20+ Ways to Live a Healthier Life

1. Get educated. I know it’s sometimes easier to stay ignorant to the products you consume and the toxins being poured into your body. If I delve too deeply, I may drift off in despair and hopelessness. Take it slowly, researching more of the products you use and how they are affecting your health, such as your deodorant, hair products, etc.. I’m not saying to slay all non-natural products, but I do try to find better alternatives. I still use hair spray and eat meat. I’m going slowly, but educating myself is paramount in getting my health back in my own hands.
2. Use coconut oil. It is amazing for skin health and even hair health, although I find it makes my hair too oily to use on a regular basis.
3. Take detox baths. Our bodies need help in flushing out the toxins we are consuming, and detox baths are wonderful ways to do so.
4. Introduce essential oils into your daily routine. These oils can really amplify your health.
5. Cut down on alcohol consumption. I still drink, but I do so in moderation. This cuts down on the empty calories and a headache the next day.
6. Put a himalayan salt lamp in your bedroom to purify and cleanse. Check out this article by Don’t Mess with Mama on 6 Health Benefits of Himalayan Salt. 
7. Up your intake of water and research the benefits of certain fruits and essential oils for weight management. I make a concoction I call Detox Water that combines several healthy ingredients.
8. Drink 1-2 oz. of Ningxia Red each morning to boost your overall health.
9. Use empty vegetable capsules, coconut oil, and essential oils to create supplements to aid in your health needs. Add citrus oils and Peppermint to help with weight management. Use Lavender, Peppermint, and Lemon for allergy relief. Store in the freezer to help with leaking.
10. Use a foam roller to release built-up toxins in your muscles.
11. Download a pedometer app. If you know anything about me, you know I rarely get motivated enough to work out. This helps me see how much I’m really doing, or not doing, each day. It encourages me to take the stairs sometimes when I’ve been especially lazy.
12. Drink warm water first thing in the morning with lemon juice or essential oil. Add peppermint, ginger, or any other citrus oil based on your tastes and needs. This will help with digestion, appetite suppressant, and boosting your metabolism for the day!
13. Rub Peppermint, Lemon, and/or Ginger essential oil on your stomach in clockwise direction to aid in digestion and natural cleansing. This also helps if you are nauseous.
14. Stop using antiperspirant. I know it’s scary, but most commercially-available deodorant is awful for our health and in some cases have even been shown to cause breast cancer. Either way, the lymph nodes in our armpits and neck cannot do their jobs of excreting toxins when we block their removal system (sweating) with chemicals. So we clog up one of our largest detox centers in the body, building up toxic nastiness all over the place. Detox your pits and use natural forms of body odor control. I use organic Apple Cider Vinegar (with “mother”) in the mornings and then after that dries, I apply coconut oil and essential oils. Some of my favorites for a nice scent include Thieves or Purification. They don’t stop the sweating, but they control the smell. I sometimes have to apply once throughout the day, but that’s about it. It is also the middle of summer, so that could be a factor. Check out this article by Don’t Mess with Mama on the 7 Toxins Lurking in Your Deodorant. 
15. Diffuse Thieves essential oil to help boost your immune health.
16. Add a tiny bit of coconut oil (I use less than a teaspoon) to your coffee in the mornings to help with digestion and internal cleansing done naturally.
17. Dry brush before taking a detox bath.
18. Try oil pulling as part of your morning routine. 
19. Meditate. This is one I still work on, but it’s definitely worth it.
20. Get out in nature. I don’t work out much, but it’s easier to do when it’s fun!
21. Burn a smudge stick around your home, especially the entries and corners for cleansing and protection.

What are other ways to live a healthier life? Leave comments and this article will constantly be in work for all sorts of tips to living a better life.

Related Articles and Sources:

• 6 Health Benefits of Himalayan Salt by Don’t Mess with Mama
• Where to Buy Essential Oils
• How to Use Essential Oils
• Detox Baths
• Dry Brushing
• 7 Toxins Lurking in Your Deodorant by Don’t Mess with Mama

How I Lost 50 Pounds… Without Working Out.

