- by Eli and Joseph
Spring Cleaning? Here's a great place to start!
"What I know for sure is that when you declutter – whether it’s your home, your head, or your heart – it is astounding what will flow into that space that will enrich you, your life, and your family.” Peter Walsh
If you want to feel lighter, fresher, freer and filled with energy afterwards, spring cleaning is a great thing to do!
Beyond the obvious outcome, however, if you go about it in this way, it can bring about MANY lasting, positive results beyond just cleaning up.
Keep reading and see what we mean...
It might seem like a big chore just thinking about it, yet, if you push through that initial sensation and get to it, you will be SO GLAD and ENERGIZED in the end!
We know, 'cause we just did it!
This time of year, when the weather turns warm and the flowers are blooming and the birds are singing, it's the perfect time to clean up and let go of the old.
Some people naturally find themselves in the garden, raking up leaves and pulling weeds or puttering around the house, straightening up. Other of us... well, nothing could be more dreadful, right?
Here's some motivation:
You've heard the saying "Nature abhors a vacuum"?
Well, we don't think that refers to a Eureka or a Hoover!
When you let go of old things, there is now room for newness to come in! Holding on to things "just in case" you need them (like medicines, for example) can be a set-up to recreate an experience to occur again! Instead, by consciously releasing them, you can set the intention to create optimum health, and not ever need them again.
How great would that be? It takes courage to let things go. So, where would you rather function from? Fear or trust?
Spring cleaning can be more than just the physical act of throwing things away. If you connect the act consciously to what you are ready to release from your life in order to create what you DO want in your life (more health, energy, clarity, peace of mind, love, money) then the physical act sends a clear message to the Universe, propelled by your intention.
This can be a truly powerful process!
During this spring cleaning season our attention turns to the places where clutter has accumulated inside of our homes, as well. Drawers and closets overstuffed and bulging at the seams.
And sometimes, tackling that clutter can be overwhelming. Where does one even start?
We'd like to encourage you to start here: your kitchen pantry.
Gulp!
News flash: Health and vitality start in the kitchen!
If you're like most people, your kitchen pantry probably has months (years?) worth of old(er) foods, some of which you're likely never to eat, and that aren't really "food."
We bet there are many foods with chemicals you can't pronounce, foods with processed ingredients like monosodium glutamate (MSG), sulfites, sulfates, carrageenan, food dyes, butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA), butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), splenda, low-fat ingredients, "fat-free" ingredients, guar gum, modified food starch, “natural and artificial flavors”, soy lecithin, malt extract or yeast.
If what you read on the label is unfamiliar, if you can’t pronounce it, if it's over 10 letters long, if a product has more than 5-10 ingredients, if it looks like it may have been developed in a lab, get rid of it!
If it still looks good after months of being stored, think about it: it is likely full of preservatives to do precisely that!
Funny quote. Yes, we're all getting older. Yet, the ANTIDOTE to aging quickly and the KEY to staying young longer, among other things, is to eat as healthfully as we can.
So, toss any foods with sugar, high fructose corn syrup, canola oil, and foods that are processed. And if you consume artificially sweetened drinks, toss those out first!
A study in the journal Stoke found that people who consume one can a day of artificially sweetened drinks are nearly three times as likely to have a stroke or develop dementia.
Yikes!
So, where do you even begin?
Try this:
1. Take out every single item in your pantry first. Yep. All of it.
2. Clean the empty shelves with a non-toxic cleaner such as a mixture of water, vinegar and a biodegradable dish soap (we like Dr. Bronner's).
3. Examine every item and, using the info above, decide if it's worth keeping, composting or tossing. Only put back into the pantry those foods that are fresh, nutrient rich, and healthy.
GREAT IDEA: Get some glass mason jars ahead of time and place things like rice and grains, dry beans and lentils, and nuts in those. They look pretty (much nicer than in plastic bags) and are easy to find. AND it'll make you feel like you really made progress!
You know what's likely going to happen?
After this exercise, you might end up with a completely empty pantry!
That's not so terrible! That's actually a great sign! Take this opportunity to create a fresh start, with foods that truly nourish you and support your optimal health.
If you need IDEAS and some NUTRITIONAL SUPPORT to get back on track with your healthier eating habits, contact us. We'll be happy to guide you and cheer you on as you start making healthier changes. You're also welcome to check our blogs on healthy eating.
SPECIAL NOTE: This topic of nutrition is near and dear to Eli's heart, as he credits much of his healing and recovery from lymphoma to eating well, by making significant changes to his nutrition (and by default Joseph's as well.)
So, not only is having a more organized pantry a great feeling - seeing it all clean and organized - that will truly energize you, doing it with the intention of improving your well-being and health can do wonders for you!
Bonus!
Somewhere pretty close to your pantry is your refrigerator. Feeling inspired? Take your spring cleaning enthusiasm and tackle your fridge, too!
Please let us know in the comments below how you feel about clearing clutter, especially if you've experienced a really positive outcome, in order to inspire others to do the same.
Thanks for reading! Enjoy the process of spring cleaning as you also improve your health!
Love ya,
Joseph and Eli
