the conscious decision blog
4 Natural Beauty Rituals for Holistic Health
Life can feel like a juggling act, but this is no reason to ignore the need for self-care. Nurturing our body and spirit is an essential part of life. Without self-care our energy becomes imbalanced and our ability to perform daily tasks with health and happiness wavers. Fortunately, taking a bit of time for holistic health and beauty can be easy. Try these simple ideas for natural beauty rituals to enhance your daily care inside and out.Soothing Self-MassageThe physical body holds much of our emotional tension. After your daily shower show the body love by giving yourself a soothing self-massage. Use an essential oil infused lotion or body oil to moisturize your body while massaging. Start with the neck and shoulders working your way down to the hips, legs, thighs and feet. Breathe in the aromatic benefits while your body releases tension. This is the perfect way to start or end every day. Weekly Soft SoakA warm bath does wonders for holistic health. Laying down surrounded by warm water is an incredibly soothing natural beauty ritual. Baths also detoxify skin and relax muscles. Make a weekly ritual of preparing a special soft soak to enhance bath time. Light a clean burning candle near the tub. Dilute 5 drops of rose or lavender essential oil to 1 tablespoon almond or jojoba oil, and add the mixture to your bath water. You can also add a hand full of fresh rose petals. Detoxifying ExfoliationThe skin is the body’s largest organ so it is important to keep it healthy and toxin-free. Weekly exfoliation helps increase circulation, releases toxins, and encourages cell regeneration. For a simple body scrub blend finely ground sea salt, jojoba or almond oil, and a few drops of lavender essential oil, and scrub. Sea salt contains trace minerals that rejuvenate skin. Post-scrub make sure to drink a lot of water to flush out toxins. 10 Minute Meditative MaskFor an ultimate natural skin care ritual, combine your beauty routine and meditation practice. Choose to be mindful while waiting for your nails to dry, using a deep hair treatment, or wearing a face mask. Keep it simple. Try a manuka honey mask. Use a tablespoon of manuka honey, warm it up in the palm of your hand, and spread it on your face. Set your timer for 10-15 minutes, call attention to your breathing, and observe any thoughts that arise. Return to your breathing and continue to observe. When your timer goes off gently rinse with warm water. Enjoy these natural beauty rituals for holistic health. We would love to hear the ways you beautify inside and out.
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5 Tips for Eco-Friendly Camping
An estimated 40 million people go camping each year in the United States. The scenic views, inspiring hikes and starry skies help us de-stress and reconnect with nature. Nature provides us with many benefits so it important that we give back and protect the environment. Enjoy 5 simple tips for more eco-friendly camping adventures: 1. Reusable Kitchenware - Pick up eco-friendly, unbreakable plates, cups, cutlery, washable dish towels and cloth napkins. Avoid disposable versions that leave behind excessive waste. 2. Used Gear - Choose used gear or rented camping gears or equiptment for a lighter carbon footprint. If you prefer a new sleep bag, try an eco-friendly camping gear option made out of recycled materials.3. Clean Soap - Remember to wash you dishes with natural, biodegradable soap. Harsh detergents will introduce toxins into to the environment. Waste water should emptied into dry ground, or as directed by the camping facility, and never into a stream or river. 4. Sustainable Sunscreen and Bug Spray - Keep your visit to nature chemical-free by using organic sunscreen and natural body bug repellent. Chemical sunscreens and bug sprays are toxic to the human body and to our precious environment. 5. Minimal Electricity - Leave electronics behind to connect deeper with nature and reduce energy usage. For flashlights and cameras use rechargeable batteries or bring along a solar charger. Keep your emergency cell phone powered up and stick to the essentials. 6. Bulk Water - Steer clear of plastic water bottles and choose sustainable camping gear instead. Bring along a BPA-free collapsible water container or gallon water jugs and refillable water bottles. Plastic water bottles create excess waste that can harm the environment and wildlife. Eco-friendly camping takes preparation and planning but it makes for a more enjoyable experience. Leave nature the way you found it and enjoy!!
