My Healthy Lifestyle (to clear up any confusion)...
People know that I live a healthy lifestyle and often make assumptions about what that means.
Instead of being asked what my philosophy actually is, people either share their opinions on what I must eat and the way I must exercise or they make excuses on why they are eating the way they do. First of all, Relax! It’s way too exhausting to worry or judge the way others are living. While I would love a world that was filled with happy, healthy people, I can’t want it more for you than you do. Second, food and exercise seem to be the only things that people associate with a healthy lifestyle. It’s a great start, but your mind, the environment, relationships, quality of sleep, loving your work and being in the present all play an important part of a healthy life as well.
My healthy living philosophy can be summed up to this: Nourishing instead of depleting and real instead of fake. It’s not complicated and very easy to live by.
Real Food
Food is controversial as you can always find conflicting information on what is and is not healthy.
I like to keep it simple…eat real food from the earth.
I eat a mostly plant-based diet…this does not mean that I am a vegetarian or vegan. Throw away the labels of how you eat to keep the stress of staying in that box away.
I eat lots of whole fruits, lots of veggies and herbs. Colorful veggies make up a majority of my plate. I have them raw, sauteed, streamed, baked (not microwaved!). My supplements are also made from whole food and herbs, not chemicals.
Anything else that is real gets mixed in as a sprinkle of goodness… nuts, seeds, some humanely raised meats, brown rice pasta, goat cheese, etc.
I stay away from eggs because they feed virus and I have to keep my Epstein Barr Virus at bay. I’ll occasionally have gluten if it is a good quality product. Too much is definitely inflammatory and hard to digest (for anyone!).
Ingredients I stay away from: Soy Products, Corn Products (sometimes I let this one slide if it’s non-GMO), Artificial Colors, Artificial Flavors, Artificial Preservatives, Artificial Sweeteners, Chemical Vitamins, Bleached or Bromated Flours, BHA and BHT, Carrageenan, EDTA anything, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Hydrogenated or Partially Hydrogenated Oils, MSG (Monosodium Glutamate also disguised in many other names, look out for names with “yeast” too), Nitrates, Parabens, Polysorbate 80, Propyl Gallate, TBHQ and other preservatives, Vegetable Oils: Corn, Canola, Soy and Fruits and vegetables with a sticker that starts with “8” which means it’s GMO. It’s pretty easy to stay away from these when you stay away from packages and processed food, and major brands. I stay away from ingredients like this because they do not serve the body well at all. They deplete instead of nourish. Many ingredients above comes from petroleum. They are highly processed, if they do come from a food source, usually GMO corn, they have gone through an enormous process and no longer resemble a real food. For instance, according to the Splenda International Patent A23L001-236 and PEP Review #90-1-4 (July 1991), sucralose is synthesized by this five-step process:
1. sucrose is tritylated with trityl chloride in the presence of dimethylformamide and 4-methylmorpholine and the tritylated sucrose is then acetylated with acetic anhydride,
2. the resulting TRISPA (6,1',6'-tri-O-trityl-penta-O-acetylsucrose) is chlorinated with hydrogen chloride in the presence of toluene,
3. the resulting 4-PAS (sucrose 2,3,4,3',4'-pentaacetate) is heated in the presence of methyl isobutyl ketone and acetic acid,
4. the resulting 6-PAS (sucrose 2,3,6,3',4'-pentaacetate) is chlorinated with thionyl chloride in the presence oftoluene and benzyltriethylammonium chloride, and
5. the resulting TOSPA (sucralose pentaacetate) is treated with methanol (wood alcohol, a poison) in the presence of sodium methoxide to produce sucralose.
Drinks for me include lots of water, lemon water, green juices, celery juice, herbal tea and kombucha. If I have alcohol, it’s a fresh margarita (made with real lime juice). A few times a year I’ll have red wine and champagne.
When I read a label, it’s for the ingredient list. If that looks good, I’ll check out the sodium and sugar and serving size. No calorie or carb or macro or micro counting here. I prefer my sanity!
