It’s a little late for New Year’s resolutions, but it’s never a bad time to make a positive change in your life. A good place to start is taking better care of yourself.
Believe it or not, we don’t mean a healthy new diet or a rigorous exercise routine piled on top of 8 hours of sleep and daily meditation. Instead, you could start making simple swaps that might really benefit your health.
How, you ask? By eliminating chemicals and toxins from the products you buy, use and consume. These days, so many things that are part of our daily routine could be causing damage to our health, but it takes minimal effort to change out your chemical-filled items for more natural and healthy ones.
Beauty products
You might be shocked to know the number of damaging ingredients lurking in the products you buy with the intention of nourishing and caring for your body.
Your body washes, moisturisers, hair care products and skincare items are likely all filled with chemicals and ingredients that serve no purpose and can even be damaging to you and the environment. By investing in Novelius Medical beauty and skincare products, or a similarly clean brand, you can be sure that you’re taking care of your body inside and out.
Makeup products
Sadly, the same rule applies to the makeup you put on your skin each morning. In order to give the products that perfect colour, the right glow, and the lasting finish, makeup brands often use ingredients that can have negative long-term effects on our skin.
Keep in mind that your skin is your biggest organ, and a lot of what we place on top of our skin will be absorbed through our bored into our body and bloodstream. So if you’re not concerned about damage to your skin, consider the potential damage to your health over a few years.
Medication and supplements
Of course, modern medicine is a gift and if you need it, you should certainly be using it. However, overusing medication like painkillers or anti-inflammatories, for example, can be damaging to your stomach due to the strong chemicals inside them.
You should use medication when you really need to, but remember the potentially damaging effects and look to natural pain relief and remedies first wherever possible.
The same can be said when it comes to supplements, which are best when they’re naturally derived. Take supplements if you need to, but keep in mind that the best way to nourish your body is through food.
Your pantry
Many of the foods we buy to stock up our pantries are highly processed and therefore packed with unnecessary and unhealthy ingredients too. Limit toxins and chemicals in your diet by focusing on consuming mainly whole foods.
Buy items like meats, fish, fruit and vegetables, whole grains and legumes first, before turning to ready-meals and food in packets or wrappers. Prioritising food that comes from the earth is one of the easiest ways to take better care of your health, and this will force you to experiment in the kitchen a little too.
Cleaning supplies
We all know that feeling of choking on cleaning sprays while wiping down our bathrooms or cleaning the stove. Commercially produced cleaning products are often made with cheap ingredients that are incredibly strong and full of unpleasant chemicals.
These can be damaging to your skin and nails, your lungs and your overall health in the long run. Make the switch over to green cleaning supplies in order to take better care of your skin, health and the planet.
You could also try some recipes to make DIY cleaning products at home which will be just as effective, completely natural and about ten times more affordable.
Cooking equipment
Believe it or not, your cookware could be toxic too. Items like non-stick pans are often coated with chemicals and materials that aren’t really very good for us, and of course, over time these will wear off into the food you cook.
When it comes to what you put in your body, you need to be careful of literally poisoning yourself with these materials. It’s best to opt for more ‘natural’ cookware without non-stick coatings. These might take a little more effort to keep clean, but this is worth the peace of mind that your kitchen is a safe and healthy space.
This might be a lot to take in, but these changes can be made slowly but surely over time. Start with one area of your life and move through each category over a few months.