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The Four Best Essential Oils for Weight Loss
Summer is just around the corner and we can’t wait to head to the beach, plan outdoor workouts and have a few poolside cocktails (organic, of course). It is time to leave the sweatpants and hoodies behind and get ready for trail running and rooftop yoga. But before you get overwhelmed by the pressure to slim down and tone up for Summer try a few tips from nature help boost your transformation. Essential oils have been used in traditional medicine for mind/body wellness for thousands of years and they are fun and easy to use. Here are the four best essential oils that help with weight loss. Grapefruit Essential Oil:Zesty, bright and citrusy the aroma of grapefruit essential oil is said to work as an appetite suppressant, increase energy and inspire endurance. How to use it?Diffuse grapefruit essential oil in a steam diffuser during your morning workout for an extra boost. You can also add a few drops of grapefruit essential oil to your favorite carrier oil and massage onto troubled spots, while inhaling the benefits. Peppermint Essential Oil:Another essential oil that helps lose weight is peppermint. The aroma is super fresh, herbaceous and of course, minty! Simultaneously energizing and soothing the aromatic benefits are said to reduce appetite and heighten alertness. It is also known to calm and elevate moods. How to use it? Diffuse in the morning while getting ready for work, or before a weekend hike to inspire focus and a balanced mood. Try diffusing in a low temp USB diffuser in the car or at work to distract the senses and avoid over-snacking! Cinnamon Essential Oil:Cinnamon is wonderfully familiar aroma with its earthy, spicy attributes. In aromatherapy it is said to encourage self-confidence and emotional balance. Cinnamon has also been shown to suppress appetite.How to use it?Dilute use 2-3 drops of essential oil with a teaspoon of carrier oil and add to bath, relax and breathe in the benefits. Or diffuse in a steam diffuser throughout the day to distract the senses. Bergamot Essential Oil:Bergamot essential oil is similar to zesty grapefruit with more warm, floral notes. In aromatherapy it is known to have a deep grounding and centering effect. The aroma is also known to have an invigorating and motivating effect. How to use it? Dilute with carrier oil and add to bath, or use as a massage oil. For the aromatic benefits diffuse at home or work to support mood and balance. The deep grounding effect makes it perfect for meditation, or yoga. We hope you enjoy these tips from nature. Let us know if you have any weight loss tips to share and how these tips work for you!
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Earth Day Week Challenge
Let us plant a tree for you in honor of Earth Day! This week we will plant 1 tree for every dollar spent on erbaviva.com through Trees for the Future. Plus join us in the #BLocalLA 5 Day Earth Day Challenge! Earth Day was started on April 22, 1970. Million of people marched and rallied to bring awareness to the massive ecological problems facing the United States. Today, Earth Day is more important than ever. Every person on the planet is a witness to the mounting environmental issues. This year Erbaviva is joining B Local Los Angeles, a partnership of B Corporations in Los Angeles, for a week long celebration of Earth Day filled with sustainable activities. We hope everyone will join us this week, try our Earth Day challenge ideas, and make a Conscious Decision to be more aware of our carbon footprint and impact on our world. Meatless Monday It takes a lot of water to raise livestock. Approximately 1,850 gallons of water is needed to produce a single pound of beef. While, producing a pound of vegetables only takes 39 gallons of water. Studies also show that meat production creates significantly more greenhouse gas than vegetables, including Methane and Nitrous Oxide. Show your dedication by going vegetarian for the day! Try this delicious recipe for Organic Chickpea Salad - protein rich, vegetarian, and tasty! Transportation Tuesday Transportation is a major contributor in global climate change. It accounts for almost 23% of the world’s total carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuel combustion. As part of the Earth Day challenge, show your dedication by carpooling, walking, biking or using public transportation for the day! Water Wednesday Our global water supply is becoming more of an issue every day. Two thirds of the world’s largest aquifers have passed their sustainability tipping points. The situation is critical. To show our environmental support we are participating in the #4literchallenge for Water Wednesday. Participants will only use 4 liters of water for the day, including: shower, cooking and drinking water. Reuse Thursday Finding creative ways repurpose, reuse and upcycle old things saves money, helps the environment, and is aesthetically on-trend. This Thursday we encourage everyone to come up with innovative ways to reuse items around the home and office. Comment below to share your ideas with us! The celebration’s grand finale will occur on Earth Day, April 22nd. We encourage everyone to find a local charity or Earth Day rally on this final celebration day! Make sure to tag all your efforts with #BLocalLA! On April 