Journey to heatlh

I would like to include everyone on this journey to getting healthy. It's simple, believe it or not. Yes that does mean exercising and eating healthily. But not just those two things. It also means getting rid of the chemicals we are exposed to daily via our bath, beauty, and cleaning products. Exercising can be as simple as walking and a little strength training to running full marathons. I do not run marathons, but I do run. Currently my exercise program is following the Ballet Boot Camp challenge from Prevention magazine as my strength and walking/running on my treadmill when I cannot get to the track as my cardio. My cardio is HIIT, high intensity interval training.

If you have never done HIIT it is simple, just go at the fastest speed you can handle for 30 - 45 seconds and normal for 2 minutes. For someone starting out I would recommend a warm up of walking for 5 - 10 minutes, go at your fastest speed for 30 seconds, then slow down to half of your fastest speed for 2 -3 minutes and repeat for a total of 30 minutes and cool down for 10 - 15 minutes. If you cannot go at your fastest speed for 30 seconds, start with 15 and each week add 5.

As for eating healthy that's simple too. STOP eating junk food and drinking soda. Just stop. That's it. Drink water of which you can flavor with fruits such as cucumber, lemons, etc. and herbs such as mint. You can also drink unsweet tea again flavor it with lemon if you need to. Reduce your carbs. That does not mean to stop eating them, because you can't. Carbs are what gives your body the energy it needs to move plus everything has carbs. But that doesn't mean to eat a ton of it. Bread, tortillas, etc. should be whole wheat. Personally I get most of my carbs from veggies and fruits.

Now getting rid of chemicals will be a bit harder but will start to make you healthier. Every bath product, every cleaning product, every beauty product you use is laden with harmful chemicals. Start slow and simple. I live in South/Central Texas so it's hot and humid most of the year, here we have two seasons, hot and hotter. Which means dry skin. I've tried every moisturizer out there and none worked. They were either greasy or just didn't moisturize. So I started making my own.

Now I'm not saying make your own products, unless you want to, then by all means do so. When you make your own you know exactly what is in them. I started out making lotion bars. They are solid yet when you hold them between your hands for a few seconds they melt enough to moisturize your skin. I use them on my entire body. My kids use them. My husband uses them or rather has me rub it into his hands. (He does hard labor daily so a hand massage feels great and costs me nothing to do it.)

I also made my own sugar scrub, which I use over my entire body. My skin is soft, supple and smooth. I have moved on to my own laundry detergent and dish soap. Since I have to wash dishes by hand I require a gentle yet effective soap. I will let you know how these turn out. I did try the baking soda/vinegar rinse, but that didn't work well with my hair. It also didn't work for 2 of my kiddos hair. My oldest can use that combo but not the other two. So I am still looking for the best method there, again I will let you know.

The best time to try the chemical free (at least for hair) is during the summer (given that you are off) or when you go without seeing anyone as it takes a bit of time for your hair to get used to no chemicals. I have managed to get my hair to washing once a week (twice if needed) with store bought shampoo. At least until I find a method that works for my hair.

I hope you are willing to join me on this journey to everlasting health. If you have any suggestions for going all natural let me know. It is a slow process but it is worth it.

Remember, when life gives you lemons ... use them and plant the seeds.