Healthy at Home: 3 Helpful Apps

I had a lot to learn as I started this new process.  There was a whole new list of ingredients to learn...and lots of names that I couldn't even pronounce.  So if anything, I needed something to make this transition a little bit easier.

I found three different apps that helped me make some of the decisions on what should stay and what should go.  I downloaded these, so that I could scan the items in my house (and in the store) so that I could make an informed decision.

Here they are:

 

The Think Dirty app is one of my favorites when it comes to helping me decide on which products I should purchase or get rid of.  Think Dirty commits to helping consumers identify risks associated with personal care products they use on a daily basis.  Think Dirty has a blog and online shop, but in my own opinion, I feel that their app is easier to use.
  

 

The next app that I really like to use is EWG's Healthy Living app.  EWG stands for Environmental Working Group.  They exist to empower people to live healthier lives in a healthier environment. The EWG has a very nice, user-friendly website as well where you can find lots of helpful information regarding the products we use everyday.  They also have a database with products that are EWG approved and also give you a link to order them!

   

The third app that I like is called the Good Guide.  It's my least favorite of all of the apps listed, but it's very simple to use.  Their mission is to provide consumers with the information they need to make better shopping decisions.  As with each of the previous apps, there is a scan feature which makes it easy to scan UPC codes.  They also have a blog online, however, I have never used that feature.    

Each of these apps give a product rating and lists any reason why you should give concern to it.  In the event that the product gets a bad rating, they also give out cleaner options to replace the product with.  That is the feature that I love the most.  It basically decides for you whether you should get rid of it or not.

Download them today!  Then tell a friend about them! :)

Healthy at Home: Where Do I Start?

When starting down this new road of cleaner household products, I honestly had no clue where I needed to start.  It was all very overwhelming to me, and I kept putting it all off because I was questioning, "Where the heck do I start?"

 Last Spring, I attended an online seminar regarding PCOS.  One of the workshops was on the body products that we use, and I remembered hearing something about parabens being harmful to girls with PCOS.  So that's exactly where I started.  I started researching parabens.  I mean, what exactly are parabens?!  I had no idea.

Basically, they're preservatives that are used to prevent bacteria and mold growth.  That could be a good thing, but they are also endocrine disruptors.  They're most commonly found in shampoo, conditioner, face wash, body wash, body lotion, and foundation.

Um...endocrine disruptors?? I do NOT need anymore of those!  I have enough things disrupting my already-out-of-whack hormones.  I didn't need anymore help in this area.   So I immediately went to my bathroom and found everything that had parabens in the ingredients list and put it in a pile.  I knew that I had to get rid of those.

From there, I found the other ingredients that may be an endocrine disrupter:  BHA and BHT, Ethanolamines (MEA/DEA/TEA), Oxybenzone, Phthalates (DBP, DEHP, DEP and others), and Fragrance.

To be completely honest, the two groups that I found the most items in were parabens and fragrance.  There were a couple of items that did not list the ingredients on the bottles, and their website didn't list them either.  If I couldn't find that information easily accessible, then I threw it out.  I wasn't going to chance it.

 

I really couldn't believe how many products I was throwing out.  But when it came down to it, I couldn't believe how many products had toxins in them.  That's exactly what parabens are....toxins! I needed to get rid of them so that my endocrine system could get a break and {hopefully} function normally.

I'm sure you're wondering what I have replaced all these items with.  I am slowly replacing them, and I'll be sharing those items in a different post.

How many of these things do you have in your home?  Will you get rid of them and replace them with healthier options?

Healthy at Home

Health is a journey, not a destination.   Every day I have to choose healthier options over unhealthy ones.  Every day I have to choose to be better than I was yesterday.  So when I learn new information and knowledge, I have to either choose to act on it or not.

 At age 15, I was officially diagnosed with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, abbreviated PCOS.  I was given very little information about the diagnosis, but it gave me reason why I had very irregular periods and it was perhaps the reason why I got my first period at age 9. The doctor basically told me that I could go on birth control to regulate my cycle or do nothing at all.  We (my parents and I) chose to do nothing at that time.