22nd, B Local Los Angeles is partnering with Enrich LA and Do Good Bus to bring a garden to Kingsley Elementary in East Hollywood. With a student body that is largely low-income, the children can learn the benefits of planting their own garden and contributing to a more sustainable way of life. We hope the collective efforts of Abacus Wealth Partners, Align Impact, B Lab, Beautycounter, Dogeared, Falcon Waterfree Technologies, MaCher, Mark Leibowitz Photography, Place of the Future and Sustainable Law Group can amplify our community impact and use our businesses as a force for good.About B Corporations: B Lab is a nonprofit organization that assists a global movement of people using business as a force for good. Individually, B Corps meet the highest standards of verified social and environmental performance, public transparency, legal accountability, and aspire to use the influence of markets to solve social and environmental problems. Through the power of their collective voice, one day all companies will compete to be best for the world, and society will enjoy a more shared and durable prosperity for all.
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Interview with Amie Valpone | Author of Eating Clean
Amie Valpone, Writer, Culinary Nutritionist and Celebrity Chef, has written a new book ‘Eating Clean: The 21 Day Plan to Detox, Fight Inflammation, and Reset Your Body’. Eating Clean tells Amie’s story from chronic illness to empowered health. It contains helpful clean eating tips and 200 delicious recipes that are vegetarian and free of gluten, dairy, soy, corn, eggs, and refined sugar. Read this interview to learn more about Conscious Living with Amie Valpone! What inspired you to write Eating Clean: The 21-Day plan to Detox, Fight Inflammation and Reset your Body?I want to show you that eating clean and living clean feels amazing. Not because you should do it, but because once you see life this way, you’ll never go back. There’s not an inflammatory white bagel or piece of candy in the world that I’d eat to give up for as good as I feel right now. When you figure out what works for you and makes you feel amazing, why wouldn’t you do that every day? Don’t you do what makes you feel good? Eating Clean steps the reader through your personal journey from sickness to health. Is there a piece of advice that may empower readers to take a similar journey?Getting healthy (and staying healthy) may take some serious shifts in your daily habits, but don’t worry about revamping your lifestyle overnight. These changes take time. Start when you feel ready and take a deep breath. My “aha” moment was getting chronically ill, but you don’t need to go through something that dramatic. Funny thing is that before I got sick, I cooked my own meals, brought my lunch to work, and never ate fast food. I thought I was eating healthy, but I had no idea how toxic seemingly healthy food could be. The fact is that nothing changed until I started to change my food, my environment and my lifestyle, which is what is outlined in this book with a huge section on how to detox your food, home, personal care products and beauty products. If more people understood what an important role they plan in their own healthy, they could change the quality of their life forever. I’m living proof.Your book provides a 21-Day Plan to Detox one’s life from food to personal care to household cleaners. Why do you think this holistic view is important?I never realized our personal care products (everything from our chapstick to our sunscreen to our body lotion, shampoo and conditioner) were lurking with chemicals and parabens. Why didn’t anyone tell me about this? Why wasn’t I taught this growing up? Why wasn’t anyone looking out for me? I was so sad when I discovered this. My parents didn’t even know about this. I had to educate them. Our skin is our biggest organ so anything we put on our skin gets absorbed into our bloodstream- once I cleaned up my personal care products- everything from my deodorant to my makeup- my liver enzymes started to normalize because I was lessening the body burden of toxins that were bombarding my body on a daily basis. It was fascinating.As a nutritionist what would you recommend as quick and healthy dinner option for those just getting started on a healthier track?I love the Millet Tacos recipe from my cookbook. It’s my favorite…it’s actually a breakfast recipe in my book but it’s just as good for dinner! Did you come across any new healthy discoveries while writing Eating Clean?The importance of balance. I was a work work work kinda-gal for many years and starting my own business I had to learn work life balance and that the most successful people in the world are those who have balance. It’s not about working all day to succeed. It’s about finding a balance that works for you and not worrying about what anyone else is doing. It’s about finding happiness within yourself. That’s what I found through writing this book. This book isn’t about me….it’s about my message to help as many people as I can. I truly hope this book changes lives. I’m ready to hand over the keys to someone else to help them navigate their life so they don’t have go through the suffering, trauma and exhaustion of chronic illness I went through for 10 very painful and expensive years trying to figure out how to be healthy in a real way.
