Can I Be a Hippie in Heels? Balancing a Healthy Lifestyle

In my family’s eyes, I am their resident hippie. However, in my eyes, I don’t even scratch the surface of what this could entail; my dabbling in probiotics and essential oils hardly makes me a hippie. I have friends who grind their own wheat for crying out loud! But after the birth of my first son, I admittedly took off my stilettos and dipped my toes into the cool and fascinating pool of holistic living, and I’ve been wading in deeper and deeper ever since. Short of an extreme health crisis, I’m not sure anyone jumps into the deep end all at once and so my hope is to encourage those who are making small steps towards holistic health to continue to do so. I know the information out there can be entirely overwhelming.

I consider myself a “hippie in heels.” Long, flowing skirts and an occasional flower in my hair doesn’t mean I don’t like to rock some skinny jeans and wedges as well. We don’t have to fit into a box when it comes to fashion, so why do we feel like healthy living has to be all or nothing? There are so many ways of doing things and so many different opinions out there that you have to make choices that fit your family’s needs and your budget! Below are some examples of what some might consider hypocrisy, but oh well—it works for me.

I used a midwife when I was pregnant with my sons, but she delivered them both at the hospital. I’m a big fan of peppermint oil for headaches and papaya enzymes for heartburn, but if I have PMS I’m reaching for a Pamprin because girlfriend doesn’t mess around. My oldest son loves kale chips and seaweed as snacks but if you ask him his favorite food, he will flat out tell you “sugar” (much to the amusement of my mom and sisters). One day I can spend hours making bone broth and be very intentional about making our smoothies greener than normal, and the next I could be totally exhausted and dialing for pizza.

…I admittedly took off my stilettos and dipped my toes into the cool and fascinating pool of holistic living, and I’ve been wading in deeper and deeper ever since.

Some choices are also gradual ones. For instance, I read bad things about the microwave but wasn’t totally ready to get rid of it. As a baby step, I moved it into the laundry room so I’d have to think twice before using it. When I learned about all the yucky stuff in our water, I bought a Brita but eventually was able to save and upgrade to a Berkey. When I learned about the dangers of chemicals in our toothpaste, shampoo, and household cleaners, I couldn’t afford to replace everything with organic, but I made a few homemade options while I gradually transitioned to better brands.

My point is this: even small changes are good changes. I don’t know anyone who has the money to spend or the time to learn how to completely change everything to be completely healthy all at once. I’d love to have my own organic garden, and heck, maybe even grind my own wheat one day! In the meantime, I’ll make as many healthy choices as I can and try not to obsess about the rest. Be gracious towards yourself and others who may not know what you know yet or maybe know a lot more and can be pushy about the thing they think is best. The journey towards better health is a long one with lots of information and discovery along the way!

—
You’ll also like 5 Everyday Essential Oils for Beginners, Healthy Snacks for the Work Day, Grit and Grace in Hot Pink Spandex, 5 Easy Ways to Maintain Your Health, and The Best Way to Clean Fruits and Vegetables
#gritandgracelife