I didn't know a whole lot about PCOS, and neither did the doctor.  Unfortunately, doctors still don't know much.  A lot of times, I feel way more knowledgeable about my diagnosis than they do, because I've since chosen to educate myself as much as possible.

Here's what I do know:  PCOS is an endocrine disorder.  That basically means my hormones are all out of whack.  So that means I need to get my hormones in check for my body to be able to perform optimally.  My journey to healthier living started a little over four years ago.  I knew that in order for me to get my hormones in check, that required healthier eating and more physical activity.

I've learned what foods I can eat to feel my best.  I've learned to read labels on the foods that I choose to purchase.  I've learned what my body doesn't like.  When it comes to nutrition, I have the knowledge to make those every day decisions.  But things still haven't been completely in check for me.  So I started to question.  What if I could do more?

In my nutrition certification course, I have learned a lot about the human body.  One of the things I've learned is that our skin is the largest organ.  Have you ever thought about that?  Sure, our skin makes us look pretty...would you want to see humans without skin on?  Ick!  Not me.  So if our skin is the largest organ of the body, don't I want to treat it with kindness as well?

This is where my health journey has taken another step.  I have heard for many years that cleaning supplies, bath and body products, and everyday things we use in our homes can be toxic to our environment.  At the time that I had heard these things, I wasn't ready to do anything about it.

But now...after I've educated myself on my own diagnosis, learned about our organ system, and listened to experts talk about the things in our products and how they can interrupt our body systems...now I'm ready.

Over the next few days, I will be sharing with you what I have done in my own home to get rid of the toxins.  I'll be sharing exactly what I've been looking at and the processes I've taken to get my skin healthy, which in turn affects the rest of my body.

If you have questions along the way, please ask!  I may not have all the answers because I'm certainly in the thick of it and still learning, but I will absolutely try my best to help you!

When You're Empty

The last three weeks have taken a toll on me.  My husband has been sick with a mystery illness, which has led to a lot of appointments and tests.  He doesn't "do" doctors, so I have felt the need to be strong for him, to have all the questions ready, and to hold his hand while he's going through it all.  Not only that, I have a business to run, and I have to take care of myself as well. I have been giving it all that I have. It has made me tired--physically, mentally, and emotionally.  I go to bed each night, and as soon as my head hits the pillow, I'm out.  The next thing I know, the alarm goes off and the cycle starts over again.

This past week, I really thought that I had burnout from life, but today, I realized that it's not burnout at all. I still have passion within me. I still love what I do.  I still love to serve others.  It's just that my fire is dim.  I'm empty. I've given all I have, and I haven't taken time to be filled up. Sure, I sit and read my Bible daily--but have I been in His presence long enough to hear what He's saying to me? Unfortunately, no.

I picked up a new book to read this week. It was God using another person to speak into my life. He does that, you know. 😉  I sat down to read this morning, and everything that was written in that chapter was written especially for me.

"How dangerous it is when our souls are grasping for God but we're too distracted flirting with the world to notice."

Ugh. Yes...my souls longs for Him, but it hasn't been still long enough.

"Indeed, the world entices your flesh but never embraces your soul. All the while, the only love caring enough to embrace us and complete enough to fill us, waits. 

He waits every day with every answer we need, every comfort we crave, every affection we're desperate for, while we look everywhere else but Him."

I am a go-go-go type of person. I'm pretty sure I learned that from my parents. 😉 Growing up, we weren't allowed to have down time. If I were caught reading a book in the middle of the day, there was a 99% chance that I would be going with Dad to work on the farm. But because of that mentality, I learned work ethic.  I am a hard worker.  I don't just do things halfway.  I'm an all or nothing kind of girl.

