Health + Home

There’s just one way to radically change your behavior: radically change your environment.

—Dr. B.J. Fogg, Director of Stanford Persuasive Lab

What does a healthy home mean to you? Is your home supporting your health? My definition of a healthy home is one that supports your health in all aspects: Mental, emotional/spiritual and physical. Keep reading to discover how your home can be the game changer in all of these areas of your life!

Mental: Remember when we talked about getting rid of clutter and excess in your life so you can support your goals? That falls under the mental health category. We are inundated with STUFF we don’t need or want, and it’s causing us mental pain because we have to deal with the feelings of overwhelm associated with excess. Your home can be an automatic sigh of relief when you walk in the door instead of that chest tightening feeling of anxiety when you walk in to piled high counters, too full cupboards and toys in all the places. By a simple home detox (without buying anything!) and incorporating some systems in your home that you can fall back on when things get out of hand, you can contribute to your mental health every day.

Emotional/spiritual: Now this is one where you’re probably like, Amy, how can painting my walls contribute to my emotional + spiritual health, really?! A better question would be, how can your home support your relationships, both with yourself and with those you love? Maybe it’s getting rid of the uncomfortable furniture in your living room and getting enough seating for the whole family so you can watch movies together. Or adding in a game table so you can turn off the screens and connect in a different way through crafts or games. Or for yourself- you might need a space that’s just yours and off limits to the rest of the fam (a home office is great for this). Imagine having a haven right within your home where you can journal, pray, mediate or do whatever it is that fills your spiritual tank. Having spaces dedicated to your emotional/spiritual health priorities makes is so much easier to pour into these areas in your life. Consider it like having a built in support system always ready for you.

Physical: Your home can support you in taking care of your body! Do you have healthy eating goals? Then set up your kitchen accordingly- put the treats way up high and out of site (or remove them completely if that works better for you) and put your favorite healthy choices in easy reach, right in front of your face. Donate the kitchen gadgets you don’t need so you have space for the ones you actually use. Dedicate drawers in your fridge so when you’re kids want a snack you can direct them to “their drawer” full of their healthy faves. How can your home set up make your healthy body goals more attainable? How can you make this easier?

At the start of the pandemic, we quit our gym membership and wanted to start at home workouts. So, we dedicated a room in our basement to this. I have loved having this simple at home workout space more than I originally thought I would- it now saves me so much time and has made it much easier for me to actually follow through with the workout because I’ve eliminated a lot of steps: no packing a bag or extra shoes in the snow, no getting in the car at 5am, no having to drive back and forth and plan for that time, and if I want to sleep in the morning instead, I can grab a workout later at night when I’m back home if I want! For a busy working mom, at home workouts have been great for my consistency.

So for our home gym, we picked a piece of cardio equipment that we liked doing (for me it was a bike), added some weights and a mat and voila, at home workout space. The key to making this work for you is picking an activity that you actually like and want to do from home. I chose peloton because I love instructor led workouts (big fan of Ally Love!), I need different kinds of workout options and their app has that, and I like the feeling of community- even with an online platform. You might have a different need- maybe it’s just a space cleared in a guest bedroom where you can do yoga, or a place to do strength workouts or videos or dance with your kids! Think about how you like to move your body and what would support those needs in your home. If you still go to the gym most of the time or like to run outside, would it be helpful to have a place to keep your gym clothes + bag at the ready so it’s an easy visual motivator when you wake up?

Another thing to consider for your physical health is supporting your sleep. Does your bedroom contribute to the feeling of calm you need to relax and unwind at the end of the day? Do you like your pillow, does your bedding feel good and look good to you? Take a look at your bedside table- is it cluttered full of stuff that needs to go somewhere else? Set up your bedside table to support you! For me, it’s keeping my kindle there (I like to read before bed), my hatch alarm clock, a pretty lamp and essential oils. Design your bedroom with all of your senses in mind and incorporate those things that help you feel calm- things like a dimmer for lighting, an essential oil diffuser, lavender linen spray, inviting textures for your bed linens. Take care of any “piles” in your bedroom, because they feel like unfinished business and that’s not going to help when trying to sleep! Put away the clothes, clear the floor and you can instantly change the vibe of the room from overwhelming to zen.

Now that you’re ready to create a healthier home, feel free to reach out and send me a DM or email with your progress. I’d love to see what you’re up to!

If you need more help with any of these areas, hit me up and schedule your one on one design power session where we can tackle this together! ~Amy