The Benefits of Journaling
We know what you’re thinking. “Oh, great. Now, in addition to eating healthy, I also have to keep a journal!†Does this sound like something you’d say? If so, we get it!  Taking time out of your busy day to keep a journal seems less than ideal, but the benefits include reducing negative and repetitive thoughts to unlock your best self.  Let us explain the benefits of journaling and how to use motivational tools and positive talk to stop self-sabotaging your health. What is Journaling? Journaling refers to writing down or recording your thoughts, feelings, and daily activities in a book or journal.  It doesn’t have to be overly complicated – you can write as much or as little as you would like – and there is no right or wrong way to do it.  There are so many incredible benefits of journaling, and best of all – it’s free! All you need is paper and a pen.  You can practice journaling anywhere – in your car (when you aren’t driving, of course, at your work desk, or at home.  Health Benefits of Journaling  Do you ever catch yourself thinking negatively or having repetitive thoughts throughout the day? Chances are, you probably have these thoughts – even if you don’t realize it. In fact, research from Deepak Chopra, M.D. found that the average person has 60,000 thoughts per day – 95 percent of these thoughts are repetitive, meaning that we think the same (often negative) thoughts over and over.  The good news is that journaling has mental and physical health benefits. For example, did you know that people who keep a journal lose twice as much weight as those who did not? It’s true! According to one study, positive affect journaling (PAJ) was associated with improvements in mental distress and well-being. It was also linked to reductions in anxiety and depression after one month. Another study found that expressive writing leads to long-term improvements in health and lowers stress levels.  So, what does this research mean? Well, have you ever noticed how your mood and thoughts influence your actions and physical health?  Negative thoughts lead to increased cortisol levels, which negatively impacts our waistline, insulin levels, ability to sleep, and inflammation levels – preventing you from feeling your best mentally AND physically.   Journaling helps improve your mood and control your symptoms by helping you prioritize your fears, concerns, and problems.   It also provides a safe and personal space for you to identify negative thoughts, practice positive self-talk, and reduce cortisol levels. Never underestimate the power of having an outlet for your thoughts! How To Use Journaling To Improve Your Health When you write down your thoughts and feelings throughout the day, it makes it easier to identify negative, repetitive, and self-sabotaging thoughts. For example, do you feel completely stressed, overwhelmed, anxious and overwhelmed by all of your daily tasks? If so, write that down – and below that, write down one to three solutions.  You might not have time to write in your journal numerous times per day, but try to write your thoughts down at least once per day. Include what you did that day, what you ate and drank, and how you felt.  At the end of the week, look over your journal and try to identify negative patterns. Did you feel overly stressed on days when you didn’t stand up for yourself or took on too much? If so, that’s your cue to make changes. Positive Affirmations To Use When Journaling How often do you speak nicely to yourself during the day? Probably never, right? For most women, we are our own worst critics. We see ourselves in such a poor light, always thinking about what else we could do and never being happy with ourselves where we are at.  Journaling is a great time to practice using positive affirmations and speaking to yourself in a positive light. Instead of feeling down on yourself because you didn’t meet a goal, use this time to reassure yourself that it will happen.  Here are some things you can practice writing down in your journal: I have forgiven the mistakes I made in the past and those who have hurt me. I no longer allow them to control my thoughts or actions.  I am better today than I was yesterday, and I will be better tomorrow than I was today. I did my best today and I will do my best again tomorrow.  I love my body because it’s healthy and capable.  I am in control of my own happiness, and today – I choose to be happy and spread kindness. I am patient, loved, loving, and sincere. Those who come in contact with me find me caring, honest, and trustworthy.  Final Thoughts  Journaling has proven health benefits – both mentally and physically. It provides an opportunity to identify negative self talk and practice positive talk.  Be sure to write in your journal every day. In addition to writing down your thoughts and feelings, practice writing positive affirmations that can help boost your self-love and happiness.  Journaling is also a great way to reduce stress and help you feel in control again. Try writing at night before bed to get all your thoughts out on paper to help you sleep better! Â
Non-Toxic Skin Care Tips to Support Your Detox
So, you’re detoxing your body from toxins with a cleanse, but did you know that toxins can also be found in your skincare products and cosmetics? That’s right – despite your hard efforts to purge toxins from the inside out, the skin care products that you put on your skin may be working against you. In this guide, we’ll show you how to spot toxic skin care ingredients and what they may be doing to your health. We’ll also show you how to find safer products to use on your skin. What Skin Care Ingredients Are Toxic? It’s easy to forget that our skin is an organ just like our lungs, liver, and stomach. However, skin has a very important job because it acts as a protective barrier, keeping out harmful elements from our external environment so they don’t come in contact with what’s inside our bodies. The problem is that skin also absorbs what it comes in contact with. So, if you’re applying toxic products to your skin (makeup, lotions, body soap, etc.), then these ingredients can make their way into your bloodstream where they create more toxins for your liver to try to filter out. In fact, our skin can absorb 60 percent of what you apply to it – and more sensitive areas of our body – like our face and armpits – can absorb up to six times this amount. Skin care products that contain toxic ingredients can act as endocrine disruptors, causing endocrine and reproductive problems. Some toxic skin care products are even linked to cancer. In addition to being toxic and human carconegonics, many synthetic skin care ingredients can be highly inflammatory, leading to skin problems when you use them topically, such as dryness, psoriasis, eczema, rashes, inflammation, and more. Your immune system responds to these toxins just like it responds to any potential threat in your body. Don’t think that toxins in your skin care products don’t do harm just because you’re not ingesting them! How To Find Non-Toxic Skin Care Products You can spot toxic ingredients in your skin care products by looking at the ingredients label, just like you would check the label of the food you eat for refined sugars and processed grains. Then look up your product’s ingredients on the EWG Skin Deep Database, which is a great resource that ranks how safe your skin care ingredients are based on their toxicity levels. The EWG uses a rating system of 1 to 10 to determine the toxicity of an ingredient. Ratings of 0 or 1 are considered clean, safe, and non-toxic while higher ratings are more toxic. It’s super easy to use the EWG database. All you have to do is type in the ingredient in question and it will provide you with a detailed list of information and potential dangers. The following is a list of toxic skin care ingredients to avoid due to toxicity, based on the EWG: â— Phthalates â— Parabens â— Sodium lauryl sulfate â— Propylene glycol â— Coal tar dyes â— DEA â— Dibutyl phthalate â— Preservatives that release formaldehyde, such as Hydroxymethylglycinate, DMDM hydantoin, Imidazolidinyl urea, Diazolidinyl urea, Bronopol (2-bromo-2-nitropropane-1,3-diol), 5-Bromo-5-nitro-1,3-dioxane, and Quaternium-15 â— Unidentified fragrances â— PEG compounds â— BHT and BHA â— Silicones â— Sulfates â— Triclosan Another thing you’ll want to watch out for is products that are labeled as ‘natural,’ ‘organic’ and ‘clean.’ Despite appearing to be healthier for you, these products are not regulated by any standard industry, meaning that they may still contain ingredients that are toxic for skin. Try to look for products that contain plant-derived ingredients, which are less likely to cause irritation and increase your exposure to toxins. Examples include essential oils and vitamins derived from whole fruits and superfoods. You can also make your own non-toxic skin care ingredients at home using anti-microbial items you have in your own pantry, such as essential oils, olive or coconut oil, sea salt, and herbs. This can be a great way to reduce your exposure to skin care toxins while also saving money by using items that you already have at home! Final Thoughts During a detox, we usually focus on what goes in our bodies. But what goes on your body is just as important because your skin can absorb toxins through your skin care products.