Yes, it’s true! I lost 50 pounds and I didn’t really work out. I first want to say that I don’t condone NOT working out… I’m just lazy and aim to work out, but never really do. I’m a busy girl. I’ve made sacrifices, and I will be getting back into the gym <– see what just happened there? I will still try to work out, but anyway…

About 2 years ago I started gaining weight quickly and without cause. I had already gotten my thyroid checked, and my levels were normal. I have hypothyroidism and sadly must take medicine everyday to keep my thyroid levels normal. Well, the levels were normal and I wasn’t doing anything differently. Still drinking the same amount of wine. Not gorging on sweets (that much). What gives!?! Steadily my weight jumped to pushing 200 at 5’5 <– and a half!! That’s definitely in the BMI charts as obese. This was the heaviest I’d ever been by about 30 pounds!

When I jumped on the scale one day and saw 194 staring back at me, I knew it was time to go back to my doctor. Let me clarify before people get all huffy… 194 is beautiful if that is what you’re comfortable at. With my height, 194 just wasn’t healthy and I didn’t feel it. So for the first 15 pounds, my doctor helped me out with a medicine called Phentermene. I’m not saying it’s for everyone, but it helped me when I needed it. Once I started losing weight, I eased off the medicine and attacked my weight from a holistic view point. The remaining 35 pounds was all natural and all me.

I started doing rigorous research into the toxins we constantly put into our bodies and why detoxing is so important. The cleansing tools below were brought about over time. I did not jump head first into a detox obsession. Rather, it came about slowly because the results were obvious.

1. I immediately started taking detox baths and saw a huge improvement in my health.
2. I upped my water intake and concocted detox waters with powerful ingredients.
3. I use essential oils each and every day; they’ve changed my life.
4. I lather my body in coconut oil instead of lotion. This saves a ton of money and also moisturizes my skin naturally without all the added chemicals. Add essential oil for added benefit. Coconut oil is my favorite carrier oil. This is the recipe for my powerful skin serum base that you can add essential oils to for your needs. Read more about skin health here. 
5. I spike my water with Citrus essential oils such as Citrus Fresh, Lemon, Lime, Grapefruit, Orange, Tangerine, and Ginger to aid in weight management, appetite suppressant, cleansing, and digestion.
6. Download a pedometer app. Okay, I said no working out, but we all at least TRY to workout, right? So this is nice because I can feel like I accomplished something if I have some decent steppage on my pedometer app.
7. Take time for you. I stress a lot and even though I’m totally extroverted, I’m also quite introverted as well. I build up tension in my shoulders and neck, clenching my teeth without realizing it. This causes pain and headaches. Sometimes we all just need some alone time to de-stress and take it easy.
8. Find your passions. Delve into new and exciting interests and hobbies. This will boost your motivation, releasing feel-good endorphines.
9. Utilize Peppermint and Citrus Essential Oils for their weight management powers, including appetite suppressant and fat inhibitor. Rub the oils on stomach for digestion and tummy troubles. Diffuse. Rub on fatty areas to tighten skin and remove cellulite. Take in a capsule daily.
10. I cut WAY back on the alcohol. So this wasn’t intentional, actually, because I quite enjoyed my glasses of wine each night. But my palate changed and soon wine, liquor, and most beer tasted repulsive. I’ve been able to drink hard cider with some ease, but I don’t want much. I think this is a great thing! But I will admit, cutting back from drinking a few glasses of wine each night to maybe one drink a week helped my weight start to fall off.
11. I started eating less processed foods and more fruits and vegetables, fish and nuts.
12. I started taking certain vitamins and supplements that were right for my body. My immune system is not great, so I introduced Vitamin C to my daily supplements. Vitamin B Complex also helped with energy and immune health. Research what’s right for you. Maca root is another supplement that aids in weight management.
13. Get out more in nature. While this is breaching the “no working out” title, it’s easier to sneak in some fitness when it’s fun.
14. I learned about dry brushing and attempt to remember to do it before detox baths.
15. I also found out about oil pulling, which is where you take about a teaspoon to a tablespoon of oil, such as coconut oil, and add essential oils for flavor and health benefits, and swish it around your mouth like mouthwash. DO NOT SWALLOW. Pull the oil through your teeth for 10-20 minutes. I will admit I’m still new to this and can barely keep it in for 5, but you have to work with something. You are pulling toxins through your blood vessels and gums into the oil in your mouth. Spit it in toilet paper and throw it away. It will clog drains. Check out this article from Don’t Mess with Mama on oil pulling. 
16. I started drinking 1-2 oz. of Ningxia Red each morning to boost my overall health.
17. I stopped wearing deodorant. Seriously. I freaked out too a bit. I have a massive fear of smelling bad (weird fear, I know). So I was pretty nervous, but I was also committed to finding an alternative to all those toxins! The lymph nodes in our armpits help flush out toxins in our bodies through sweating. If we block this sweating process through anti-perspirants, we are building up toxins within our bodies. The first step was detoxing my pits. I still use Apple Cider Vinegar in the mornings, then a few minutes later apply coconut oil and essential oils. My choices for my pits are either Thieves or Purification and normally something else, like Lavender to help with razor burn and skin health.
18. I leaned heavily on certain Young Living Essential Oils for emotional balance. My world started tilting and I needed some emotional support. I received this support through the use of a diffuser necklace. I added a drop or two to a cork piece and smell it all day. The oils I use include Joy, Awaken, Release, Forgiveness, Valor, and Grounding… not at the same time. I also use these oils in the diffuser for emotional support.
19. I utilized the powerful properties of crystals for healing.
20. This wasn’t normally an issue for me, but I made sure I started getting 8+ hours of sleep each night. Sleep is important to me and thankfully, for once, it’s something that’s important for my health too!

