Reduce Waste
If a natural way of life appeals to you, chances are that you’re just as invested in taking care of the environment as you are in taking care of yourself. Here are just a few eco-friendly practices to try as you start working toward a greener lifestyle.
Avoid Disposable Products
The fewer uses you get out of a product, the more waste you’ll produce over time. Even if going zero-waste isn’t feasible for you, try to be more conscious of the way you buy and consume products. Shop with reusable totes, swap paper towels for washable rags, and steer clear of single-use plastics as often as possible. Start with just a few green living tips like these, and then implement others over time as you become more accustomed to your new, natural lifestyle.
Compost & Recycle
Make sure the waste you do produce doesn’t wind up in a landfill by composting and recycling. Lower your carbon footprint and create rich soil for growing your own produce by learning to compost. While you’re at it, brush up on how to recycle. These two sustainable habits require little effort, yet are both critical to living a natural life.
Use Natural Cleaners
Many common cleaning products contain toxins that do more harm than good. Protect your health and keep your home fresh by using natural cleaners. Check out a few options for natural cleaners below.
Opt for Natural, Multi-Purpose Products
In addition to being safer than their chemical counterparts, most natural cleaning products are also much more multi-functional. All-purpose cleaners from brands like Mrs. Meyers, Method, and Seventh Generation are a favorite among people living a natural lifestyle, thanks to their eco-friendly packaging and organic ingredients. Research these and other similar brands as you transition into living naturally to find what works best for your home.
Make Your Own
Living a natural life often means using DIY alternatives. Save money on expensive cleaners by making your own. You can use a mixture of baking soda, vinegar, and lemon to clean almost anything—whether it’s washing your windows, cutting through grease, taking stains out of clothes, unclogging your drain, wiping down your counters, or any number of other things.
Switch to Natural Hygiene Products
Going natural isn’t just better for your home—it’s also better for your body. Cut artificial and chemically based personal care products from your routine for better skin, healthier hair, and better hygiene, overall. Try these simple habits to see how a natural approach to personal hygiene can benefit you.
Read Labels Before You Buy Anything
Not every product that’s advertised as “natural” actually is. Be wary of personal care products that contain artificial fragrances, as well as those that contain parabens, formaldehyde or formalin, phthalates, and other chemical ingredients that contribute to your body’s toxic load. Instead, select vegan or cruelty-free personal hygiene products with natural ingredients. Brands like Schmidt’s Naturals, Lush, and Burt’s Bees are a good place to start your search.
Go the DIY Route
Just like the products you use to clean your house, the best personal care items for a natural lifestyle are often those you make yourself. Find recipes for natural hygiene products online, then store what you make in glass jars for added sustainability. Make your own natural toothpaste using ingredients like peppermint extract and baking soda, create your own chemical-free shampoo with castille soap and coconut milk, and use coconut oil as an inexpensive and effective alternative to aerosol shaving cream.
Eat Non-Processed Food
Eating clean is a major step in the right direction toward living a more natural life. Start small by cutting back on sugar, eating more raw fruits and vegetables, and limiting refined carbs. Do some additional research on proper nutrition as you become more comfortable with your new, healthy habits. There are several ways you can use food to promote a holistic, natural lifestyle.
Take Up Gardening
Not everyone has the time, energy, or space to run a full-on homestead, but even just renting space in a community garden or growing herbs in your kitchen will go a long way in helping you lead a healthier, more natural life. Whereas store-bought produce may contain pesticides, home-grown fruits and vegetables are fresh and clean. Add compost to your garden’s soil for higher-quality produce and see how the habits you’ve adopted by living naturally can work in tandem.
Cook Meals from Scratch
Home-cooked meals are often as delicious as they are healthy, so start preparing your own food using fresh ingredients you’ve grown yourself. Doing so will make it easier to control portion sizes, will make you more aware of how you’re fueling your body, and will help you save a lot of money over time. Cooking from scratch can also benefit your mental health—another critical aspect of natural living.
Add Natural Supplements
On top of maintaining a well-balanced diet, consider adding natural supplements to your meals. Infusing an already healthy meal with CBD, for example, has been shown to promote overall wellness through homeopathy. Adding CBD oil or tincture into drinks—whether it’s a cocktail or your morning coffee—can present similar benefits. Multi-vitamins also make a good addition to a healthy, natural diet.
Stay Active
A sedentary lifestyle can lead to an increased risk of heart disease, depression, and more negative health effects. Conversely, getting adequate exercise is one of the most effective ways to live a healthy lifestyle. Make getting up and moving around a part of your everyday lifestyle by implementing just a couple of key habits.
Find a Workout Routine You Enjoy
Studies have shown that sporadic exercise may be more harmful than it is beneficial. Regular workouts, on the other hand, can help improve your physical and mental health while reducing your risk of certain chronic diseases. With this in mind, build your workout routine around exercises you genuinely enjoy. This way you’ll be more prone to stick with the habit.
You may also find your workouts more pleasant when you introduce natural supplements like CBD into your post-workout recovery. CBD has been shown to reduce joint inflammation and muscle pain, making it a popular choice for runners and weightlifters, in particular.
Move More in General
Staying active outside of your workouts is a critical part of natural living. The good news is that even small changes to your daily habits can make a big difference in your health over time. For example, take the stairs instead of using the elevator, walk instead of driving when you can, and stretch often. As with many aspects of leading a natural life, the important thing is to make smart choices for your body and mind every day.
Take Care of Your Mind
Physical and mental health are directly linked, so a natural lifestyle should always prioritize both. Take your emotional well-being into your own hands by trying a couple of easy techniques.
Manage Stress Through Mindfulness
Natural living is about reconnecting with yourself and the world around you, so take time each day to practice mindfulness. Mindfulness has been associated with benefits like decreased stress, higher immune system function, and increased productivity—just to name a few. Common mindfulness exercises include meditation, deep breathing, and sensory grounding, though there are many other techniques you can try.
Spend More Time Outdoors
Recent studies conclude that spending time in nature may boost your short-term memory, reduce feelings of stress, and help you fight mental illnesses like depression and anxiety. While one’s mental health can’t always be managed through purely homeopathic means, living a more natural life and getting plenty of fresh air may both prove beneficial to your wellness. Whether it’s going for a hike or stopping by your local park on the way home from work, make spending time in nature part of your routine.
Adopt a Regular Sleep Schedule
Sleep is vital to holistic wellness—it allows our bodies to reset and repair themselves, and gives us the necessary energy to function. However, the CDC has found that one third of all American adults aren’t getting adequate sleep. Here are a couple of techniques you can use to keep health issues caused by sleep deprivation at bay.
Reduce Screen Time Before Bed
Using electronics in bed is something many people admit to doing, but few people likely realize how detrimental this habit can be to the quality and quantity of sleep they get each night. Because the artificial blue light emitted from screens disrupts the brain’s natural wake-sleep cycle by delaying the release of rest-related hormones, it’s best to stop using electronics at least 30 minutes before bed. Limiting use even sooner may be ideal, but sticking to healthy, natural lifestyle habits is easier when you choose realistic goals from the start.
Try Natural Sleep Aids
The best way to promote holistic health is often through a combination of solutions. While you should certainly adopt good sleep habits like limiting screen time and avoiding caffeine consumption late in the day, you may also find it helpful to use natural sleep aids like melatonin or CBD. Unlike sleeping pills—which work through sedation—melatonin and CBD work with your body’s chemistry to help you fall and stay asleep, making them a safe and effective alternative for natural living.
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