Using Your Nontoxic WHY To Keep You Making Small Changes
Beginning a nontoxic lifestyle can seem overwhelming at first.
Last month, I wrote about creating sustainable habits instead of New Year’s resolutions because time after time those resolutions are forgotten by March. One of the key points in that blog was finding your WHY. Digging deep for you why will help you stay focused on the bigger picture. Is your nontoxic why about you staying healthy for your kids? Is it to protect your kids from harmful ingredients? How about to reduce your chances of hereditary conditions such as; cancer, endocrine issues, diabetes, or neurological disorders? Are you starting a family and eliminating toxins for the sake of your unborn child? Those are some pretty big “why’s”!
When it comes to lifestyle changes, it’s all about making it simple and practical. When I first embarked on this nontoxic journey, I started with understanding food. I was in my early 30s and had gained 40 pounds. I was confused because I had never had an issue with my weight. I met with a holistic health coach who helped me understand the way my body was processing certain foods, how to interpret ingredient labels, the importance of portion control, and my emotional relationship to food. I also learned about the Whole 30 Diet and started following people like the foodbabe.com. My why was to reduce my chances of contracting the diseases that are prevalent in my family, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. In addition, I wanted to feel good about myself.
In my mid-30s, I started to learn about endocrine disrupting chemicals in my personal care products. My why was pretty big during this time, too. I had been placed in a category called “unexplained infertility”. This diagnosis sent me on a mission to understand who else was in this category and what unexplained infertility was all about. I learned that only 5 percent of personal care products on the shelf are checked for safety. In turn, I started to replace one toxic product at a time. Each time I ran out of a product; I checked the label for harmful ingredients. Here’s an easy guide to help you check the products in your house, too
As a mom, I continue to learn how to keep our family healthy and safe. My overall why is to keep myself healthy for my boys and to protect them from harmful ingredients. Some great resources for moms are Healthy Children (The AAP Parenting Website) and Wellness Mama.
Figure out your BIG nontoxic why and do what works best for you. Take your time doing research, ask for help and experiment with different brands. Remember that every small change is important. Every change is reducing toxic body burden.
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