As I stated above, I don’t do all these all the time, but I like to incorporate as many as I can into my regular routine. I’m now to a weight I’m comfortable at and the scale doesn’t mean much to me because I feel great! And that’s what should really matter.

Related Articles and Sites:

• Tutorial on How to Do Oil Pulling by Don’t Mess with Mama
• Where to Buy Essential Oils
• How to Use Essential Oils
• Detox Baths
• Dry Brushing

Be Positive

Joy Essential Oil

Joy Essential Oil

This essential oil (EO), diluted, should be used topically behind the ears, chest/above heart, wrists, temples, and neck as any normal perfume. As the name implies, this oil is excellent for bringing joy to the wearer and those in close proximity.

I use Young Living Essential Oils because they are the highest quality therapeutic—grade oils.

Young Living (YL) Blurb: “Joy™ is a luxuriously exotic blend with uplifting overtones that creates magnetic energy and brings joy to the heart. When worn as cologne or perfume, Joy exudes an alluring and irresistible fragrance that inspires romance and togetherness. When diffused, it can be refreshing and uplifting.”

Learn the different ways to use essential oils here!

Already know and love essential oils? Would you like to get 24% off your Young Living oils? Of course you would! Click here to sign up, and click here to learn more about becoming a wholesale member, where you get 24% off retail prices and can even get free oils!!

Uses for / Properties of this Oil:

• Mood enhancer
• Uplifting
• Inspiring
• Motivating
• Rejuvenating
• Encourages happiness
• Eliminates depression
• Eases anxiety and tension
• Combats negativity
• Relieves stress and calms emotions
• Promotes balance, harmony, and well-being
• Deodorant
• Cramps (roll over cramped areas)
• Lowers blood pressure

Where to buy essential oils!

So check this out… I diffused Lavender two nights ago to help me sleep, and I didn’t have a single nightmare! If I did, I don’t remember, which is a good thing, trust me. Those dreams take an emotional toll on me. So last night, I really needed my beloved Joy, so I diffused that while I slept… Again, no nightmares and a good, cleansing sleep. At this very moment, I am diffusing Release, which is now a fav!! It’s said to be the most emotionally-stimulating and healing essential oil.

Totem Animals

Animal totems play huge roles in our lives. They aid in self-discovery and capture our imagination, giving us incredible avenues of self-expression and awareness.

Additionally, they assist in understanding our past, and if we are attentive, our animal totems can reveal glimpses of our future.

Webster’s Dictionary defines a totem as: “A natural object, usually an animal that serves as a distinctive, often venerated emblem or symbol. A means of personal or spiritual identity.”

Animals serve as harbingers of personality traits we, as humans, all aspire to achieve. This makes animals some of the most powerful symbols in our spiritual toolbox.

Animals afford us visions of how our lives could be if we lived more simply and lived with purity of thought and emotion. Therefore, incorporating animal totems into our lives affirms our spiritual goals.

By focusing on the attributes of our totems, we internalize these traits and thus begin to externalize the very character we absorb from our totems.

Photo Reference

Release the Past

Would you like to know more about where you can buy essential oils? Check out this article.