So these last few weeks, I have literally given it my all.  I have given so much that I haven't taken the time to be filled.  Unfortunately, you cannot pour into others when your cup is empty.  In my "job," and I say that lightly because I don't think of it as a job, I have to constantly be encouraging and supporting others.  I have to pour into them...that's how you invest and build relationships.  But I haven't been able to do that well.  Because I am empty.

Over the next few days, I'm going to do as God commands:

"He says, 'Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.'"  Psalm 46:10

I am going to be still in His presence because I know that it's difficult for me.  I'm going to be still because I know that He not only honors hard work, but He also honors that quiet time.  I am going to be still so that He can pour into me, so that I in turn can pour into others.



I think the biggest thing I took away from today's reading of Uninvited was this:

"Fullness comes to us when we remember to be with Him before going out to serve Him.  He wants our hearts to be in alignment with Him before our hands set about doing today's assignment for Him."

Yes, even when we're trying to share Jesus with others, we can be drained.  We have to have that fullness that only HE can give.  If you're feeling empty today, I pray that you will take some time to rest in Him.  Be still.  Listen to what He has to say to you.  Only then will you be filled and full.

Meal Planning for Beginners

One of the biggest lessons that I've learned in my adult life is that I have to know what and when I'll be eating.  If I don't have a plan, and I get hungry....well, you better watch out! I get hangry.  This is where my meal planning comes in.  I started meal planning when I moved into my very first apartment at age 20.  My aunt had told me about it, so I decided to try it out.

Growing up, my mom did not meal plan.  She rarely went to the store with a list even.  She would walk down the aisles of the grocery store, putting things in the cart that she knew we would eat.  She must be the smartest woman alive, because I can think of maybe one or two recipes that I know by heart.  These were the times of no cell phones.  She couldn't look up recipes on Pinterest.  She couldn't even call home to see if someone could tell her what she wrote on the whiteboard on the fridge.

That was totally normal for me, though.  I knew nothing different.  But I was a little overwhelmed with going to class and making my own food.  I had been accustomed to someone else making my food for the last two years.  So when my aunt told me that she wrote out all her meals each week ahead of time, I knew that I needed to try it.

I literally started from scratch. I had several cookbooks, but Pinterest still wasn't thought of yet.  I had many recipes that I had collected from being in 4-H, and my mom was a wonderful cook, so she gave me some, too.  When I started this process, each week, there was a ginormous mess on my kitchen table.  Now that recipes are "digital," it takes up a little less room. ;)

 

Here is my process for planning my meals:

1. I gather up my family calendar, cookbooks, a pen, and a pad of paper.
2. I look through my calendar, making note of when we will be away from the house at meal times.  I also look to see if we will need an early supper or if my day will be so packed that I need to utilize my crockpot.
3. I will then write out my days and all of the meal slots for those days.  For example, I'll write Monday and underneath it, I'll label: Breakfast, Lunch, Supper, Snacks.  If Thursday night is Date Night and I know that I won't be cooking, I'll mark through it.
4. Then I will plan my meals accordingly.  I always try to incorporate at least one or two new recipes a week.  This allows us to try new foods and experiment a little bit.
5. After my plan is constructed, I will then make a list of all the ingredients I will need to make these meals.  I then go through my pantry, refrigerator, and freezer to see if I have any of them first.  After I've taken inventory, I will make my "master list" that I organize by section of the store.  This allows for easy shopping.

There you have it!  There really isn't much to it.  It does take awhile for the first few times you plan.  However, the more you do it, the faster you get!

A couple other tips that I have are:

• Create a list of "go-to" meals that you know your family loves!  This will make it easy when you feel stumped or stuck.  A couple of those meals on my list are Taco Salad and Spaghetti Squash with Meat Sauce.
• Create a schedule of repetition.  I am a creature of habit, so most of the time, my breakfasts are the exact same thing all week long.  I'll change it up for the next week.
• Don't be afraid to use your crockpot in the summer.  I know that the most popular time to use it is in the fall and winter.  But I just hate my house being hot in the summer.  So pull it out and let it do the work for you!

For some more tips regarding meal planning, check out this video:

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