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Eco Style: Spring Cleaning
In many homes Spring cleaning is an annual ritual - a time to spark a renewed appreciation for our living space. In addition to general cleansing, reorganizing and decluttering we can make the #conscious decision to be be more eco-friendly this Spring. Here are a few of our favorite sustainable, eco-friendly spring cleaning tips. Decorate Using Sustainable and Recycled Materials When buying new pieces to spruce up your living space seek out rapidly renewing materials like bamboo or cork. Re-fabricated glass and metal make beautiful rustic shelves and room accents. When purchasing wood items look for sustainable wood from forests that are growing faster than they are being harvested. Choosing wood that is certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is the best way to verify that your wood is from a properly managed forest. Reduce Paper Towel Consumption Approximately 20 trees and 20,000 gallons of water are used when making 1 ton of paper towels. Using cloth napkins and dish towels to save these precious resources is another great sustainable spring cleaning tip. Re-purposing old cloth is even more sustainable. Try using old T-shirts, table cloths or sheets, cut them into sections, and stack them nicely under the cabinet. Steer Clear of Chemical FragranceMost “fragrances” are synthetic chemical cocktails that are toxic to pets, people and the environment. Keep your home smelling fresh naturally. Try creating a homemade potpourri from fresh herbs, fruit and spices. Or use Organic essential oils to diffuse clean, botanical aromas in a diffuser. Declutter and Give with FreeCycle.OrgFreeCycle.Org is a nonprofit movement of people who want to keep good stuff out of landfills. Membership is free. You can look for goods in your town, or giveaway items that you want to pay forward. Repurpose with PurposeBefore heading to the furniture store consider repurposing. When you reuse items it means less logging, mining and manufacturing. Items made from natural materials like glass, wood or bamboo can easily be given a second life. Check out this great DIY Salvage Makeovers article on Sunset.com.
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4 Tips for Creating a Natural, Eco Space for Baby
Baby is on the way and it is time to nest. more moms are making the #conscious decision to create a natural, eco-friendly baby nursery. Style, sustainability, safety and function need to strike a perfect balance. here are a few tips to achieving this nesting dream and designing a sustainable nursery. Style | Choose soothing, tranquil colors that make the room feel spacious and uplifting. Refreshing colors amplify natural light and decrease the need for electric light. To find the right color scheme consider creating your own mood board using magazine clippings and photos, or use a pinterest board. This will help you visualize a clear aesthetic. Safety | When painting baby’s nursery use a low-VOC (volatile organic compounds) paint and ventilate for a couple weeks before baby comes home. When shopping for baby's mattress look for organic cotton, wool blends that are naturally non-toxic, and fire retardant. Sustainability | Eco nursery furniture options are readily available. Reclaimed wood dressers and shelves add a rustic flare to modern rooms. Most major retail outlets, and local baby boutiques, now offer beautiful cribs made from FSC certified wood, finished with a low-VOC, water-based stain. Sustainable bamboo flooring, furniture and fixtures also make stylish, eco-friendly room accents. Function | Consider a sound dock to play soothing tunes. Install energy saving lamps and light bulbs. Make sure the lighting is flexible so you can go from bright light to soft light. Stock shelves with cloth or biodegradable diapers, organic clothes, blankets, sheets and non-toxic toys. But remember that key to a functional nursery is to keep it simple, the less clutter the better. caregiver and baby will love spending time in this natural, modern, eco-friendly baby nursery. Happy nesting!
