Sunday Musings | Going Green, Why?
Today I thought I would talk about a topic that I have become very passionate about recently, Going Green. If you read my blog regularly you would have seen me toying with this subject in my most recent posts, and I thought it was important I explain to you guys properly what I mean by this.
In short, Going Green, means I will be focusing on a healthier, plant based lifestyle – not just in terms of what I eat, but right across the board.
Where did this notion come from and why now?
A good few years ago, my friend Anthony came to stay with me in Mallorca. In this time, he introduced me to yoga, meditation and juicing, as well as the concept of a raw, vegan diet. He had such a positive impact on me during that time, it is still to this day one of the most important experiences I have had. I took elements of what he taught me and started to introduce them to my daily life. I kept this up for a few months, but then in typical Zoe style, I soon went back to eating boxes of twenty chicken nuggets, doing zero exercise and really not looking after my body. I felt ill, suffered from migraines and had no energy. My skin looked dull and my eyes had lost their sparkle.
How did I get back on track?
Again, this is all down to Anthony. Last year he started to simply write little comments underneath my Facebook photos if I were to post something unhealthy to my page. It was clear he was watching over me and he could see that I had pushed aside what he taught me all that time ago in Mallorca. Giving me book recommendations, sending me YouTube links and showing me a great deal of patience he plowed a lot of his energy into showing me the importance of looking after ourselves.
So, back to what Going Green means to me.
It means that I will be eating a solely plant based diet. I have been vegetarian for a year but this year I plan to cut out all dairy – not just milk. Eggs too. I will be learning how to have a raw, vegan diet.
It means I will be exercising every single day. Be it skipping, yoga, going for a walk.
Meditation and Mindfulness. These two things have much a part to play in Going Green as does my diet.
Expanding my knowledge plays a huge part in this change. I want to add to my book collection, books that will be of importance to me, not just because they are on the best seller list. Topics such as medicinal herbs, naturopathy and self healing all fascinate me. If I don’t start reading them now, then when?
How does this relate to my Beauty Blog?
Two words: Bad ingredients. In our make-up bags, sat on our bathroom cabinet shelves or even on your dressing room table, I bet you would be surprised to see just how many toxic chemicals are having a party. Remember your skin is your biggest and most vital organ, what we put onto our skin gets absorbed into our bloodstream and becomes a part of us. Do you really want all those nasties inside you?
From now on, I will be introducing more organic and natural products to this blog. Expect to see posts including brands that you may never have heard of before, or just simply DIY Natural recipes. I will be visiting and reviewing vegan cafes and restaurants. Attending yoga classes and reporting back on my experience, and of course sharing with you my latest favourite juice recipe.
This is a learning curve for me, yes I will still use my MAC Eyebrow Pencil in Fling, but the day I find a suitable alternative, I will say bye bye to my dear friend. Over these next few months I will be clearing out my cupboards and boxes and getting rid of anything that is not green friendly. I have already replaced my food cupboards with Kilner jars full of seeds, pulses and nuts. Stashed away are my vegan superfood supplements. Even my cleaning cupboard has had a make over and in there is only plant based products and essential oils.
Just to make it clear, I am not going exclusively green immediately as this would not be a true reflection of where I am on this journey right now, see it as me embracing mother nature. Financially I cannot afford to switch every single product in my make-up bag to something organic, and I am still new to all of this, I wouldn’t have a clue where to start in picking up all these new organic make-up products.
So…
If you want to learn more about the importance of plant based, vegan diets, juicing or simply just being the best version of yourself, please check out my friend Anthony and his girlfriend Gina’s page: Rainbow City. These guys are truly inspirational and I have so much love for them, I know they would appreciate you stopping by.
Another person, who has been giving me constant wonderful advise, is Amber. Amber is a green blogger and she runs the #GreenChat over on Twitter, Sundays at 8pm. I stumbled across her blog randomly on Bloglovin’ one day and I sent her an email asking for her advice on ingredients, brands and more. She is so knowledgeable and more importantly, she is happy to help. So thank you Amber and I am sorry for being such a pest. Check Amber’s blog out here.
I am so excited to see where this new out look takes me and my blog. I am just going to take each day as it comes and I hope you guys will enjoy watching this blog grow, slowly but surely getting greener along the way.
12 Comments
Emilia Rachael
I do mindfulness as part of my CBT therapy for anxiety and depression – it’s so incredible and has helped me so much!
Zoe Newlove
I had CBT for PTSD, Mindfulness definitely helped me lovely. Good luck with your therapy, it did me the world of good.
Lily Lowe
I really admire your outlook and it has really got me thinking! I definitely feel low in energy lately and have been having so many headaches so I’m thinking it’s about time I began a healthier lifestyle. Thank you for the inspiration and good luck in going green!
Lily x
http://www.lilyroselo.blogspot.co.uk
Zoe Newlove
Thank you Lily. Drinking plenty of water and cutting out refined sugar helped with my headaches, I rarely get them now unless I have spent an entire day in front of a laptop. Thanks for such a lovely comment x x
Lily Lowe
I have really noticed a difference with cutting out the sugar and drinking and exercising more often! Thank you for the advice! x x
Tania
So excited to come across your blog and can’t wait to see your journey ahead and everything you’ll discover 🙂 Tania x
Bow Tied Beauty
Zoe Newlove
Thank you so much Tania!! I am excited!!
Fee
Loved your enthusiasm in this post, it really seems you are taking it seriously and are so motivated to do it! Really great to see.
I don’t think I could ever do this but I’m sure your juice recipes and DIY beauty/bodycare posts will get me trying new things out.
I spotted a book in Tesco just yesterday called Nourish that I think you’d love… amazing pics with chapters on vegan recipes, general wellbeing and yoga.
Fee x
Zoe Newlove
Ahhh Fee, thank you so much for this comment. I will have to check that book out, sounds like it is right up my street. Hope you had a lovely weekend. x x
Arielle
Good for you! I switched to natural products and a mostly clean diet last year. I also use herbs and essential oils as medicine now! It will make you feel fantastic 🙂 good luck with everything! I recommend reading No More Dirty Looks to start on a clean beauty regimen. I also have lots of info on my blog.
Zoe Newlove
I had such a bad cough, for 8 weeks, and refused to take normal “pills”. Drinking lemon water, eating honey and gargling salt water helped it clear up in no time. I will definitely check that book out, thank you! x x
Amber
Thank you so much for including my blog in this post! I’m always here to help and offer you advice. Will e-mail you now details of some website where you can get great budget friendly brands. xx