Living Clean
Living clean is a funny phrase. It sounds a little too sterile, and it definitely sounds boring. In my years of experience as a personal trainer, nutrition coach, mom, and auto-immune fighter, I’ve definitely come to appreciate things that serve my body well and my family well, so let’s define simply what it means to live a clean life.
Imagine your body is a bedroom. What type of bedroom would you like your body to look like—one from a Magnolia magazine with order and beautiful design or a typical teen’s bedroom with dirty dishes and clothes lying in the midst of chaos?? Ha, I think most of you would choose the first option.
Living a clean life is similar to creating order in your body instead of chaos. When we fuel and hydrate our bodies with true foods (whole and nutritious foods), then our bodies’ systems will function properly. Cell turnover will occur; your immune system will fight for you; toxins and waste will eliminate well; the heart and blood will pump like they should; the metabolic system will continue to work and burn calories efficiently. It’s pretty simple.
The alternative is when we fuel and hydrate our body consistently and mindlessly with foods and drinks that are loaded with junk, our bodies will then perform in a choatic, junky state. Free radicals might form; skin might lose elastin and collagen; joints and other things might ache from inflammation; the brain might feel sluggish and foggy; the metabolic system might slow down and so on… No bueno.
Another layer of living clean comes from the other things we expose ourselves and our family to on a daily basis—things in our environment and things we put on our skin. Unfortunately, our body is hugely impacted by what we smell and feel, not just taste.
Here are some ways you can adopt a more clean lifestyle in order to serve yourself and the people around you better
Manage your kitchen environment
Become mindful of what is in your pantry or drawers and become the leader your kitchen needs! Go ahead and throw out or give away those items that are causing some mood swings (hormone imbalances), causing weight gain, and/or just not serving your goals well. This might mean having not ten dessert choices in your kitchen, but only one or two. Having fruit readily available to see and eat out on the island in a beautiful bowl is also a nice décor piece plus a good reminder to eat more fiber! Making sure there are enough protein choices (like nuts, beans, quality jerky, etc.) is a great way to curb cravings while boosting nutrition and building muscle.
Manage your cleaning products and other scents
Fragrance is one of the number one ways we come into contact with crazy toxins. If you like fragrance, try switching the products in your home that are scented with essential oils. Purchasing quality candles is also very important. Thankfully, these products are much easier to find than they used to be. YouTube and Pinterest also has great ideas for creating your own cleaning products.
Manage what you put on your skin
Purchasing beauty and hygiene products that are made with natural elements or non-toxic chemical elements is uber important. Even low-quality makeup absorbs into our bodies and into our bloodstream. Crazy, right. Think of the products you use on a daily basis and try switching those out first—hand soap, body wash, shampoo, face wash, toothpaste, pads/tampons, foundation, mascara, deodorant, etc.
Check out these resources for more in depth information
These are links to my favorite CLEAN products
- A great place to get discounted healthy food, supplements, beauty care, and pet/baby items: vitacost.com
- My favorite make-up and beauty care company (I love them so much I am also a rep for them): beautycounter.com
- My favorite cleaning products. (Bonnie Armstrong is my consultant): norwex.com
- Trader Joe’s is our favorite local grocery store. Their produce is amazing and they have great quality choices for everyday meals: https://www.traderjoes.com/home/about-us
For more information about this topic, feel free to reach out to Christine at christine@bodybasicsboise.com. She’d love to help!