Five ways to wellness

Lately I have been thinking a lot about wellness. To me, it is not just a word but a lifestyle, and a  state of being. I have made every effort to live well these past few months, and I can tell you this much- I'm never turning back. There is something so attractive about it to me..to promote good health rather than chasing symptoms of bad health when it (almost inevitably) arises. We can be proactive and protect ourselves as much as possible, it just takes effort..and the simple refusal to not accept things the way they are just because everyone else does. Here are my top five ways to wellness, in no particular order :)

This is so important to me. Staying motivated, having goals, following through, trusting that things will work out, having faith, and having positive thoughts no matter what.  Surround yourself with your people. The friends and family that support you. The people who share your goals and passions, and push you to be a better person. Negativity is unhealthy, unhappy, and I don't want to waste a second of my  life on negative emotions. Always think positive. 

This one is near and dear to my heart. Travel! See new places and experience new things. I have found that it is easy to loose sight of the important things if your world is the size of a small town. In college, when money and time were my travel drawbacks, I started exploring my state of Michigan. I would go for a drive, head to the upper peninsula, camp in a new place. It doesn't have to be a huge exotic trip if it isn't doable for you. Just see new places and allow curiosity to broaden your horizons. If you can get out of the country, then you should! See how other people and cultures survive. I would travel non stop if I could, it is something that I love to do.. thank goodness for my responsible husband because I pretty much believe all of the money should be spent on travel ;) I am finally starting to see it his way, and this year we are focusing on saving more..  and doing more "local" travel. There is nothing better for me than having some type of trip planned. I pour over details in preparation, and I seem to have more motivation at work or to pick up overtime when I have a trip coming up. 

P.s. This is my favorite picture that my husband has ever taken! We were in New Zealand for a month and a half, camping and exploring, and we found this waterfall on a postcard in a gift shop. We looked it up on our campermate app (get this if you ever travel in NZ or Australia) and changed our plans for the day to go see it. We pretty much had it to ourselves!! This was such a muddy hike, shoes were getting stuck and coming off.. and I got totally drenched from the mist. We were such a mess but this whole powerful scene literally took my breath away. I will never forget it. 

Are you sick of me talking about oils yet? Hint: It probably won't stop ;) I am IN LOVE with this new, oily lifestyle. These are used for all kinds of support. Respiratory, immune, skin, etc. I incorporated them into my daily life and I find them so soothing to turn to. I can create a spa like atmosphere, or beauty care products with them, they are natural, safe alternatives to the chemicals that we use. By common sense you can figure out that this has to be better for you: to support your body vs damage its systems with harsh chemicals. Research the effects of our daily use products on hormones, our endocrine system, etc. Be proactive, and feel the difference :) I joined a team of oilers (is that what they are called?) when I bought my starter kit, and I have been blown away with the support, conversations, ideas, lifestyle sharing that they all do. My sister joined as well and she got so excited and said "these are my people!" I feel the exact same way. It isn't "normal" to throw away all of the chemicals in your home, or to consider food to be medicine, or to put oils on your feet every night. But I never wanted to be normal anyways.  

This was something I wasn't committed  to until recently. I make an effort to do something active every day (yoga is my go to). This can be a walk, hike, a half hour at the gym, anything! My energy levels are up since I made more of an effort to exercise, and it feels so good :) 

This has been a huge change for me. I grew up eating allll of the processed food. I ate pizza way more than I would like to admit, and never thought or cared about what food does to our bodies. Then I began researching.. way more of our health is in our hands then we think. Food is medicine. We are tricked into thinking inflammatory foods are perfectly healthy snacks or food groups (dairy) and that low calorie processed foods are "healthy." It is all very backwards to me. I made some drastic changes (I tried to be gradual but that is just not my personality) by cutting out gluten, sugar, and dairy. I also buy almost all of our food organic. I make sure that Riley and I eat whole, unprocessed, real food, for our health. Basically, just shop on the perimeter of the grocery store, check out farmers markets or health food stores for more options. I still remember a Nigerian priest coming to my grade school for the very first time. He saw some of our school lunches and said "what are you eating??" Of course, we told him..."uhh food!" Was he crazy? His response stuck with me, even back then, when I was a just a kid with a pizza lunchable, a little debbie, and a Hi-C juice box. He was so concerned and said, "that's not food. That's poison." It took me years to figure this out, but I truly do see it that way now. We have been fooled to believe what we are eating is ok, and we blindly accept it. I recently found myself (after a lot of research) saying no. I will not accept this standard for myself or my family. We only have one life to live, our bodies should be respected, nourished, and taken care of. 

These five ways to wellness have helped me so much, to cherish my health, my life, and my purpose. I thank God every day for everything he has given me, including the motivation to make changes. I have never been as happy or as healthy as I feel right now, and I want that for all of you as well. 

I wish you wellness.