Taking Care of You (& Me)

We’ve been making a lot of lifestyle changes around here and I’ve been trying to figure out the best way to begin sharing it all with you because I really do want to share. (I mean craving kale is a really exciting change in our lives). I could probably write at least one blog post on each of these topics but I thought I would start by sharing the simplest things we’ve done that have made the biggest impact on how we feel. I say we because my husband has been riding the clean eating/healthy lifestyle train right along beside me and although the kids aren’t 100% convinced they need to give up their cheez-its yet they are noticing the changes in our lifestyle and following suit accordingly little by little. My four year old has even asked me for the “green stuff” (ie. spinach) to be thrown in his smoothies from time to time.

 

So lets start easy shall we! These are some really simple changes we’ve made that are not only making us personally feel healthier but also giving us positive vibes about the things we are doing for our family’s overall health.

 

Drink enough water every day.

Seriously keep a log. It makes a difference. Don’t laugh, I did it. I have kept a little spreadsheet out on my kitchen counter from time to time and checked off the number of glasses of water I’ve had in a day. I feel way better on the days I drink at least 8 glasses then the days I don’t.

 

Change out household cleaners and beauty products.

A friend of mine is a consultant for, and gave me a few samples to try out this summer from, Ava Anderson . Honestly this category was the easiest place for me to start making changes and greening up our household because it didn’t affect my (or anyone else’s) tastebuds so tossing out everything on my bathroom counter with parabens was a good place to start. It also makes me feel really good to know that I’m not exposing my kids to any nasty chemicals unnecessarily.

Daily green smoothies.

If you are following me on Instagram you probably noticed that earlier this summer I was posting pictures of green smoothies left and right. In the 3.5 months since we’ve started our green smoothie habit I’ve only missed one day. That’s how awesome the is! I could do an entire series of posts about green smoothies and my new love thereof. (In fact maybe I will). But, in the meantime, check out Simple Green Smoothies. They are my absolute favorite website for green smoothie recipes and knowledge. Really. This one small habit could be the catalyst to a whole host of changes in your life (it was for us).

 

Eliminate or reduce the amount of processed foods in your diet.

Enough said. I’ve always joked with my husband that Oreos are evil and ice cream makes me irritable yet I could never say no to either. It was a running joke in our house, but since we’ve started switching over to a more clean way of eating I can’t tell you how much better (and less irritable) I feel when I stay away from processed foods. Unfortunately the kiddos don’t agree with me that Oreos are evil so I’ve still got some work to do in that department. One of my favorite resources for a clean, whole foods lifestyle is THIS blog

 

Finally…

Get some sleep!

Yea, I know it’s the hardest thing in the world to do but seriously it makes a difference. I honestly can’t do it every night, but when I need to, there are nights when I’m in bed right after the kiddos and boy do I feel stellar the next day. Make it a point to catch up on your sleep once in awhile 😉

Disclosure: I was not compensated in any way for the mention of any brands in this post. I was given a few free samples to try out by a friend who is a consultant for Ava Anderson.  I don’t make any money off anything you might buy, I just thought it was a brand worth sharing 🙂