Why I’m Creating a Healthy, Non-Toxic Life

Happy new year, friends! I hope 2024 is off to a great start. I’ve taken a few weeks off to spend time with the fam, be inspired and create intentions for the new year.

One of my top priorities is creating a healthy, non-toxic life for myself and my family. This has been a huge focus of mine since becoming pregnant with my first child 5 years ago. And by “healthy” I mean many things: eating nutritious foods, drinking clean water, using non-toxic personal care, skincare and makeup products, breathing clean air, moving the body and more. These are very BASIC if you think about it, however we live in a time where many of these things are highly toxic.

My intention with work in 2024 and beyond is to share more content around living a healthy life. This is why I’ve decided to kick off the new year with this post. I want to set the foundation for the health and wellness info, tips and product recommendations coming your way. The WHY is so important to me and if this resonates with y’all, I hope you follow along on this journey!

So WHY am I creating a healthy, non-toxic life?

[1] Feel Good – I’ve always found myself gravitating towards a healthier lifestyle because when I do, I feel GOOD! As I began to put health/wellness first in my 20’s I started to see the difference in so many areas of my life: energy, confidence, motivation, joy, mindfullness and physical appearance. What’s the point of living if you don’t feel good?

[2] Longevity – Simple, I want to live a long, healthy life and be here with my family. Once I had kids it awakened me to the reality of so many products on the market that were down right terrible. I started to ask myself, if I’m not going to use it while I’m pregnant or on my newborn, why would I normally? This is when I did an inventory of every single thing I was using on my body and began to try new, cleaner products. Now I’ve changed SO many items in my household as well: cleaning supplies, removing plastics, what I cook on/with and so much more.

[3] NO Cancer – My grandmother and now mom have both had cancer as well as many around me. I know I’m not alone as it touches so many. If I can be more mindful/aware of things I’m doing to decrease the chances in my and my families life, I will.

In my 20’s I was very focused on learning about food and exercise. I began exploring in the kitchen, cooking and in-turn created a wonderful relationship and understanding of food and how-to nourish my body. Now I share my recipes with y’all to enjoy as well! I also realized hours of cardio in the gym actually wasn’t good for me… shocking! During this time I found that I enjoyed lifting weights and pilates. These workouts have made me stronger/more confident, gave me mental clarity and I can easily maintain a healthy weight. Everyone is different so finding what works for you is key!

Now in my 30’s I have been deep diving on clean beauty: personal care, skincare and makeup, examining all of the household cleaning products I use and looking into other toxic items in the home: candles, plastics, some types of furniture and more. The amount of products I’ve tried is endless. There’s one thing to be non-toxic (clean ingredients) BUT it also needs to be effective. I’ve also found myself making homemade items such as a makeup brush cleaner and fruit & veggie wash. Again, these are very basic, with simple ingredients and they WORK!

So where did I start?

I have found it to be overwhelming at times as I learn about this space, however I’ve taken it a day at a time. I listen to podcasts, read books & articles, research ingredients and tap into my own intuition. As I move forward in my healthy living journey, I’ve found it helpful to tackle one area at a time. I mentioned above I first started with food and exercise, then moved to skin/beauty products and now I’m focused on household items. I will be sharing easy switches I’ve done in my home along with my favorite non-toxic products. Coming soon!

I’m by no means an expert in ingredients but I’ve found two resources to help me navigate products on the market. I highly recommend them both: Think Dirty and EWG.

I’ve spent countless hours looking up every single thing I use. It’s worth the time and effort! Now I have a much better understanding. There are three buckets I review when looking at product ingredients: cancer-causing, endocrine disruptors and allergens.

Your version of “healthy” living may be different than the next and that’s ok. I honor that everyone is at a different point in their journey. I will be sharing mine in the hopes of helping you along yours. Be well.