This month, I’ll be turning 65 and it was a good reminder for me to schedule my annual physical and routine exams. As you age, you realize even more how important diet, exercise and annual checkups can be. With cancer and heart disease being much more prevalent as you get older, it only makes sense to do everything you can to prevent it.
I not only stay on top of my health for myself, but also for my family. We all want to stay healthy for our families, right? We want to be around longer, not be dependent on our families to care for us, and want to remain active so we can “keep up” with them. But I want to encourage my family to be healthy for themselves, too. Like all parents and grandparents, I want to be an example for them, and help guide them in making healthy choices in their own lives.
It’s a Generational Thing
When you become a mom, you seek out advice from your mom. You end up using the same parenting strategies that she used, as a result of her advice. We also develop a lot of unhealthy habits from the way we were raised. I grew up on fried foods and second helpings because cooking and baking goodies was my mom’s way of showing love.
There are also products that can go from generation to generation through a family. There are products that my grandmother used and raised my mother on that were passed down to me and then passed down to my children. I never really questioned these products because they were, in a way, a family tradition. You tend to just go along with what you’re used to, but that’s not always a healthy way of life.
Some Traditions are Meant to be Broken
At some point, a generation needs to break the cycle of passing down unhealthy habits and choices. I wanted that to be me for my family. So, when my children were small, I joined a company that proclaimed to offer wellness products that were safer for your body and environment. They were one of the first companies to offer such products, so without much hesitation, I began using their products religiously and felt I was doing the right thing for my family.
To this day, I have raised my kids and grandkids on these products. Although, it is still a great company, I’ve found that throughout their years of growth, they’ve introduced products with some of the chemicals that are on this Never List that was recently introduced to me. I now realize that it’s my job to research the ingredients on everything that me and my family put in or on our bodies.
It’s Never too Late
No matter how old you are or how long you’ve been stuck in a routine, it’s never too late to make a change in your life. Be your own advocate! Don’t blindly trust brands that claim to be all natural and safe. Educate yourself so you know what ingredients are harmful and be diligent about checking for them. Even the FDA does not always protect you against harmful chemicals.
Be your family’s advocate, too, and start a new family tradition by informing them about the importance of using safer products in their homes. I not only want to use safer products for me and my health, but I want these products to be passed on to my children’s children, their children, and so on.
Beautycounter is one way I have found to help me achieve my goals of getting safer products in my home and in the lives of my loved ones. Their Never List of harmful ingredients is a great guide to avoiding exposure to harmful chemicals that are commonly found in personal products. Their products, along with other health conscious habits and choices are helping me feel good, prevent health issues, and be the best I can be for my family. So, 65, here I come!
