How Clutter Impacts Weight
Updated: Aug 31, 2020
We are exposed to potentially 60,000 chemicals from the environment and food on a daily basis. Roughly 400 of them circulate our homes regularly. Add to this, biological pollutants like dust mites or mold and we have a hefty bio-cocktail that keeps us sick and retaining weight, for which we take drugs to combat symptoms, adding more toxins to the mix. Remember, what the body cannot process it leaves. There are may foreign things that our bodies are combating all day that trigger allergies, colds and other health challenges, and some of these things are winning.
Clutter Weighs on You
Transforming from inside out means more than what we eat. It is also how we live! Cleaning the physical body inside and out can encourage a desire for a clearer living space that reflects us. Your physical environment is just as important to your mental and physical health as the foods you consume. Are your spaces cluttered at home and/or work? Is your bedroom, dining room table, work desk or other living /work areas unorganized and cluttered? Does a stack of papers, laundry and other mental noise meet you at the door? These things not only make the space unwelcoming and trap pollutants, but can signal lack of prioritization, fear, slothfulness, uncertainty, depression, stress and procrastination which can lead to weight gain and stagnation. Feeling less than motivated to be active because you can’t find things in the clutter can make you feel overwhelmed and frustrated.
The Greek word for transformation refers to a change on the inside that works its way out. Good or bad, whatever is on the inside will come out, not only in your physical body, but in how you care for the spaces in which you live and work. Pinpoint why your space is cluttered and begin working from there. There is a “why” to everything. Most times it is simply a matter self-prioritizing, creating values and following through with priorities. In addition to asking why, ask when and how you will move forward from this point.
Scan your area right now Does it feel inviting, comfortable, clean and invigorating? Does it feel confusing, disjointed and uncomfortable? Your mental space is not just in your head, but includes your home and every space you occupy. Your space does not have to be immaculately designed but it can be sanitary and clutter free. Work at keeping it clear so your thoughts can flow freely. When you clear the place, you’ll create a livable space.
3 Easy Air Cleaning Tips
Vinegar and water air cleaner – toxins find their way into the body and home everyday through airborne pathogens. Most of them we can’t see or smell. If you’re prone to allergies, colds and flu, you may need to clear the air in your living space.
Plants – simple and natural air cleaners.
Fresh air – open winds and doors frequently for a fresh flow of air. As the air quality inside is often worse than the air outside because there is not flow of air to push things out.
3 Steps to De-Clutter
I am a minimalist who has learned to live more with less stuff. Simply put, the less you have, the better your place “feels,” the more things fit and the less organizing and cleaning you need to do. Here are three simple steps toward de-clutting.
Every thing needs its own space – A place for everything and everything in its place, as they say. If an item does not have a special place where it belongs, be it a shelf, or cabinet, then create one.
One is enough most times – no duplicates. Do you really need four pizza cutters with different handles? If the function is the same, keep the one you like or use the most and donate or sell the others. This does not work for everything, but use this tactic when possible.
Use or lose – you’ve heard this phrase before. Go though your closest, cabinets, baskets and pull out items that you don’t use, need or have fallen out of love with. This makes space for the other stuff that’s floating homeless around your house.
The final word on clutter is don’t let it weigh you down – mentally, spiritually or physically. Put yourself back on the priority list and on the road to healthier, happier, clutter-free you! Now that you’ve found that other gym show, you can start exercising again!
VKNOX is a holistic nutrition wellness practitioner, behavior change specialist, fitness nutrition educator, lifestyle transformation coach and author. She is the creator of the R.A.W. Lifestyle System.