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5 Tips to Rev Up Your Sex Drive for Valentine’s Day and Beyond
Sex is invigorating, enlivening and strengthens relationships. Yet, as Valentine’s Day approaches the pressure to create a romantic evening can feel forced. But don’t let the pressure build up! Having a reason for romance can be tons of fun. Here are a few simple tips on how to improve your sex drive on Valentine’s Day and beyond.REST UP | Take a nap. Feeling rested is proven to enhance sex drives. And the benefits create a positive cycle. Rest improves sex and sex improves rest!DRESS UP | Try dressing the part. Wear what makes you feel your best. Dressing in a costume for your partner can be fun but it is more important to select something that makes you feel comfortable and confident. When you feel turned on your partner feels turned on. ACTIVATE | Do something for yourself. Pamper you body by getting a massage or mani pedi. Or hit the gym. Even if you're not going to lose 10 pounds by Valentine’s Day you'll feel better knowing you did something to jump start the journey. SPARK THE SENSES | Create an aromatic environment. Essential oils are proven to enhance the senses and trigger your brain and body to get its groove back. The smell from the oil stimulates the pituitary gland which controls your hormones and indirectly affects your sex drive. These effects are featured in detail in the Kamasutra, the ancient sexual bible. Three essentials oils that can work their magic on your mind and body are : rose, jasmine and ylang ylang. Click here for special offers on aromatherapy products + free organic samples. FANTASIZE | Envision the intimate things you would love to do with your significant other. Having a clear mental image can help you create the right type of mood. You don't have to act out every fantasy but imaginative ideas can increase your sex drive and stimulate motivation. Happy Love Day ! Every day is an opportunity to make your life better. #conscious decision
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5 Toxic Baby Care Ingredients to Avoid
There is a reason why the organic baby care trend has taken off. No parent want to use toxic baby products on their precious little one. The EPA has acknowledged that babies and children are 10 times more vulnerable to carcinogenic chemicals than adults. This has well-informed caregivers reading the labels before purchasing personal care products for their children. The next time you need to decipher an ingredient label here is a quick list of harmful skin care ingredients to avoid for your entire family. 1. Fragrance or Parfum | Manufactures can legally hide synthetic chemicals as “trade secrets”. Fragrance mixes have been associated with allergies, dermatitis, respiratory distress, and more. 2. 1,4-dioxane | A low cost manufacturing process called ethoxylstion generates 1,4-dioxane as a by-product. To avoid this chemical stay away from PEGs, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) and Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES) often found in body wash and lotion. 3. Formaldehyde | 1 in 5 cosmetic products contain ingredients that generate formaldehyde. But the label will keep it hidden. Avoid these formaldehyde related chemicals: DMDM hydantoin, imidazolidinyl urea, diazolidinyl urea, quaternium-15, bronopol, 1,3-dioxane, and hydroxymethylglycinate. 4. Petroleum/Mineral Oil | 40 percent of all baby lotions and oils contain mineral oil - made from petroleum aka crude oil. Petroleum products slow the skin’s ability to release toxins and reduces normal cell development.CLICK HERE for FREE Organic Diaper Cream samples. 5. Parabens | Even low doses of parabens have been associated with organ and developmental problems. Steer clear of all parabens including methylparabens, ethylparabens, propylparabens, isopropylparabens. When making a conscious decision about children's personal care products many parents prefer pure, organic, botanical ingredients that benefit baby and the environment. We hope now you know what harmful chemicals to avoid in baby products.
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