042. Small Changes, Big Reasons: How Reducing My Toxic Burden Improved My Health, Saved Me Money, & Cleared Up My Skin

I’m sure you’ve noticed by now if you’ve been listening to Elevating Motherhood for a while or follow me on Instagram that most of the personal use product brands I talk about fall into the “clean” category. They’re non-toxic, mostly plant based, or sustainable. Some are organic. Some companies are b-corps. But mostly, the companies and products that I talk about and use fall into the “clean” category. Am I just being bougie with my choices? Or just trying to be trendy? Or use products that are “on brand?” No. (Those are common assumptions, by the way. I suppose I could be offended by those assumptions, but why? I honestly think people plug in those kinds of reasons because they don’t understand this new movement and our “whys” behind it. And I can’t help but notice that the current times are motivating people to reevaluate their priorities on a lot of levels—they’re prioritizing what health, wellness, and simplicity mean to them. Which is why I wanted to do this quick show to take the mystery out of reducing toxic burden and offer ideas about how to get started if making a shift speaks to you. This journey for me looks like taking my health, my family’s health, and the planet’s health seriously. I definitely didn’t start doing it because it was convenient or “the norm.” I don’t want you to feel like this is one of those “what you should be doing” episode. It’s meant to be informative—a resource for those who are curious about reducing toxic burden or exploring cleaner, healthier products because what you use on your body and put in your body matters. I’m going to keep it really simple by sharing my own examples and stories as well as products that I’ve settled on after a lot of years of searching and trial and error and been really happy with. I’m also doing this episode because I get a lot of questions from moms about toxic burden. They want to know what it is, if it has anything to do with food or is it only relevant to things like cleaning products? Is it environmental? What classifies something as a “toxin?” Or another big one is why should we even try to reduce toxins in our lives when we don’t have control over most of the environments we’re in anyway? These are all great questions! For me, reducing my family’s toxic burden isn’t a waste of time and while it’s true that I don’t have control over what we’re exposed to in most environments, I DO have control over what we use in our own home, what we put on our skin, and in our bodies. And that’s a big enough reason for me to make changes—even just lots of small changes—for myself and my family. I don’t have all the answers, just ones I’ve answered for myself—and my opinion and experience is just that: mine. But I also know that hearing other mamas’ stories is really powerful and often just the catalyst we need to start our own personal journey. I’m also doing this episode to raise awareness. We’re not taught or encouraged to look at labels or read ingredient lists. Companies want us to focus on the shiny advertising. But I have found so much peace in reading ingredients and knowing more about the products and brands I use, their sources, their standards, etc. It’s empowering to be able to analyze them for myself to determine what is safe by my own educated standards. In this episode I talk about:  What Toxic Burden Is Why I Care About Toxic Burden Products I've Settled On Over the Years Cleaning Products Skin Care Makeup Air Quality  Water Quality, Contradictory Information, Sources, Getting to Know Yourself & More Please visit www.elevatingmotherhood.com for the full transcript, links, & details.