Chemicals
I want to keep chemicals in my body, on my body or in and around our house to an absolute minimum.
All products we use are as natural as I can get them. There are no fluorescent colors, harsh chemicals, strong smells that build up in our body and pollute our environment and the animals living in it.
There are many alternatives to body products, such as baking soda, coconut oil, Dr Bronner castile soap and other all-natural lotions, cleansers and make-up. Coconut oil is used as an after-shower lotion, for rashes and boo-boo’s. Baking soda gets used for bug bites (make a paste), cleaning and I use it a couple times per week to whiten my teeth.
Cleaning products can be replaced with baking soda, vinegar and other natural products (you can check your products on ewg.org). I promise you that you and your family are not so dirty that you need harsh chemicals to clean your clothes, your body and your house.
Environmentally Conscious
The impact we make and leave on the earth affects everything, everyone and generations to come, so I take that seriously. Chemicals were already mentioned, we also try to keep plastics at a minimum (I feel like everything is wrapped and sometimes double wrapped in plastic…I really wish companies would stop this craziness!). We bring our own water bottles when we can.
We don’t buy what we don’t need. Life is pretty simple and the simpler it gets, the better it feels. The more crap you have, the more crap ends up in a landfill.
No chemical fragrances like plug-ins, perfumes, Fabreze, scented candles (unless it’s natural) anything that pumps chemicals into the air.
Lighting is kept low and soft with a natural glow (not white or blue lights). I have my computer and phone set so the warmer light is on. We were meant to have fire as a light. Blue or white bright lights that are everywhere now is not natural for us to be in and can affect sleep and other aspects of life.
Reducing EMF exposure is next on the list. I keep my phone on airplane mode and away from my head while sleeping. I try not to keep my phone or laptop directly on my body as much as possible. I use speaker to talk on the phone and try to keep Smart Technology at a minimum.
Move Everyday
I make it a priority to move everyday…walk several times and stretch. When I can lift weights, do a yoga video or get some extra cardio in, then great! I aim to do that several times per week. The last thing I do is beat my body down with high intensity while I’m healing. Showing “no mercy” is not what I need to be skinny or stay fit. It is a good way to burn out my adrenals though!
Sleep
I get 8 hours every night. If I can’t sleep, there’s a reason, usually something is bothering me. I address it by meditation, tapping, breathe or I just allow myself the quiet time to figure it out…whatever it takes to let it go.
If you’re not sleeping, there are so many things that can be affecting it. Get to the bottom of it!
Nature
Being in nature is incredibly important to me. There’s so much life and beauty and it’s so grounding.
Relationships and Community
I like to surround myself with like-minded people who make life easy and fun. I am working finding communities that offers me the same thing.
Most importantly, keep my mind in check
It’s easy to address the physical body with everything mentioned above. The mind is the biggest missing piece in it all. Recognizing and letting go of the negative self-talk, the victim mentality and old, self-destructing habits takes practice and fortitude. Once you do start to change your patterns, your nervous system can get out of the fight-or-flight mode and you can relax, live in gratitude and enjoy life as a brighter and better place. I recommend Joe Dispenza’s teachings and meditations to help you transform. The key is…you have to do it every day! Utilize deep breathwork, tapping (EFT), sound baths, reiki and anything else that changes your energy and balances you out!
I’m in charge
I’m in charge of my body and mind and the impact I leave every day.
I can’t blame something outside of me for problems that I’m having.
I’m not going to put my power into a doctor’s diagnosis which is usually more like a sentence. We all have the power to turn our health around, it just takes time and diligence.
I’m going to decide everyday that my body, my family and the earth all deserve the best, so that’s what I’ll give.
I decided to have this lifestyle first as a way of healing. The more you learn, the more you understand the importance and your impact on the rest of the world. There’s no going back! I hope you decide to educate yourself (I’m here to help) because the more people that get on board, the better it will be for everyone.