Venturing down the rabbit hole...

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I have a couple friends who are obsessed with Alice in Wonderland. I wish I could tell them that this post will be all about that wonderful story - sorry friends, I'm referencing the story as a metaphor for my life changing health journey.

I'm a self-proclaimed hippie and a reluctant conspiracy theorist, but I like to think of myself as an informationalist, and a truth-seeker. In addition to being quite the flower child (most of you have been exposed to my Pinterest feed... I offer my apologies), I've always been the kind of person who's shied away from the conventional.

Perhaps this stems back to my childhood. I was raised in a household where I was not sent off to school with a traditional lunch sack filled with snack packs, cheetos and chocolate milk - but instead, healthier options like tuna sandwiches on whole grain bread with alfalfa sprouts, carrot and celery sticks, and a juice were packed for me to eat. I've never eaten cocoa-puffs, pop-tarts, or diet soda, and I proudly proclaim that I have not had McDonalds ANYTHING (don't get me started on McDonalds - so gross) in 15 years or more.

Thank God bullying was to a lesser degree when I was a child. I can't say I didn't somewhat resent my lunches as a child, but looking back, that healthy foundation has helped me make better decisions as an adult that I pride myself on.

I'll be honest, I've not always been a healthy-minded individual and the lack of caring has taken its toll for the better part of a decade, but as I've gotten older, my body and mind have reminded me that I need to take better care of it.

Getting older stinks... right???

For the better part of a year now I've been diligently and mindfully implementing self-improvements that I intend on lasting a lifetime.

This past March I took up yoga practice. Much to the chagrin of my grandmother who warned "Yoga is a religion, you know..." I attend classes on average three times a week, and I'm in love. So much so I'm sure my friends are sick and tired of hearing about how much I love yoga practice, but I was so frustrated with myself a year ago, constantly feeling sick and tired. I'm now reminded every time I leave my 6:00 AM class with calmness and the sense of accomplishment that is now measurable that you simply cannot argue with success!!

This grand pursuit of health for myself has led me to some conclusions that go against the grain – pun intended. This year I eliminated gluten from my diet.

And it's been a HUGE personal challenge for me.

I never realized how ingrained wheat is in the American diet, until I made the decision to remove it from mine. Do you remember the food pyramid from our childhood?

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If you think about it, gluten (or wheat) is in so many things: cereal, pasta, muffins, sandwiches, burgers, pizza, flour tortillas, crackers, croutons, breading on chicken or fish, cream sauces... not to mention the hidden traces of gluten. Elimination (and not replacement) of most starches has been the only way for me to be successful, and it's transformed the way I cook and eat, and look at food. It's truly been an eye opening experience - one I wouldn't trade for anything because every day I'm gluten free my gut thanks me, rather than hating me.

These two changes - practicing yoga and becoming gluten free - while big commitments in and of themselves, have resulted in a domino effect, and they are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the measures I will go to for my health. The rabbit hole goes much deeper than I've really ever admitted to publicly, until today, and I'm still venturing further!

Some of my daily practices are so ingrained in my daily routine that I often forget that I am "weird" by "normal" standards. The other day I overheard a conversation about how Brad Pitt no longer uses soap but vinegar, and how "that's soooo gross, I bet he smells like a sheepdog!", and my thought was, "Cool! I use vinegar too! Wonder what else he does to maintain an all natural lifestyle!?"

Currently I go against the norm by doing things like:

• having organic produce delivered bi-weekly
• I don't take pain relievers or antibiotics (though I am rarely sick), but gargle with warm salt water and use acupressure for headaches instead 
• I pull oil and dry-brush my skin
• we don't use deodorant or shampoo or conditioner
• I use homemade dry shampoo in between washings which are every 2-3 days, and I try to not smell like a sheepdog!
• I cleanse my face with coconut or argan oil, and don't use body wash or traditional soap
• I avoid petroleum based products, dyes and perfumes 
• I use coconut oil, baking soda and apple cider vinegar all the time

This past week I added the following to the list: juice fasting, anti-bacterial microfiber cloths, and eliminating traditional toothpaste (although I've been using fluoride free toothpaste for years) in place of a new brushing method.

Here are my thoughts on our newest changes:

• The green juices we tried have been officially dubbed by yours truly as "undrinkable green swill", and after 3/5 of the first day, the fast was off. Also, coconut water is disgusting. I felt defeated, yet optimistic - we'll revisit a juice fast once we are able to find some better green juice recipes that don't make my husband and I want to gag.
• I'm sold on microfiber cloths - goodbye paper towels!
• New brushing method is awesome so far (hubby isn't so sure, but I'll convince him yet!). I'll give a full review soon!

Here's what's next on my to-do wishlist:

• Eliminate store bought cleaning products from under my sink!
• Make my own toothpaste, and begin brushing with charcoal
• Install a whole home water filtration or a Berkey water filtration system
• Purchase a Squatty Potty
• Grow more vegetables at home
• Reduce sugar intake - and admit I'm a sugar addict
• Try fermenting
• Continue compost heap (and try to keep Mr. Red, our dog, from eating the food waste)
• Switch out non-stick cookware for cast-iron
• Find and visit a holistic dentist
• Begin chiropractic care
• Work on balancing hormones (try magnesium butter)
• Make my own all-natural makeup
• Achieve pregnancy naturally - and give birth at home, in water, with an awesome birth team
• Practice cloth diapering, breast feeding, and baby wearing with said child 

Let's just agree as friends that not everything I've chosen for myself and my health will be for everyone. But sometimes just opening your eyes and doing a little research about the products, chemicals, and methods you are accustomed to using or consuming every day can be enough to scare you into finding better and healthier options.

As for me, and my like-minded modern hippie friends (are we considered hipster??!!? is this the new hippie??), we'll continue down this rabbit hole together and someday end up "with us living on a patch of land somewhere, curing our own meats and growing our own kale!" Sounds like a grand adventure to me!

I'd love to know what healthy practices you have in place that are not considered "normal"!

xoxo,
Chelle

(P.S. Thanks for sticking with me through this long post...) :-)