Let’s get real (Pep talk)

By Danielle

Reducing your body burden takes a lot of time, effort, and expense. It’s hard. I get it. I’ve been living this lifestyle for 11 years, and it's not always easy. Sometimes I fall off the wagon and buy junk (I love me some Wavy Lays and Deans Dip 😋) or get duped into a greenwasher company (like Tom’s of Maine *sigh).

Side note: the term “greenwash” refers to a company trying to “brainwash” you into believing that their product is free of harmful ingredients or is eco-friendly, aka “green.” I love to call out greenwashing products/companies because they drive me bonkers! They are so deceitful in their labels and marketing—your hard earned money shouldn’t be going to these jerks who are trying to trick you into buying their toxic products.

When I first started cleaning up my body burden, I started with just one thing: meat. I switched to organic chicken and then learned about grass fed beef. And it stayed like that for quite some time. Then I switched to mostly organic fruits and vegetables and followed EWG’s Dirty Dozen list. I printed out the list and kept it in my wallet. Then I focused on dairy…and then on my soaps and lotions. It took me about 6 years to get it right…to do it all.

This is not something you do overnight. I repeat…this is not an overnight thing! You work at it. Step by step and piece by piece.

Have you ever seen the movie What About Bob? It’s one of my favorites! In the movie, Dr. Leo Marvin (played by Richard Dreyfuss) counsels his patient, Bob Wiley (played by Bill Murray) who has an overwhelming fear of leaving his home and acquiring diseases from random sources. Dr. Marvin explains to Bob that in order to cope and become functional at home and in society, he doesn’t have to tackle all his fears at once. He takes each problem one baby step at a time:

Dr. Marvin: “It means setting small, reasonable goals for yourself. One day at a time, one tiny step at a time—do-able, accomplishable goals”.

Bob: “Baby steps”

Dr. Marvin: “When you leave this office, don’t think about everything you have to do to get out of the building, just deal with getting out of the room. When you reach the hall, just deal with the hall. And so forth. Baby steps”.

…then hilarity ensues!

It’s the same concept here: try baby steps with a new non-aluminum deodorant for week one. Baby steps with a new heavy metal-free water bottle for week 2. Baby steps with a non-chemical household cleaner for week 3…and so on until you’re like Bob stepping onto a bus to go annoy the crap out of Dr. Marvin at his vacation home on Lake Winnipesaukee.

It takes time. And patience. And stick-to-it-ness. And sacrifice.

😳 Sacrifice? Yes, sacrifice. Because sometimes an organic cleanser isn’t going to clean the same as the toxic junk ones. Because your dryer balls leave your clothes with a little bit of static (I have a fix for that, btw…add a safety pin to the ball) and your clothes don’t smell as snuggly fresh as your clothes do with the dryer sheets that showcase that scary little bear on the box. Because your non-toxic deodorant doesn’t stop you from sweating (it’s not supposed to, by the way—more on that in another post). We take less vacations, go out to dinner less, watch movies on Netflix instead of at the theatre. We sacrifice. Think big picture. All these small changes lead to a BIG reward: YOUR HEALTH!

So, yes, your natural deodorant may make your favorite shirt yellow under the arm pits (use less, by the way, to prevent the stains), but at least your body isn’t absorbing the aluminum from your Shower Fresh Scent deodorant and sending it right up to your brain. Plus, a little (non toxic) dish detergent and some warm water can take that stain right out. No need to work yourself into a kerfuffle.

What happens when my husband and kids bitch about the changes?

For me, it also took a while to get my husband on board. That part was tough. He didn’t like the expense. He was like “you think we should pay $8 for a stick of deodorant when I can get it for $2.99 at the drugstore?!” Uhm, yes. Yes, I do. It took a lot of discussions, a lot of circling things in books, reading internet articles, and expanding an education. He realized though that for us to live our healthiest lives, we had to be diligent about what we put on and in our kids and ourselves and sometimes, yes, it costs more and requires extra work.

Which leads me to this…you MUST take care of YOU also. Don’t just “do” for your kids. I hear a lot of people say “well, my kids use this or eat that, but I just use the same old stuff I’ve been using for years.” You cannot do that to yourself. You can’t do that to your family. Your family can’t be a family without YOU in it, and you are just as important as they are. Self love and self care are important. Think about it. You’re on a flight and the flight attendant is doing her safety spiel, when the part comes about the oxygen mask. S/he always says, “In the unlikely event of a loss of cabin pressure during the flight, an oxygen mask will automatically drop down in front of you. If you are traveling with a child or an elderly adult, put your own oxygen mask on first and then you will be in a position to help your child or elderly adult.” The same concept applies here, too!

What can you do today?

Start by making a list.

Write down all of the things you’d like to change in your kitchen or bathroom (where some of the worst offenders are), then one by one add, remove and/or replace. Then add to and revise that list whenever something comes up.

Perhaps this week you switch your soap from Irish Spring to Dr. Bronners and next week you swap the Ritz crackers for some Late July Classic Rich crackers. Go at your own pace. Maybe you make one change a week or one change a month—it’s up to you!! This is not a race!! Do it on your own time and on your own terms. One by one you’ll check items off the list and you’ll feel like a total rockstar! 🤘

Ok, I’m done playing Mom (for now) *that’s a lie 🤥

You can do this!!