Vitamin G: The Supplement You Can't Buy
The way our modern world is set up, most of us spend our days between four walls, walking or running on concrete in shoes with narrow toe boxes, all while working under fluorescent lighting. It can be easy for us to forget our nervous system evolved outdoors and what a quick change of scenery can do for the mind and body.
Where did "Vitamin G" actually come from
You may be thinking that you're getting all of your nutrients in when you take your once a day, but Vitamin G isn't the kind of thing that comes in pill (or gummy) form. The term Vitamin G was coined by a Dutch scientist named Dr. Peter Groenewegen when he was conducting a multi-part research program studying the relationship between green space and human health. In this newly coined phrase, the G stands for the green space around us, and "vitamin" points to the idea that access to nature functions more as a necessity to health and wellbeing, rather than a luxury.
"Looking out on and being in the green elements of the landscape around us seems to affect health, well-being and feelings of social safety." -Peter P. Groenewegen
Dr. Groenewegen's research program focused on three areas:
Green space across an entire country
Green space in urban environments
Small-scale community gardens
The research concluded that even viewing nature through a window or photo was enough to improve our sense of well-being.
One finding from this study showed that people with more green space in their living environment reported feeling healthier overall, and visited the doctor less often for a range of common complaints.
In other words: tree hugging isn't just for hippies. The effects of nature on human health is a well documented, named area of public health research and highlights how far we have drifted from our most basic needs.
Forest bathing: The well-studied version
Shinrin-yoku, which translates to forest bathing, started in Japan in the 1980s as a public health practice to combat the urbanization of the country and inspire people to reconnect with nature, technology free. Since then, Shinrin-yoku is one of the more rigorously studied nature-based interventions to exist. A 2019 systematic review of nearly 1,000 studies found that the primary
stress hormone, cortisol, drops significantly after time spent in the forest when compared to time spent in an urban environment. More studies on this topic identified reductions in heart rate, blood pressure, and sympathetic nervous system activity after as little as 20 minutes outdoors.
These aren't fluke findings. It's been replicated across dozens of independent research teams, mostly in Japan and other parts of Asia, and has growing interest from Western researchers as well. If you're looking for the most science-backed reason to dilly dally, this is it.
Grounding: An emerging practice
On your journey to reconnect with your body and the world around you, you may have come across the term "grounding" or "earthing". It's the idea that making direct skin contact with the earth has its own distinct physiological effect on the body, separate from simply being outside. While the science is still developing, some published studies show improvements in sleep quality and inflammation markers. Most of the studies come from a group of overlapping researchers and small samples sizes, therefore leaving room for theories to continue developing.
One thing is for certain, we don't need proof or permission to do what our bodies are designed to do.
The First Question I Ask Every Client
The science behind forest bathing and other nature based practices informs my coaching framework, The Bodí Blueprint, centered around five pillars to optimize the mind and body. The first entry point is the Ground pillar, where before we train or fix anything, we ask ourselves: where am I right now? Throughout the day we all move through different stressors both good and bad that shape our mood, energy, and output. This isn't meant to be a judgment on yourself, but rather an assessment. When we take a brief moment to check in with ourselves, then we can move forward from a grounded and settled place.
That's what the Ground pillar is built around: body scans to notice what's happening beneath the surface, breath-work to give your nervous system a way back to baseline, and many other self-care practices designed to reconnect the mind and body. And, as it turns out, something as simple as where you spend your time plays a quiet, but much bigger role in that same regulation. Grounding isn't just the first step because it's easy. It's first because nothing else can be built upon a shaky foundation.
Ways to increase your Vitamin G intake this week
Do your body scan outside. Feet on grass, dirt, or sand if you can find it.
Go for a short barefoot walk, even if it's just around your yard or porch.
Sit for a few minutes with your palms flat against the earth.
Journal outside instead of at your desk.
End your day looking at the sky for a few minutes before bed, no screen in your hand.
See you outside!
Coach Ki 🌱
References and Resources
Maas, J. "Vitamin G: effects of green space on health, well-being, and social safety." BMC Public Health, 2006;6:149.
Maas, J. "Vitamin G: Green environments — Healthy environments." Doctoral thesis, NIVEL / VU University Amsterdam.
Antonelli, M., Barbieri, G., Donelli, D. "Effects of forest bathing (shinrin-yoku) on levels of cortisol as a stress biomarker: a systematic review and meta-analysis." International Journal of Biometeorology, 2019;63(8):1117-1134.
Hansen, M.M., Jones, R., Tocchini, K. "Shinrin-Yoku (Forest Bathing) and Nature Therapy: A State-of-the-Art Review." International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2017;14(8):851.
Chevalier, G. et al. "Earthing: Health Implications of Reconnecting the Human Body to the Earth's Surface Electrons." Journal of Environmental and Public Health, 2012 — PMC3265077, National Library of Medicine.
Oschman, J.L., Chevalier, G., Brown, R. "The effects of grounding (earthing) on inflammation, the immune response, wound healing, and prevention and treatment of chronic inflammatory and autoimmune diseases." Journal of Inflammation Research, 2015.
This was a really fun read and informative. I felt like I was touching grass and getting vitamin G just by reading it