A Nurturing Environment...

When working towards living a healthier life, one key component to success is surrounding yourself in an environment that nurtures and feeds your lifestyle. If you are aiming to eliminate processed, artificial junk from your body, it's a good idea to begin to do that in your surroundings as well! What this does is reinforce what's happening on the inside of your body on the outside in your physical space.

When you begin to eat whole foods, greens, grains, fruits and vegetables your body begins to transform as these foods give you life! They begin the process of detoxifying your body and eliminating the clutter of toxins stored in your cells, tissue, and yes, even your fat stores! As this happens, you begin to feel lighter, clear minded, and energized.

Just as our bodies can be overloaded with junk, so can the environments we live, sleep, work and play in. As your energy begins to pick up, use it to detoxify these environments that have become stale and lifeless. If they remain in this state, you will have a harder time healing and moving forward. Here are a few simple steps to begin the process...

Pick an environment to tackle. Anything can be an environment...your home, kitchen, bedroom, basement, junk drawer, i-pod, car, garage, desk, closet, even your email inbox! Pick one area that really irks you the most and begin there. If it causes you stress, it's time to detoxify it! After you have chosen the lucky area, pick a time frame of two hours and write the time and day you will begin the project in your calendar. If it is scheduled, it will be more likely to get done!

Now it's time to detoxify your environment!

1. Gather three boxes and label them "keep, trash, and give away."
2. Declutter! Begin to go through the items in the environment and sort them into their appropriate labeled box. Hint: If you have not touched the item in the last year, toss, recycle, or give away!
3. Sort! Once you are done putting things into their appropriate box, it's time to sort the "keep" box again. Go through it one more time to make sure you need the items you have put in there. If not, put them in their appropriate box.
4. Plan! Once everything is sorted, evaluate the empty space and the items in the keep box to see what needs to be better organized. You can find many cool storage cubbies, bins, and organizers at many big box stores. One of my favs is The Container Store.
5. Reorganize! Now that you have plan in place and your storage accessories purchased, put the keep items back into their area. Step back and admire your hard work!

If you have a space that does not feel good to you, but is organized and clutter free, step back and take a good look at the space. What is it that makes you feel negatively about it? Is it too dark and dreary? Is it too small? Is it uncomfortable? Is the color not one you are attracted to? It's easy to transform a room without spending a ton of money. Try rearranging your furniture to allow more energy to flow through the room. Brighten a space by repainting in a cool, light color. Dark colors can sometimes make a room feel much smaller than it is...especially a room with out a lot of natural light!

Do what you can to bring new life to the space you spend a lot of time in or one that causes much stress! By doing this, you will be allowing your body to feel at home on it's outside as well as on the inside as it is adjusting to it's new life of nutrients and balance. Just as our bodies crave this on the inside, our senses crave it on the outside! An environment that feels good will support you, give you stregth, and reinforce the idea that you are opening yourself up to healing, detoxifying and nurturing your body.