“Home is where one starts from.” -T.S. Eliot
Home is where the heart is but also the heart (of wellness) is where the home is. Home is where we rest, revive, repair, and then repeat. It is safe to say that 2020 and counting has had everyone reflecting on how they live. Intentional spaces set the stage for a healthy lifestyle. In a digital age where image and perfection are everything, we often put aesthetics first – no matter what facet of our lives we are dealing with. What our founder has come to realize through the process of designing her San Diego estate is that you can have a home that is both stylish and wellness-centered. When we prioritize home decisions that cultivate and support healthy lifestyle choices, our consumables, decor, furnishings, air and water quality, and use of space are given direction and purpose as a result. Function over form, and then, make it fashion!
Toxins We Bring Into the Home, We Bring Into Our Bodies
Have you ever thought about all of the things being brought into the home and the potential consequences to your health? It’s useless to spend all of our time and money curating a beautiful space if it is filled with toxicity that is making people, pets, and the planet sick. Many paints, furniture, bedding, textiles etc. take months to offgas, if not longer. However, this isn’t the first sign of damage caused by these products. Think about where and how these items are made. The more toxic the product, likely the more toxic the manufacturing process is and the less standards and values are held-up by the company of origin. This is one of the reasons we will dive into repurposing and collecting antiques, reducing the amount of new product creation. As well as, shopping with more intentionality for new items for a longer lifespan and a gentler footprint on our bodies and the environment. From soaps and detergents to mattresses and carpet there’s a lot to think about here. For some, buying in bulk and making diy cleaners out of the same simple ingredients will be a perfect option. For others it’s looking up brands on EWG and finding reasonably priced products that are rated well. The fewer chemicals our bodies take in, the less we have to detox them out. It can be overwhelming to imagine starting fresh with every household item, cleaning product, and textile – it’s okay to start slow though! We are all free to adjust our lifestyles at our own pace, reach out for support, and take the time to research and grow our knowledge to the point that healthful home choices become second-nature.
Systems of the Home and Things That Go Unseen
Some of the best healthy choices you can make for your home are unseen. It can be tempting to overlook some of these, but we urge you to consider the importance of them. Bringing in experts for periodic services like emf and mold exposure testing can prove to be immensely valuable. It’s shocking how chronically sick these types of contaminations can make us and our children. Investing in high-quality clean air and water purification systems will reassure you that your family is breathing, drinking, and bathing without adding to the already compounding list of chronic illness. Yes! The water we bathe in matters too, as our skin is known to be even more absorbent when wet. For those that find themselves cemented in a situation where none of these are an option, try to think outside the box. Finding alternative places to cleanse like the ocean, a clean nearby lake, the gym or local YMCA could have better quality of water. Leave windows open often for constant fresh air. Spending plenty of time outdoors, even if it means bringing homework/work and dinner along, keeps us from spending countless hours in contaminated spaces, such as fluorescent lighting and strong electromagnetic fields. These issues are only silent for so long. These types of toxicities play right into the overall function of our body systems and truly have the capacity to hinder the capability of them.
Use of Space
Let’s talk about getting creative with “sweet spots” in the home. These are designated areas where we can maximize our opportunity to be well. We all have to start with whatever we have available to us. For some of us, we may have an abundance of land but weather and terrain are a constant battle in terms of getting sun for our health, farm, and garden. For others who are space or privacy constrained, utilizing community facilities could be a great option. Setting up for success of a healthy lifestyle at home requires getting a little unconventional at times. Choosing to make a sunbathing area where friends and family know when it is off limits for your privacy. Sneaking workout equipment into small spaces, outdoors, or in unexpected rooms (we know an awesome fitness trainer who has his sitting room as his home gym!). Designating quiet zones where reading, yoga, prayer or meditation can happen at all times. Creating stations throughout the house; such as a supplement station where everyone stops and takes their vitamins, a detoxification station in the bathroom where you can find charcoal, bath salts, dry brushes, etc, a fermentation station where you have bubbling jars of sauerkraut and sourdough starter to name a few. Start brainstorming, and let it evolve. What works for you and your family now may not work in a year, and that’s okay! The important takeaway here is to start small and get creative with the space and resources you already have in order to pursue a wellness centered lifestyle.
We spend at least half of our lifetime at home. Though keeping it a purified and productive place feels much more complicated this day in age, it’s important to reestablish the appreciation of this space and reevaluate what it means to our quality of life and the quality of the planet. We have the power to reinvent our emotional detachment from homemaking that many of us have experienced with so much convenience at our fingertips. Regardless of your circumstances, we hope to help ignite the fire within you to get creative and put the wellness of yourself and others at the forefront of your intentions.