Friday, September 27, 2013

five favorites: health edition!

so i have been on this quest for a few years now.

a quest to lead a more holistic and natural life...
one step at a time.

when i first embarked on this journey, i had a list that was far too long and overwhelming, of every little thing that i wanted to change.

i wanted to change big things, like what we ate and how we treated ailments...
and small things, like our deodorant, toothpaste, cleaning supplies and grocery store bags.

my list seemed to grow by the day.

the more i learned about our bodies, our environment, raising babies, and living truly clean lives,
the more i was eager to dive in and transform the way we lived.

i am most definitely a dreamer. a visionary. a big picture person.

so while i knew where i wanted us to be,
i got completely overwhelmed by my "big picture change" and often found myself discouraged.

for every one thing i changed,
i seemed to find five others to add to my list.

and this is where my perspective shift came in...
i was doing the best that i could, with what i was learning, in each moment.

i quickly realized that i would need to pick a few things at a time, work to fit them into our daily lives and then go from there.

once those few changes were made and had become an ingrained part of our every day life, 
i would then pick a few more to embrace.

this drastically cut down on how overwhelmed that I felt and gave me such a sense of joy and peace and empowerment when those few new things became permanent.

i have decided to share some of the health changes we have made as a family.
there may be posts where i share several.
and there may be some where i share only one.

it helps me to put things down to celebrate where i have come from and where i am going.

today i have decided to share five of my favorite holistic health changes.
they are little ones.
simple.
easy to tackle.


first.

did you know that lime can be used as a natural deodorant?
all you have to do is slice a lime and apply it to the underarm. you can reuse this slice for up to 1 week, just keep it clearly labeled and in your fridge!

i stopped using your regular, store bought deodorant when i started breastfeeding my babies! 

here is another slightly more involved homemade deodorant that works great:
1/4 cup of arrowroot
1/4 cup baking soda
5 tbsp coconut oil
20-30 drops of melaleuca (tea tree oil) and lavender (or as much as you like!)
store in the refrigerator.

second.
raw. apple. cider. vinegar.
amazing!


i started using apple cider vinegar when i learned it can help with allergies/eczema, as well as detoxing.
and then i discovered the many other uses and fell instantly in love.

you can go here and here for some good lists of uses!

third.
natural, homemade household cleaners.
getting rid of all chemical cleaners in our home became a must when our oldest began to struggle with respiratory issues.

i quickly threw everything out and started using a few simple ingredients:
vinegar, baking soda/borax, lemon, and essential oils.

this is my favorite all purpose cleaning spray:
(if you use essential oils, you want to use a glass spray bottle)
1/2 cup white vinegar
1 3/4 cup water
1 tsp borax
30 drops of your choice essential oil
(my favorites to use are lavender, lemon and on guard)

fourth.
lemon water!

i started drinking lemon water daily a while ago and will probably never stop!

lemon is a natural energizer, boosts your immune system, flushes out unwanted materials,
decreases wrinkles and blemishes, cures throat infections, reduces fever, is a blood purifier 
and so much more!

i sometimes add straight lemon, but lately i have been using a few drops of my 
doTERRA lemon essential oil instead.

fifth.
sun rays!


i know that sounds cheesy, but getting us out in the sun several times throughout our days is one of the best things we can do!
i love to be outdoors, so this isn't necessarily something we changed since we were already doing it consistently, but we definitely increased it.

basking in the sun, allowing our bodies to soak up the vitamin D, and enjoying nature is one of the best things we can do for our physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health!

thanks for letting me share!!!!!!!
xoxo.


linking up with hallie at moxie wife.

4 comments:

  1. Thank you for posting this! I was wondering if I was the only one feeling overwhelmed with all of these life changes that I want to make with my family. I finally decided to take one thing at a time and I'm now not so stressed. Keep posting!

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    Replies
    1. you are definitely not the only one!!! :) it's nice to know we aren't alone! i'm encouraged knowing there are other mamas out there making little changes one at a time...blessings friend!

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    2. I like how you broke this down and took it step by step! Thanks for sharing and being outdoors is the best thing everrr!!

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    3. aww, thank you!!! and thank you for stopping by!! i agree...if i could live outdoors, i would ;) xoxo.

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