Even though new year’s resolutions seem to be out-of-style these days, the start of a new year – or decade, in this case! – is a great trigger to make positive changes in your life. It can be your cue to start swapping out your products for non-toxic options, testing out DIY recipes and reconnecting with nature.

Watch me talk or read on below!

Start with something easy

This might seem obvious but it’s definitely worth mentioning. Plus, “easy” will mean something different if your goal is to buy natural products versus make natural products in 2020.

If you are committed to buying more natural products, pick products you can easily buy. These could be from the natural product section of the current stores you buy from or from a natural product store that is conveniently located. Don’t make it hard for yourself by getting a product that makes you go out of your way or that is hard to find.

If you are committed to making more natural products, pick recipes that are easy to make and have minimal ingredients. Don’t make it hard for yourself by choosing recipes that take a lot of time out of your already busy day! You also want to make it easy to refill this product once you run out.

In both cases, starting with something easy also means not swapping out a product you are currently really attached to. Go with something you don’t mind having out of your life right away. Something you buy without really paying attention to what brand you get or something you buy just because it’s on sale, for example.

Swap out products you use daily

To really create a new habit and, ultimately a new natural lifestyle, consistency is key. Start by swapping out products you use daily – like toothpaste or hand soap – so you can develop this consistency and also experience the empowerment that this lifestyle brings on a daily basis.

If you’re not quite ready to swap something out but want to add a more natural, non-toxic product or habit into your life, try layering it into your existing routine. For example, I’ve layered spraying our linens with anti-microbial and great-smelling essential oils every time I make our bed. Every time I go to make the bed, it’s my cue to take out the spray!

Do something that provides immediate benefit

Aim to really get that dopamine going and program yourself to keep living your natural lifestyle goals from the get-go. Swap something out or introduce a new habit that provides an immediate or obvious reward.

Examples of natural lifestyle habits that will leave you feeling amazing immediately:

• Diffuse essential oils to clean the air, enhance your mood and help reduce the spread of illness in your home. Breathe it in deeply and pay attention to how it makes you feel.
• Moisturize with 1 TBSP fractionated coconut or jojoba oil with one drop of lavender essential oil and feel how smooth your skin gets without any nasty synthetics.
• See how clean your dishes can get using simple, all-natural ingredients with a homemade DIY diswashing liquid recipe. Feel the power.

If you can start feeling the joy and empowerment early on, you are more likely to keep going on your non-toxic living journey.

Make your resolutions progressive

If you have many non-toxic living goals, take little steps at first. This is a progressive and ongoing journey. When I started on this lifestyle, I began with simply replacing my face wash and I waited many weeks until I mastered that step before moving on to other habits.

By making your resolutions progressive, you:

• reduce the overwhelm
• build confidence
• can celebrate milestones
• set yourself up for lasting change

Don’t give up on your natural lifestyle goals

Finally, and this is the most important tip, DO NOT give up! Sure, the start of the year is a great cue to make positive changes. But if you slip up anytime during the year, you can absolutely press the reset button on your new year’s resolution and try again!

If you’d like support on transitioning to or progressing in your non-toxic lifestyle, make sure to check out Purify. For more non-toxic living tips, download my free e-book.

Thanks for watching / reading

M.

Join the conversation in the Non-Toxic Living Collective group.

The post Natural lifestyle goals | How to CRUSH your 2020 appeared first on Rustik Health.

Thinking back, these are the top 3 lessons I learned from my natural lifestyle and by reducing my family’s toxic exposure. I’m also giving you my top 5 natural ingredients to have in your home at all time! So read on…

1. A natural lifestyle can reduce stress and increase joy

We often get caught up in our day-to-day routines because they are comfortable and familiar. Even though you feel stressed out most of the time, the idea of changing up your routine with healthy living tips might cause you EVEN MORE stress.

Or you might think that living a natural lifestyle is more stressful because you have to:

• intentionally look for or make non-toxic products…
• spend more money on non-toxic products…
• discover if these non-toxic products are actuallly going to work…

One of the lessons I learned this year is that non-toxic living does not have to be a stressful experience – in fact, it has been the opposite for me. Continuing my family’s natural living journey has reduced stress and even increased joy. Mundane chores, like making the bed, have actually become fun and empowering.

Maybe it’s because of the:

• aromatic compounds from the essential oils and their effect on the limbic area of my brain…
• empowerment that comes from knowing you can easily reduce your family toxic’s exposure by mixing 2 or 3 ingredients together…
• ease that comes from always having everything on-hand to refill your natural cleaning or personal care products…

Whatever reason it may be, going deeper into the natural lifestyle has definitely reduced my stress levels, given me peace of mind and increased the joy I feel each and every day.

2. Nature and humanity are undeniably interconnected

Inevitably, as I’ve progressed on this journey, my connection to nature has strengthened and the environmentalist within me has be reborn. I was hyper earth-aware but, as I grew up, became more disconnected with Mother Nature around me.

I got caught up in the rat race, conveniences of the modern world and my focus was elsewhere for a long time. Even when my focus was on my family’s health and nutrition, I wasn’t really considering my impact on the earth.

Sound familiar?

But 2019 is the year I reconnected and my motivation to help save our planet was further solidified by our non-toxic lifestyle. At first, this journey was all about me and my family but now it’s part of a larger mission – including helping the planet.

Some accomplishments I’m particularly proud of:

• Finally finding a super natural DIY dishwashing liquid and powder that works well and that I get excited about.
• Turning our large garbage into our compost bin and our small compost bin into our garbage can.
• Putting a deposit on an electronic car to trade in our current gas guzzling SUV next fall.

There are small steps you can take and also big steps. They are all equally valuable!

3. The simplest and cheapest products are the best

I used to roll my eyes at DIY products, especially when the recipes were too complex. Actually, I still roll my eyes at complex recipes! That’s because living naturally is NOT complex so why make it so?

In fact, the vast majority of the natural products I use in my home – whether to clean the house or for personal care – are simply a mixture of 2 or 3 ingredients. Some are even just 1 ingredient! These ingredients are also super easy to find (you likely already have some in your pantry) and not expensive at all.

The more I researched and experimented with recipes (don’t worry, I’ve done all that work for you), the more obvious this became.

The 5 natural ingredients to always have in the home:

1. Baking soda: deodorizing, exfoliating, scrubbing and alkalizing.
2. Vinegar: streak-free cleaning, unclogging, restoring PH balance.
3. Soap nuts: washing, washing, washing!
4. Castile soap: all-purpose cleaning, hair care and body wash.
5. Essential oils: detoxifying, natural fragrance, physical and emotional support.

Keep these on-hand at all times so that when you run out of something, you can quickly whip up a new batch within a matter of minutes.

Watch me talk about what I’ve learned from my natural lifestyle journey in 2019.

I hope these healthy living tips were useful

M.

Get my top 5 non-toxic living tips.

Join the conversation in the Non-Toxic Living Collective group.

The post Healthy living tips I learned from 2019 appeared first on Rustik Health.