natural environment and the outdoors and the earth in a way so that you can build that relationship to it. And if you know, humanity has even a semblance of hope, I'm hoping that this kind of experience is going to be what can help inspire people to save the planet from you know, the damage that we're doing. So try not to go down that rabbit hole too much. But it really is one of these things that I think the more that we get connected to nature, the more that we're going to respect the planet and the home that we all live in.
Evie Takacs 19:13
Yeah, I agree. And, you know, just from my own experience, I came to visit you in Oregon, which is where we're going to be for the retreat, and we did a lot of things outdoors. And we did things that I had never been exposed to, like I don't really hike and I hadn't been to some you know, some of these like National Forests before and just learning all these things. And so for me, it was really nice to experience that with someone who knows what she's doing. And I felt like I could trust you with that. And I felt like I could take some risks being out there that I knew that you were there to kind of guide me through and we did really cool cold plunges like in this beautiful river and it was just amazing. And so after that I'm like, I want to be doing more of this because I walked away feeling like wow, this is something that I really enjoy. And this is something that's missing from my life. And so that's a big thing that we want to cultivate. wait for people to come on the retreat, whether you're someone who is outdoorsy or not. And you know, you might not walk away wanting to like all of a sudden, like, sell all your possessions and go live in the woods. That's not our intention, I know. But again, it might be something that you're like, Oh, well, maybe there's some way that I can incorporate more of nature in my day to day that I hadn't really thought about. And maybe that's something that we can help you with, right? And maybe we can talk about what kind of parks do you have nearby? Or what's your schedule look like? Or what's the green space near where you live? Or, you know, can you take a different route to work and, like, there's different ways that we can talk about that. And so for me, doing, like immersing myself and that with you, personally, was a great way for me to open up my eyes to that. And so I'm excited to be able to do that with people who are going to be on the retreat too.
Toréa Rodriguez 20:44
Work. It's so hard for us to contain our excitement about these experiences, you know, the the ones in Ohio, the ones in Greece, the ones in Oregon, like all of them are just so amazing. Um, and they're all unique, right? So there's a unique theme in Hocking Hills. And there's a unique theme in Greece. And there's going to be a unique theme in the one in Oregon. And I will never, I don't think ever forget, just when you came to visit, and watching you fall in love with a tree, a particular tree. Like that was such a magical moment, because admittedly, the kind of trees that you have in Ohio look very different. They're still trees, they've got a trunk, they've got branches, they've got leaves, right. They're still trees, but they're a different style of tree. And I know that you hadn't seen this style of bark pattern in before. And just just watch you like reach out to this tree just to touch it was just so magical. Because I knew that you were like starting to really pay attention to the surroundings, in the environment and starting to feel comfortable and curious. And that is really what we want to have as the experience for this retreat in October and in Oregon is you'll be comfortable and a place for you to be curious about this stuff. Because it's this isn't your second nature, but I'm pumped that one was intended. If it isn't your second nature to be in nature, then we want to give you that experience to introduce you to it so that you can feel comfortable with it and take those learnings when you go home. Yeah. So one of the other things that I was going to talk about on this episode regarding the earth is me and I talk about processing our emotions a lot. And how that is very important for health is to process emotions. What is one of my favorite ways to process maybe some particularly angsty emotions are to like, weed the shit out of my garden, like, pull all the weeds out of the garden, you know, that really, really helps or get my hands in the soil. And like squeeze my anger into the soil. Like there's something really gratifying about moving that emotion in that way with my hands connected to the earth. Yeah.
Evie Takacs 23:18
So yeah. Oh, I bet I as we're talking, I'm actually thinking about, like, When can I get my garden going? And what do I need to start planting now? Because I usually do a spring and summer garden. Yeah. And so it's, I'm thinking about that. And with excitement, oh, like, what can I do differently this year, and it's just a nice project to have. And it's a nice, it's a nice responsibility that gets you outside, you have no excuse, right? Unless you don't care for stuff dies. But it's nice, because it forces me to actually prioritize being outside, which is something I always say I'm going to do.
Toréa Rodriguez 23:47
Yeah, yeah. So if anything, you want to deepen your connection to the soil, I'd say get a container and start growing some herbs or start growing a little bit of vegetables in that container that can be done on any small space, even on a windowsill. So, you know, using that as a way to connect with the earth and see what the Earth can provide you in terms of food is just an amazing, magical thing. And I think you know, in the grocery store, it's, again, it's really easy to be disconnected from where did these carrots come from? They actually came from the ground. Right? And sometimes, well, no, they came from Whole Foods. Well, no, right? They came from the ground somewhere. And so really recognizing how much that the Earth plays a role into our survival and thriving states of being is an important one to really consider and kind of mull over. So yeah, absolutely. Any final thoughts on this topic with the earth?
Evie Takacs 24:50
No, I Okay. final challenge, I guess I would say is after listening to this, I challenge everyone to do something outside this day. or if you're listening to it at night, maybe in the morning, but I would challenge you to do something. Maybe that's going outside putting your feet in the ground right doing some earthing, like we've talked about, or maybe thinking, Oh, well, instead of going for a walk at the gym on a treadmill, could I actually go for a walk at the park? Like, can I just bundle up a little bit or No, depending on the time of year, you're listening to this, again, we're we're recording this in February. So like, maybe I can do walk outside instead of going to the gym for that. So just challenge yourself to get outside a little bit extra this week and see how that makes you feel.
Toréa Rodriguez 25:31
Yeah, and if you want to tag us on social media, we'll be right there cheering you on, we'd love to see that kind of stuff. So that would be great. And then the next episode in this series is going to be all about the elements of air. And again, that one is going to be part of the premium podcast, and the membership communities. So if you want to catch that next series, come on over the link will be in the shownotes for love.
Toréa Rodriguez 26:02
Hey, thanks for joining us for this episode of the Wildly Optimized Wellness podcast. If you’re ready to dig deeper into your health, stop playing the Whack-a-Symptom game, start testing to get better guidance, you can find more about Toréa at torearodriguez.com and you can find Evie at holisticallyrestored.com. Want a peek into what it’s like to work with us? Come join us at our Optimized Wellness Community. You can find the invitation link in the show notes below. And if you have a question for the show, you can submit your question under the podcast section of torearodriguez.com. Finally, if you found something helpful in this episode, don’t forget to leave a review, hit that follow button or share it with a friend. They’re gonna love that you thought of them. Until next time, see you outside!
