Simple changes to maximize your wellness

What others say can influence our own opinions of ourselves. Whether it be friends, family, or strangers on social media. We have been so ingrained by the beauty culture to think that you are not beautiful if you do not have the perfect body. What is an ideal body anyway? One that is healthy from the inside out is my idea of beauty.

We get sucked into all the lies on social media and ads that we forget to listen to our bodies. Listening to what your body tells you will make a massive difference in how your body feels, how you think about food and exercise, how your skin looks and feels, and how your self-love will increase.

If you have followed the blog thus far, I have stated before to add more vegetables and fiber. The nutrients you will get from a diverse selection of vegetables will change your sleep, skin, bowel movements, weight, brain health, hair, nails, and more. Remember to start with one change at a time, so you do not overwhelm yourself and feel the need to give up.

After three weeks of changing my eating habits, I started adding some yoga. I started out slow and listened to my body. I did a 30-minute session one day; the next day, I could feel it in my entire body and was very sore. So I listened to my body and rested. I gave my body what it could handle and slowly integrated the activity, so I would want to do it consistently.

Over the next month, I worked out when I had energy and time. If I had other things that were more important or just feeling like I needed some rest, that's what I did. It is all about balance and liking the activity that you select. I took it one day at a time and eventually was consistently working out 3-4 days a week. I switched between yoga and walking. Find an activity that makes you feel great. My husband likes HIIT or cardio workouts. I prefer the low-impact yet full-body workout I get from yoga.

Walking was something I could squeeze in during my lunch hour on those busy days when I still wanted to get some movement in. I practiced in the a.m. or p.m., depending on what kind of flow I wanted to do that day for yoga. Sometimes doing yoga before bed just feels so relaxing and helps me sleep better; on other days, it energizes me and gives me a boost. That I can concur anything today type of feeling.

As I continued to feel better, stronger, more energized, and happy, I wanted to start focusing on another vital organ. My skin. I wanted to change to clean beauty and skin care products. Your skin absorbs 60-70% of what you put on it. If you are eating whole foods packed full of good nutrients and working out and still having issues with your health, I suggest cleaning up what you put on your skin.

The amount of harmful chemicals in almost everything these days is ridiculous. They can cause liver damage, digestive issues, anxiety, depression, and several other problems. Don't get me wrong, I love makeup. If this is not something you are interested in, I completely get it. I am not against beauty products or procedures by any means. You do what you want to feel the best you can. Sometimes that is wearing makeup, getting botox, going for facials, having spots lasered off, or coloring your hair. There is nothing wrong with that. I get highlights because I like how it makes my hair frame my face and add definition. I also get my nails and toes painted with gel polish. Sometimes I wear false lashes and a full face of makeup.

I am also on a prescription for my hormonal acne. Getting off that medication would be extremely fantastic, seeing as the side effects are; increased hair growth, tiredness, decreased libido, and vaginal bleeding outside of normal menstruation or post-menopausal, just to name a few. So I want to use the best products possible, not just for anti-aging or longwear. I like the ingredients in them to be good for me as well. While scrolling TikTok one day, I saw someone share the YUKA app. I was immediately hooked.

It tells you what those ingredients can cause and suggests a different clean product for you to swap it out with. I immediately downloaded the app and began scanning everything in my bathroom and vanity. I only had a few things I immediately tossed due to the extremely low score. I have had very sensitive skin ever since I was a teen, so most of my products did not have the main harmful ingredients: fragrance, parabens, carbon black (primarily found in eye makeup), phthalates, formaldehyde, and BHA/BHT.

Most of these are endocrine disrupters, which cause fertility issues, increase your risk for cancer, create immune disruptions, changes your nervous system, and mess with your hormones. Since I have hormonal acne, I did not want to be using things that could aggravate it. My husband and I started by switching to natural soaps and deodorants. He loves Dr. Squatch, and I am a fan of Dr. Bronner's soap and Humble deodorant. Arbonne is another clean company but can be on the higher side for pricing. E.L.F. does follow European purity legislation making them an affordable and relatively clean product. For sunscreen, I already had juice beauty moisturizer with SPF 30, so I was good there. Sunscreen is a must. Apply that shit every day. It helps keep you looking your best as you age.

If you love makeup, lotions, face masks, and anything else skincare related, try to change out when you can for a cleaner one. Since I already had reasonably clean skincare products, I decided it was time to start weaning off my spironolactone. I consulted my dermatologist, and she said I was in the clear to begin that, and we could see how it goes and follow up after several months or at my next check-up if things were going good.

So the weaning begins. I will update you all on how it goes. I also ordered the "Beyond the Pill" book as it has some great information regarding not just your menstrual cycle but combating issues that can go along with those hormone imbalances. You can find it anywhere books are sold. I got mine from Amazon for under $15.00.

Let me know what you do for skincare. What products do you use? Do you have any advice you would like to share? Drop a comment below or email thewellnessblondie@gmail.com. I would love to hear from you. Thanks for the read. I sure hope my sharing has brought some benefit to you.

💖,

The Wellness Blondie