We hear so much about what to eat to support our health. Whole foods, organic produce, supplementation...
And while those are important, they’re not the full story.
Your body isn’t just nourished by food, it’s designed to respond to its environment.
The sun on your skin and in your eyes, the ground beneath your bare feet, and the rhythm of the day-to-night cycles.
All of these signals guide your body’s natural processes:
- Your sleep
- Your energy levels
- Your hormones
- How your body processes and absorbs nutrients
- Your microbiome, the foundation of your digestion and immunity.
Without them, the systems within your body can’t communicate the way they should.
For example:
Morning sunlight entering your eyes doesn’t just wake you up, it triggers your body’s internal clock, synchronising energy production, hormones, and metabolism. It also signals your body to produce protective mechanisms, helping your skin safely tolerate sunlight later in the day, and supporting vitamin D production.
Later, as the day shifts to evening, those same natural signals guide your body toward rest and repair.
When we block these signals, by staying indoors, wearing sunglasses and sunscreen, or surrounding ourselves with artificial light, we’re cutting off the natural instructions our bodies rely on to function optimally.
How to start supporting your body today
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Morning sun: Make stepping outside the first thing you do upon waking, before checking your phone. Just a couple of minutes in the morning light, standing on the grass, taking a few deep breaths. Whenever the opportunity is possible for you, aim to catch the sunrise. The first light of the day is rich in red and infrared wavelengths, which signal your body to wake up, energise, and start its natural rhythm. This light also primes your body to handle sunlight later in the day, reducing sensitivity and supporting your skin’s natural protection. After sunrise, the morning sun brings UVA light, which plays an essential role in producing nitric oxide. This helps improve circulation, lowers stress, and supports cardiovascular health. UVA exposure also boosts the release of dopamine and serotonin, uplifting your mood and setting you up for a productive day.
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Avoid wearing sunglasses: Allow sunlight to reach your eyes. This light signals your body to create natural defences that protect your skin and also support your circadian clock. Blocking this light with sunglasses disrupts these processes, leaving your skin less prepared.
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Barefoot connection: When was the last time your feet touched the earth? Take off your shoes, and spend a few minutes grounding on grass, wet or dry sand, or soil. When you walk barefoot, you connect directly with the earth, which is rich in free electrons. These electrons act like nature’s antioxidants, helping to neutralise free radicals and reduce inflammation in your body. Grounding also helps your body discharge excess positive charge that builds up from constant exposure to electromagnetic fields (EMFs). EMFs come from everyday devices like phones, Wi-Fi, and electronics, and while they’re part of modern life, they can create an unnatural load on your body. Connecting with the earth acts as a natural "reset," allowing your body to rebalance and restore itself.
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Natural light exposure while working: Sitting by a window while you work on a
screen isn’t enough. Glass blocks out much of the UV light your eyes and skin need to function optimally. You don’t need to be in direct sunlight to benefit, but you do need to step outside where the full spectrum of natural light can reach you (eyes and skin). Open a door/ window if possible, and if working outdoors isn’t an option, aim to take short outdoor breaks during the day.
- Dimming evening lights: When the sun sets, your body expects darkness, triggering the release of melatonin—the hormone that helps you wind down and prepare for sleep. Bright, artificial lighting, especially blue light from screens and LED bulbs, disrupts this natural process, tricking your brain into thinking it’s still daytime. To support your body’s natural rhythm, consider dimming lights in the evening or turning them off where possible. Shift to red or warm-toned lighting, and replace harsh overhead lights with softer lamps or amber bulbs. Blue-light-blocking glasses can help if you’re using screens at night, and most devices now have a night mode or warm filter you can activate after sunset. Candles or Himalayan salt lamps can also create a soft, relaxing glow perfect for winding down. Pair these lighting changes with a gradual evening routine, reducing light exposure 1–2 hours before bed to let your body relax naturally and prepare for deep, restorative sleep.
These practices are so simple:
- Step outside in the morning
- Avoid wearing sunglasses
- Feel the earth beneath your feet as much as possible.
- Get outside when possible while working on devices
- Dim the lights (or turn them off) as the sun sets.
Yet in the comfort of our modern world, it’s easy to feel resistance to them.
We’re told to fear the sun and to protect ourselves from the very elements our bodies were designed to thrive on—with sunscreen on our skin, glasses covering our eyes, and shoes on our feet.
Modern life has pushed us further away from our body’s natural biology. Waking to artificial blue light, spending majority of our days indoors, wearing shoes that disconnect us from the earth, and blocking UV light from our skin 24/7 is not how we evolved.
If we were all grounding more, absorbing natural light in the mornings, and aligning with the sun’s cycles, our cells would work as they should. Our bodies would feel more energised, balanced, and strong.
As a collective, we would all be healthier.
These small, intentional shifts can reconnect you to the rhythms your body was designed for. They remind your body how to function the way it evolved to. The more you embrace them, the more you’ll feel the difference: better energy, deeper sleep, less inflammation, and a vitality that no supplement or gadget can replace.