Frisch auf! That’s the rousing German send-off walkers once got as they set out, wishing them luck, strength and freshness for the long road ahead. Which makes sense, of course, since a long hike is best tackled well rested and freshly fortified. The start of the year is really much the same: every year you find yourself at the beginning of a new stretch of road, and you can hardly wait to set off, fresh and raring to go. Or is there perhaps still a little festive sluggishness hanging in the air, with your motivation still hibernating? Aromea says: time for an Air Detox and five tips for fresh air!
1. Fresh Air
You can’t do without breathing, that much is clear. But not all air is created equal. The walker outdoors may have a fresh mountain breeze for company, but most of us spend our everyday lives within four walls. And indoors, there’s quite a lot in the air: fine particles, moisture, cooking smells, cleaning products, chemicals and countless different scented substances. In the cold season especially, we tend to turn up the heating and keep the windows shut, and the quality of the air we breathe suffers. A real brake on motivation and wellbeing! So the first step to fresher air couldn’t be simpler: open the window! To be precise: air the room thoroughly at least five times a day for five to ten minutes (windows wide open, even in winter!). That ensures the necessary exchange of air and guarantees enough oxygen for motivated peak performance. One more little tip: yawning isn’t necessarily a sign of tiredness, but far more of a lack of oxygen, and a clear signal that you need fresh air!
2. Humidity
A tiresome subject, because not only is humid air hard to breathe (see: sauna), but germs and pathogens also love a good wetland (mould!). In terms of physics, warm air can hold far more moisture than cold air (see: tropics). In everyday life, cooking, washing, plants, drying laundry and our own bodies release plenty of moisture into the room, and the (relative) humidity climbs. Here too, a regular change of air does your health and wellbeing good! If you’re dutifully airing the room by this point, you may even get to watch the humidity condensing on the window pane. In windowless rooms (bathroom, ski room, laundry room), though, only a dehumidifier will do (your local DIY store has them) to head off dangerous cloud formation. But beware: air that’s too dry also harms your health and irritates the eyes and airways. Too damp, too dry: for homes and workplaces, experts recommend an ideal humidity of around 40-60% at a room temperature of 20°C. A hygrometer (a humidity meter, also from the DIY store) will then show you how much water is in the air, even away from the window pane.
3. Foreign Bodies
Say fine particles and people think of combustion engines. But clothing and fabrics (fibres), building materials (chemicals) and organic matter (skin cells, stray hairs, food waste, smoke) also pollute the air we breathe with microscopic foreign bodies. That’s why the nose, airways and lungs come with an ingenious filter system of billions of ultra-fine little hairs (Latin: vibrissae). Whatever gets caught in these built-in filters, we simply cough or blow back out. Example: if you know smokers, you’ll know the typical smoker’s cough, a long-term consequence of heavily polluted air. To avoid sounding the same indoors, it pays to keep your air suitably clean: smoke breaks outside, bins with hygienic lids, organic clothing and upholstery fabrics (cotton, linen, etc.), and when you air the room regularly, preferably open the windows that don’t face the main road.
4. Air Purifiers
Outdoor air is constantly being cleaned: rain, snow and wind, but also plants (forests, the “green lungs”) are forever scrubbing the air we breathe. (A nugget of nose wisdom on the subject: the typical clean, fresh smell after a heavy downpour is called petrichor.) Indoors, sadly, clean air is a very different story, and natural rain-washing is nowhere to be found. But certain houseplants are true miracle filters here too: aloe vera, spider plants, dragon trees, ivy and bamboo can bind certain toxins, tobacco residues and fine particles and render them harmless. Your trusted florist will be glad to advise you on the specific cleaning effect and how to look after the plants. A little greenery also looks fresh and invigorating, and gives motivation and wellbeing a visual boost as well.
5. Nose Pleasers
Thoroughly aired and nicely cleaned, the air now tastes fresh and clear and wonderful. But still no sign of motivation or high spirits? Then a few olfactory tricks can give the spring awakening a very effective helping hand (or rather, nose). We strongly advise against the classic scent spray, though, because it delivers chemical (pseudo-)freshness and promptly pollutes that lovely fresh air all over again. The best fragrance solution comes with patented AirQ technology from Aromea (its nano vaporiser produces a “dry” scent mist). And for the individual scent experience, naturally, only 100% natural essences are used. The right notes can then motivate, calm, focus or relax. Natural Swiss stone pine scent (fragrance oil 318 - Zirbe-Cedarwood), for example, can lower your average resting pulse, which is handy in the bedroom, the wellness area or at the negotiating table. If you’d rather smell the rain: fragrance oil 1014 - Fresh Water. Here’s to a clean, cheerful, “Frisch auf!” new year.
A little nose wisdom from the edge of the rain
