Clean living: it’s a movement. Nowadays everyone is trying to be ‘clean.’ So, what exactly is clean-living and why has it become so popular?

There’s one thought that clean living is strictly diet-based, while others claim that it’s an entire lifestyle. Regardless, I’ve learned that the answer may lie around the simple notion of leading a healthy life, which I believe is the first step towards a happy life.

So why did I take the first step and join the movement of clean living? Well, I didn’t need to look far to see that in this fast-paced world we’re living in, our health is suffering. Heart disease, obesity, and cancer rates have skyrocketed. Children are struggling with behavioral issues at younger ages, and many couples are struggling with infertility. We’ve all heard the old saying, “It must be something in the water,” well, it’s become more like there must be something in everything. We live in a toxic world, but we have access to knowledge which can support a life filled with healthier and ‘cleaner’ alternatives, and practices. Keep reading to find out what I did to join the clean-living movement!

1. Eat Clean

We’ve all heard of eating clean, but you may not know exactly how to go about cleaning up your diet. It’s about eating more wholesome, natural options, and less of the not-so-healthy ones.  Here are some tips to follow for clean eating:

• Load up on fruits and veggies: I make sure to incorporate this into every meal!
• Eat less meat: Meat should take up approximately ¼ of your plate, while fruits and vegetables should fill half of your plate. Keep in mind, your body only needs a card deck size of protein every day.
• Go whole grain: Ditch the white pasta and go with a whole-wheat option instead. If you’re adventurous try chickpea or cauliflower pasta. Or my favorite - zoodles (zucchini noodles). Even my kids love them!
• Watch out for processed foods: If you’re spending most of your time food shopping in the produce department you’re on the right track! If it has ingredients you can’t pronounce, odds are it’s processed.
• Limit added sugar: This can be hard, especially if you’re like me and love your chocolate. I like to think that sugar isn’t even a real food, which forces me to stay away from it. But, I will allow myself a cheat meal every now and then.
• Keep an eye on sodium: Sodium can cause bloating, has been linked to cardiovascular disease, and can cause you to crave more salty/unhealthy foods so try to decrease your intake as much as possible!

2. Exercise

This one should come as no surprise. An active body is a healthy body. Bringing on a sweat is a great way to detoxify your entire body. By detoxifying, you are releasing a number of toxins including environmental chemicals, and heavy metals, like lead and mercury. Although I know some people, including myself, who just aren’t into the gym – and that’s okay! Here are some exercises that don’t require weights or treadmills and will still work to promote the flushing of toxins:

• Aerobic Exercise: You don’t need to join a gym to be active. Anything from bike riding, dancing, and swimming can be considered an aerobic exercise - you just need to get moving!
• Yoga and Pilates: These practices focus on flexibility and toning, as well as breathing and mindfulness. Just one step closer to a cleaner you on the inside, and a more energetic you on the outside.
• Rebounding: Also known as bouncing on a mini trampoline. This low-impact exercise encourages toxin release, and is also fun! Try it for 20 minutes, 2-3x/week, and I guarantee you’ll be in a better mood when you’re through.

3. Drop the Negativity

When we think about our health, we sometimes forget that our emotional and mental health is just as important as our physical health. When you feel stressed, anxious, or sad your entire body feels it. While we usually associate stress with our job or responsibilities it can often stem from unhealthy relationships. So here are some ways to navigate difficult dynamics in your life that can be taking a toll:

• We all know people in our lives who can be incredibly negative (I call these people ‘complainers’). Complainers are bad news because they often wallow in their negativity and want others to join their bad energy party. And let me tell you it can be contagious!
• You can avoid getting sucked in by setting limits with people who are bringing you down. A great way to set limits with a complainer is to ask he/she how they intend to resolve their problem. This will force them to take responsibility of their problems rather than being paralyzed by it.
• If setting limits don’t work, the best thing to do is to surround yourself with people who are working towards positivity. And the best part is that they’re not hard to spot. They’re the ones who encourage and support you, believe in you and make you laugh. For me, it’s my longtime friends and family who help me to create a space to be my best self.

4. Focus on What's Going ON Y0ur Body

What you put on your body is just as important as what you put in your body. We pride ourself in formulating products with good-for-you ingredients that you can trust. You see this holds true with one of our best sellers - Rejuvenail Fortifying Nail & Cuticle Treatment. This one-of-a-kind nail treatment reads like a skincare deck and works to restore damaged nails to their natural strength by utilizing multi-peptides and natural ingredients such as green tea extract, and shea butter, to treat weak nails and ragged cuticles. 

Rejuvenail also helps:

• Strengthens nails
• Resists chipping & splitting
• Helps restore moisture levels to the nail bed
• Softens ragged cuticles

We recognize that our client is becoming more aware of the negative chemicals used by manufacturers. As a direct response, we are testing the use of natural ingredients such as turmeric, soy, coconut extract, almond milk, carrots and kale in our future formulations. We are proud to say that all of our nail treatments are 5-Free (formaldehyde, toluene, DBP, Camphor, & formaldehyde Resin) Gluten-Free, and Cruelty-Free – talk about clean!

I hope that after reading this post you will take some of this knowledge I’ve learned throughout the years to start your own clean-living lifestyle movement. At the end of the day, I’ve learned that a healthy life and happy life go hand in hand.