Why Do We Keep Looking for Complicated Answers... While Ignoring the Free Ones?
Thought provoking interview with Dr Sara ough
I’ve been thinking about this ever since recording my latest podcast with Dr Sara Pugh. In fact, this has been a constant theme for me over the last 10 years, and one that, if we make progress with, will have a significant impact on all our health and that of our animals.
Why do so many of us spend hundreds, often thousands, of pounds on supplements, biohacking gadgets and the latest health trends... endlessly consuming information... yet rarely changing the handful of daily habits that matter most?
We’ve become brilliant at consuming information...
But much less skilled at implementing it.
Modern life rewards information consumption.
Health rewards consistent implementation.
I’m not against supplements. Far from it, in today’s toxic world, where we are bombarded from all directions, I recommend them myself (carefully screened ones).
I’m not against technology either. Some machines can be incredibly helpful. I love Bioresonance and EMF protection. I can see the difference some of these make, not just with humans but with animals and plants too.
The problem comes when they become the starting point instead of the finishing point.
We seem to have become conditioned to believe that if something is free... it can’t possibly be that valuable.
And I think that’s one of the greatest misconceptions in modern health.
We’ve been taught to outsource our health.
Think about it.
Need more energy?
Buy a supplement.
Feeling stressed?
Download another app.
Can’t sleep?
Buy another gadget.
Low mood?
Look for another product.
Meanwhile...
How many of us have asked a much simpler question?
Am I getting enough natural light?
Am I spending enough time outside?
Is my body experiencing the environment it evolved to live in?
These aren’t exciting questions.
They don’t come in shiny packaging.
Nobody makes billions from reminding people to watch the sunrise.
Throughout my conversation with Dr Sara Pugh, I was reminded just how profoundly our bodies respond to something as fundamental as light, darkness and spending time in the natural world. Again, I see this with my animals - I wish I could show you now where they are all choosing to be - they always get the balance right as long as I give them the choice.
We don’t just have a food diet.
We also have a light diet.
We spend endless hours debating carbohydrates versus fat...
Vegan versus carnivore...
Supplements versus food...
Yet many of us spend the vast majority of our day indoors under artificial lighting before collapsing onto the sofa in front of another screen.
Have you asked yourself...
Could the quality of the light we’re exposed to every day be just as important as the quality of the food we eat?
The biggest lesson wasn’t about sunlight at all.
It was about behaviour.
Why do we skip over the simple things?
Why is it easier to buy another supplement than go outside for twenty minutes?
Why would we rather research the latest miracle product than consistently improve the basics?
Why do we consume endless podcasts without actually doing anything different ourselves?
Why do we blame everyone except ourselves?
Of course I know we don’t all do this - and probably most of you reading this are the ones that already know this… if so let me know your tips below.
I don’t think it’s just because people are lazy (some are).
I think we’ve gradually become conditioned to believe that the answers must be complicated.
That someone else has the solution.
That health is something we purchase rather than something we practise.
In my work as a Behaviour Change Coach, I see this pattern repeatedly.
People often know what would help them.
The challenge isn’t always a lack of information.
It’s understanding why we consistently overlook the habits that matter most.
And our animals?
This conversation isn’t just about us.
Our dogs spend more time indoors.
Our cats live under artificial lighting.
Our horses wear fly rugs, UV masks and spend increasing amounts of time in stables.
Even our houseplants are growing under artificial environments.
Modern life has changed the daily inputs every living thing receives.
It’s time we started asking whether nature knew a thing or two before we decided we could improve upon it.
The Bigger Questions
This conversation is not just about sunlight.
It’s about whether we’ve stopped asking questions.
Why are governments openly discussing and funding research into technologies designed to modify the amount of sunlight reaching the Earth?
Why do patents exist relating to weather modification and atmospheric technologies?
Why has the conversation around sunlight become so one-sided, when there’s a growing body of research exploring the benefits of appropriate sun exposure for circadian biology, mitochondrial function, vitamin D production and overall health?
And perhaps there are even bigger questions worth asking...
Why have we become so disconnected from natural light?
Why do so many of us spend our days under artificial lighting, looking at screens that emit large amounts of blue light, from the moment we wake until the moment we go to bed?
Why have traditional incandescent light bulbs largely disappeared from the market in many countries, leaving consumers with far fewer choices than they once had?
Are these simply unintended consequences of modern technology and energy policy...
Or are they by design?
Whatever your conclusion, I believe these are questions worth exploring rather than dismissing.
I’m not suggesting you accept anyone else’s conclusions.
I’m suggesting you stop outsourcing your own.
Question everything.
Read widely.
Follow the evidence (your health being a key part of that)
Be prepared to change your mind as new evidence emerges.
If we lose our curiosity and ability for critical thinking.. well we all know where that ends!
Get the foundations right first.
Many of the health tools on offer can absolutely have a use..
Build upon solid foundations, don’t replace them.
Before searching for another complicated answer...
Ask yourself:
Am I getting outside every day?
Am I seeing morning light?
Am I reducing unnecessary artificial light in the evening?
Am I giving both myself and my animals the environment our biology evolved to expect?
Have I mastered the basics before searching for the next breakthrough?
Sometimes the biggest breakthroughs aren’t hidden in another product.
They’re hidden in the habits we’ve stopped valuing.
This conversation with Dr Sara Pugh isn’t just about sunlight.
It’s about remembering that health often begins with the simplest things.
And perhaps the hardest lesson of all...
The things that transform our health are often free.
We just have to remember to value them.
You can watch the Interview Here (and available on all major Podcast Platforms) : AND FOR ALL MY PAID SUBSCRIBERS MOVING FORWARD YOU CAN WATCH ALL MY INTERVIEW AD FREE RIGHT HERE ON SUBSTACK
I hope this interview encourages you to question a few assumptions, spend a little more time outside, and pay closer attention to the everyday choices that quietly shape your health.
I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments. What simple, free habit has made the biggest difference to your own health, or that of your animals?
Health isn’t usually transformed by one dramatic change. It’s shaped by the everyday decisions we repeat often enough for them to become our normal.
CATHERINE X