Steady Progress Towards Major Change

On August 1, I announced to myself that I was going to stick to a "More with Less" vegetarian gluten-free diet. A few days later, I upped the ante and decided that I was going to purge my diet of all eggs and dairy as well. That would have made me some kind of grain-free vegan locavore or something. I was convinced that Sweeping Change was the way to go. Cold Tofu-Turkey, total elimination.

But guess what?

It did not work. Not even a little bit. I didn't really know what I was doing, and 3 days into spinach salad for every meal I revolted and went right back to cheese and polenta and sordid affairs with buttermilk biscuits. If I had been a little more self-aware, maybe I would have remembered that GRADUAL progress has served me pretty well, whether in training for and running a marathon injury-free, or waking up every morning, gazing at my painfully gray haired reflection and deciding to stick with my decision to NOT color my hair. Success from small decisions and small disciplines made over and over and over.

What does this have to do with anything? Well, I thought maybe some of you are feeling like I sometimes do when I think of all the BIG changes I want to make in my diet, my consumption, and my life. I feel overwhelmed. I start to despair and think that if I can't change everything, why bother changing anything? Not true, my friends. Don't listen to the haters in your head.

Just choose something, make the change, and then keep at it. You don't have to start with food. Here are some things that I have changed in my daily routine that have made small but hopefully appreciable dents in my chemical exposure, for example:

1. Home Made Mouth Wash

Which consists of a tongue scraper coupled with a gargle-and-swish of warm water with sea salt and a few drops of peppermint oil. I was skeptical, but this works for me! Just a little freshening boost. Husband approved, BTW.

2. Coconut Oil for dry skin

I thought this would be kind of gross too, but I LOVE IT. I smell faintly of Almond Joy all day, and it makes my skin feel smooth and soft. It is a little oily when you first slather it on (right out of the shower seems to work well for me so far), but it dries really nicely. No more nasty lotions. You're rubbing that stuff into your skin, people! eeeek. I may experiment with a few drops of essential oil mixed in to the coconut for a different scent. It makes me hungry to smell a little like candy.

3. Mechanical rather than chemical exfoliation

I confess that I don't use my dry brush every day. I should, though, because I really like that I can see the dry skin flailing off me in every direction. You use this stiff-bristled brush before you get in the shower. My English friends say that it is also excellent for reducing the appearance of cellulite, but I don't think I've used it often enough to see a difference. Doesn't hurt to try though, right?

4. Salad Dressing As  Oil Method Face Wash

Castor Oil + Extra Virgin Olive Oil makes a surprisingly effective face wash. Yes, it feels a bit like rubbing salad dressing on your face. And yes, I was scared about it because of my persistent adult acne, but I think it works as well if not better than any of the commercial face soaps I have tried. Our current apartment's bathroom sink does not get quite hot enough to make the requisite steamy washcloth used to steam up your pores and wipe off the oil, so I do sometimes use commercial face soap when I'm in a hurry in the morning. I can make the steamcloth work in the shower, but prefer a leisurely night time routine where I can wipe the grime of the day off with something ultra natural and not at all drying. Check out my whole post about the glories of the Oil Method.

5. Mason Jars for Everything!

We wanted to get away from storing stuff in plastic right around the same time that I started buying things in bulk whenever possible. We had repurposed some salsa jars and pasta sauce jars and love them very much in the cabinets. But if you have things out in the open, or need to freeze something, Mason Jars are the way to go. Plus, they only cost about $12 for a box of 12. Way cheaper than Pyrex. And unlike most glassware, many sizes of mason jars can be used to freeze stuff as long as you leave an inch or so of room at the top when you fill it up. I LOVE jars. I use them to take food to work for lunch, to store stuff, and even as portable mugs. Vessel + secure lid = endless possibilities with NO plastic.

Next up, hopefully, will be to permanently switch to natural toothpaste, home-made deodorant, Dr. Bronner's soap in the shower, and only replacing cosmetics with totally natural versions. I keep saying I'm gonna do that, but I keep not doing it.

Here's to baby steps! What are some of your small changes that have added up to big differences in your home, habits or budget? 

Stress Junk

Some people "stress eat" when they feel twitchy and angsty. So do I, actually, but most of my preferred comfort foods are grain-based, so the discomfort associated with eating them sort of takes all the fun out of that bad habit. I guess I "stress waste" and "stress toxify" when I'm wigging out, which, let's face it, has been much of the time since we moved.

Making good choices and eschewing waste and avoiding toxic junk is HARD WORK. And when I'm stressed I just feel like I don't care. I do things I don't even want to do.

Like....

Reviving my Diet Coke relationship. I had been fairly soft drink-free for quite a while (LaCroix fizzy water not included), but now I have one from the pop machine almost every day. Yes, I said pop. You can take the girl out of the Midwest but you... Anyway.

Diet Coke. In a single serving, toxin-loaded can (yes, even highly recyclable pop cans are coated with BPA).  Something about the cold beverage and the caffeine. Even (gasp!) not bothering to bring the Sock Bottle with me to Starbucks for my latte fix. Not even a once in a while. Give me the cup. The paper one, with the #6 plastic lid and the corrugated cardboard sleeve. Just give it to me! I need it.

Or maybe I need some Online shopping. Or to go to Target "just to walk around and look at things".

Bleh.

On Thursday I went to a yoga class for the first time in over 8 months. I am still sore. But that happy kind of sore that reminds you that your body can do some pretty amazing things. AND it reminded me that getting back into healthy habits can be painful, but the payoff is big. Photos remind me that I used to be pretty fit, and yoga and running made that happen not sitting around and whining.

So it is almost June, and I need a goal to work towards to stay focused. Baby steps are called for. I'm going to start with this: NO soda for the month of June. Yoga at least once a week. Calling a friend instead of driving to Target.

We'll see how that goes while I try to keep my garden alive, get our apartment ready for out of town guests, and keep my cool when stressed.