Just about everyone is ready to think about their health and healthy habits in a new year, and we love helping people with ideas, recipes, and products that will help establish those habits. I recently hosted a friend and team member, Angie Schinke, who is also a fitness instructor, on my monthly webinar. She had some great tips for wellness and building important healthy habits for the new year using some amazing dōTERRA products to assist with those new goals. You can watch the recording below:
When we look at the dōTERRA Wellness Lifestyle Pyramid, the foundations of wellness are Nutrition, Exercise, Sleep/Managing Stress, and Reducing Toxic Load, followed by Informed Self Care, and finally Proactive Medical Care as needed. Let's break these down one at a time.
Eating Right. There's so much information available on this topic that it's easy to get overwhelmed. The most important thing to remember is to stay in touch with YOUR body's needs throughout the day, week, month, and year. Ask yourself, "What is my body experiencing? How am I sleeping? How is my blood work?" etc. Some guiding principles to remember are:
Fill your plate with vegetables.
Get enough of the nutrients that your body needs. A great place to start is dōTERRA's Lifelong Vitality Pack because it has 100% of everything your body needs to function at its best! Check out more here.
Supplement additional herbs, nutrients, and probiotics as needed. Consider these:
Detox support: Lemon, Zendocrine, and Lemongrass oils
Digestive support: DigestZen Softgels, PB Assist+, TerraZyme
Appetite support: Grapefruit, Slim & Sassy line
Nutrition Gurus to check out:
Detoxinista - raw, vegan recipes
Dr. Axe - gut health
GreenSmoothieGirl.com - green smoothies and raw foods
Exercise. Some people wonder which exercises to do or how long to exercise. The best answer is that it depends on the intensity. You can do some interval training like Tabata, which is very intense, but doesn't have to be for a long time.
Most importantly, make it FUN! Find something you enjoy.
Remember: Something is better than nothing.
Put it on your calendar or in your planner. Commit ahead of time that you will make exercise important.
Do it with a friend. Accountability helps!
Vary your exercise/crosstrain.
Exercise early in the day.
Join a class.
Get your heart rate up.
dōTERRA products that can help with exercise:
DeepBlue Rub - before & after exercise, especially in sore areas
Peppermint and Wild Orange - to help you get up in the morning and be motivated
Mito2Max - for energy and stamina
Exercise Guru to check out:
Dr. Axe - Tabata Workout
Rest and Manage Stress. In our day and age, stress is at an all-time high, and more and more people struggle with sleep, which is affecting our overall health in detrimental ways. It's important to work toward balancing hormones and find ways to eliminate or reduce stress in order to improve our health and wellness. One of the most important ways to do this is to improve our sleep patterns. You can read more here. Stress has physical, emotional, and mental components and effects. When it comes to reducing stress and improving rest, consider:
Removing yourself from toxic relationships.
Reducing the constant stream of electronics and the bombardment of information.
Determine what stressors in your life can be eliminated completely.
Find healthy ways to cope with your stress (i.e. yoga, prayer, and essential oils).
dōTERRA products that can help you sleep better and reduce stress:
Oils: Lavender, Serenity, Vetiver, Bergamot, Roman Chamomile, Clary Sage, Ylang Ylang (and many others).
For sleeplessness associated with depressed feelings: Pair a wood/resin oil with a citrus oil.
For calming the mental chatter so you can get to sleep: try diffusing a floral oil
Sleep Blend: Cedarwood, Citrus Bliss, Lavender
For Digestive sleeplessness: PB Assist+, DigestZen, and Zendocrine (applied over the abdomen and liver).
De-stress before bed: Lavender bath with Epsom salts and Lavender oil
Stress relief (any time of day): Balance, ClaryCalm, and/or Serenity
Stress Management and Sleep Gurus:
Reduce Toxic Load. We're exposed to toxins everywhere: in our food, water, plastic water bottles, skin care, cosmetics, and cleaning products. The cumulative effect of all of these toxins can affect our health negatively in many ways, including but not limited to: kill the friendly bacteria in our guts, block oxygen from binding to red blood cells, interfere with DNA synthesis, block enzymes the body needs for normal functions, and block absorption of vitamins and minerals. Here are a few ways to reduce toxins in your life:
Don't try to do it all at once. Try eliminating toxins gradually.
Choose organic fruits and vegetables when possible, especially when it comes to the Dirty Dozen, which tend to absorb more pesticides than others.
Consider a different skincare line (such as dōTERRA's Verage Line or Essential Skin Care Line).
Make your own hand soap or hand sanitizer (see recipe below).
Choose a natural deodorant to reduce heavy metals such as aluminum in your body.
Choose natural versions of other hygiene products.
Try cleaning your home with dōTERRA's OnGuard Cleaner Concentrate.
Informed Self Care. We can do our best to care for our bodies using natural means and preventative care whenever possible. It's important to have a few resource guides to help you address common ailments naturally when they come your way. We like Modern Essentials and Essential Life books, and you can find many other books at your local bookstore that will show you how to take charge of your health from home with natural remedies. Our bodies were designed by God to heal themselves when we give them the right tools.
Proactive Medical Care. Regular visits to your family doctor are important, and now, dōTERRA is starting to roll out Integrative Health clinics all over the United States, starting in Utah. You can find out more when you visit healthcare.doterra.com.
What new habits are you adopting this year to become a healthier YOU? We'd love to hear about your natural wellness success stories.