Healthy living and sustainability go hand in hand. Making choices that are good for you often benefits the environment as well. This can make it easier to focus on sustainability and lowering carbon footprint through better habits and purchasing decisions. Making healthy choices can mean choosing natural fibers over synthetic, choosing eco-friendly body care products, and even making changes to lifestyle habits. As people learn to be kinder to the environment, here are the healthy living choices they are making for themselves.
Choosing Natural Fibers for Clothing and Accessories
Natural fibers have a specific look and feel that many people are returning to. The fast fashion industry with cheap, plastic, and toxin laden clothes may have taken over for a season, but more and more people are looking to wool, linen, and other sustainable fabrics for clothing and accessories. This might look like buying the best running socks with premium merino wool or a cute linen dress for a backyard party or finding hemp based shirts that look and feel amazing.
The great thing about these natural fibers is that they are biodegradable and highly sustainable. Natural fabrics can be more quickly regenerated with less harm to the environment. These fabrics are also better for health and can help people regulate their body temperature more naturally.
Investing in Eco-Friendly Body Care Products With Fewer Toxins
There are many factors to consider when deciding whether a product is eco-friendly or not. This can be everything from the packaging to the packing process and even the ingredients the product itself contains. Investing in eco-friendly health products means that people are looking at options that won’t harm their bodies or the environment.
This can mean looking for natural shampoos or shampoo bars that don’t contain SLS, a foaming agent known to impact ecosystems. This can mean exploring lotions with natural antimicrobial ingredients from plants instead of lab-created antimicrobials. It also means evaluating body care products and other things like candles, air fresheners, and even cleaners for harmful fragrances that can cause hormone dysfunction. Finding eco-friendly options that don’t impact the world or the body in such harmful ways can also support sustainable living.
Changing Transportation Habits
How you get to and from work, play, and your errands can make a big difference not only in your health, but also for your sustainability goals. While going everywhere in your own car offers unparalleled convenience, it can be contributing to more of your own stress and impacts ecosystems in negative ways. If more people chose to carpool for example, you may not have to drive as frequently, and it takes at least one less car off the road. For those who can bike to work, for fun, or to get to places, it can also have a positive influence on their health.
Walking, bike riding, and even using public transportation are all ways to support sustainability and improve your health. More daily steps can also support health goals. Another option might be to take fewer trips to run errands by planning ahead and creating lists.
Simplify With Fewer Products
People have a product for everything. Whether it’s 5 different cleaners for the bathroom or 6 products for your hair, something has got to go. Simplicity supports not only your wallet, but also your health and the environment. This can mean paring down your hair and body routine, by finding products that can do more. The same goes for finding multipurpose cleaning supplies so that you don’t need 8-10 cleaners for one room.
You can further simplify your purchases by exploring the idea of a capsule wardrobe as well. This means that you’ll need fewer pieces, but ones that are more versatile and can get you from home, to work, and then for an evening out. Smaller wardrobes can also help reduce stress and overload as there are fewer outfits to choose from.
This can have a positive impact especially for people already struggling with decision-making. Fewer things to manage helps to improve mental health too because you won’t have as much clutter or have to decide on what to do with as many things. Over time, these little choices add up and can improve overall health and also help you be more sustainable in your home, health, and the world around you.
