Spring Clean Your Life in London ON

As a little girl, I can remember my gramma telling me how spring cleaning the house she grew up in was a grand event. The windows were stripped of their curtains and hung out to blow in the fresh air, carpets were beaten with a stick to shake the dust from them, floors were scrubbed, all surfaces were dusted and washed, and the walls were whitewashed in the latest pastel colors. The whole house would have a fresher, lighter, brighter feel. As a business owner and chiropractor in London, ON, I struggle to find the time to wash my floors once a week let alone scrub my house from ceiling to floor! These days, "spring cleaning" for me usually means cleaning up my life - the behaviors, habits, and routines that could use a good dusting off - rather than my home. If you, too, want a brighter perspective on your life, consider freshening up in these areas:

---

What To Spring Clean This Year In London

1. Clean Out The Interference In Your Nervous System:

Your brain controls every cell in your body by way of sending electrically charged messages through your spinal nerves. Your nervous system is responsible for coordinating and controlling everything you do whether it is conscious or unconscious. Restoring and maintaining the proper function of the nervous system through spinal correction is key.

Any interference in our nervous system disconnects our brain and body connection. When we are disconnected from the inside, it becomes more challenging to be healthy, to think clearly, to feel joyful, and express our true potential.

The more interference in our nervous system, the less we are able to adapt to the daily stressors of life. We may literally feel like our life force has been zapped away or even worse, we may be so disconnected that we can’t even tell how stressed our nervous system is.

2. Clean Out The interference In Your Nervous System With Regular Chiropractic Care.

Spring clean your mind. Your attitude, values, and beliefs dictate not only your mental function but also change your physiology and ultimately whether you express health or disease. Here are twelve ways to declutter or “clean up” your mind:

1. Accept what is
2. Be kind to yourself
3. Release your guilt and fears
4. Visualize what’s important to you
5. Allow yourself to be vulnerable
6. Try to find the good and be grateful
7. Find what makes you happy/optimistic
8. Stay away from negativity - of other people, news, music, movies, books, etc.
9. Serve others
10. Talk things out
11. Learn to say “no”
12. Let good enough be enough

3. Spring Clean Your Diet

Spring is the perfect time to clean up your diet to help you feel more energetic and healthy.  I’m not talking about detoxing, that’s a big and complicated topic which deserves its own blog, at the very least.

Spring cleaning your diet in London means getting back to basics with unprocessed foods, taking advantage of nutrient-packed seasonal fresh produce, drinking more water, cutting back on alcohol, and focusing on what to eat and drink that can move you towards health and can help energize you.  Here are four simple steps to get you started:

1. Clean up the sugar [1]
2. Clean up your fats by opting for smart fats [2]
3. Clean out the processed/packaged food [3]
4. Add lots of vegetables [4]

4. Spring Clean Your Exercise Routine

Your body is an astonishingly sophisticated and adaptable machine. It means that whatever you do with your body repetitively, your body will adapt to that movement and find a way to make it easier while expending less energy doing the same activity.

This is both a good thing - it’s why we can get better with practice, and a bad thing - it’s why the same workout may not yield the same training effect or calorie burn as it used to.

Spring is a good time to switch up your routine. Top London chiropractor provides some things to do to spring clean your exercise routine:

1. Find a partner. Exercise is often more fun with someone, or they can keep you accountable (remember the four tendencies)
2. Timing is everything. Change the number of times, amount of time, or the time of day you workout.
3. Sign up and try something new. Join a new class, learn a new sport, join a team, etc.
4. Enjoy the outdoors.
5. Change your entertainment. Change your playlist while working out, or change from listening to music to listening to podcasts, or try working out in total quietness.
6. Change your space. Go to the gym, workout outdoors, workout at home, try the pool, or the seat of a bike.
7. Do something that scares you. Try something that scares you a little, like maybe belly dancing or CrossFit. What you’ll find is you might like it, but even if you don’t you’ll find that once you’ve challenged yourself to do something you didn’t think possible, you’re more likely to push yourself in your regular workouts.

5. Spring Clean Your Air

Spring is in the air in London! Doesn’t it just make you want to take a deep breath? Spring is the perfect time to improve the quality of your breathing technique and improve the quality of your indoor air.

1. Deep breathing can help your mind, body, and soul feeling fresh, energized, and rejuvenated. There are a lot of good breathing apps for your android or iPhone that are free. Why not try one. [5][6]
2. House Plants - The air quality of our indoor spaces is poor. Toxins from furnishings, upholstery, building materials, and cleaning and personal care products seep into our air along with pollen, bacteria, and molds. Fortunately, there is a cost-effective, simple, and beautiful way to naturally purify our indoor air with the introduction of plants. NASA has called them, “nature’s life support system.” (Just make sure you keep the soil free from mold & cut off pollen-laden stamens if a plant is blooming.)

NASA has identified a list of 9 Air-Cleaning Plants that are almost impossible to kill. Fill your home or office with some of these and breathe in the freshness!

Essential oils - You can also purify your home or office by diffusing essential oils into the air. Or you can spray some into your car as a non-toxic air freshener.  There are a number of essential oils known to have anti-bacterial, anti-microbial properties that are especially good for purifying your air.  They are

• Melaleuca (tea tree)
• Pine
• Clove
• Eucalyptus
• Bitter orange

6. Green Clean Your House

You can find a zillion tips on how to declutter and spring clean your home from top to bottom online. I’m not going to give you any guidelines, here; however, I want you to consider using all-natural cleaning products for a truly “clean” house.

Walk down the cleaning aisle of your grocery store, and it can be overwhelming. There are many different cleaning products - something for every surface and space; they are expensive, and we can’t negate the “toxic” factor.

Many household cleaners contain volatile organic compounds or VOCs, such as formaldehyde and other harsh acids. Exposure to VOCs can lead to several symptoms including eye, nose and throat irritation; headaches; nausea; liver, kidney and central nervous system damage; loss of coordination, and more. Since some of these chemicals have even proven to be carcinogenic, it’s time to start cleaning green.

You can make your own cleaning products in London using all-natural ingredients, and you can also opt for cleaning cloths that are specially designed so you don’t have to use any cleaning products at all, only water. We use Ultimate Cloths at our office, but Enjo is another familiar brand of cleaning products that needs only water.

---

The Top Seven All-Natural Ingredients

Many of the ingredients recommended for cleaning green are already in the average kitchen.

1. White Vinegar - an astringent but safe antifungal that will kill germs and bacteria.
2. Baking Soda - works as a scouring powder and will eliminate odors.
3. Club Soda - works well as a stain remover and polisher.
4. Olive Oil - works as a furniture polish.
5. Lemon Juice - works as a non-toxic bleach alternative, a stain remover, and cuts through grease.
6. Hydrogen Peroxide - at 3% concentration, works a non-toxic bleach, stain remover, and disinfectant.
7. Essential Oils - can be added to any cleaning recipe for many reasons. They add a pleasant smell.  Some essential oils actually have antibacterial, antifungal, and insect repelling properties. Some of these include eucalyptus, peppermint, lemongrass, lavender, and green tea, just to name a few.

Essential Oils are best purchased from a knowledgeable provider since they can make recommendations and provide safety precautions.  Some essential oils are not recommended for use if you are pregnant.

Other essential oils can induce allergic or harmful reactions if ingested or put directly on the skin so it’s wise to consult with someone knowledgeable before including these in your cleaning recipes.

---

All-Natural Cleaning Product Recipes

• For Glass - ¼ cup of vinegar with 1 quart of water in a spray bottle
• Bathroom/Kitchen Tile & Countertops - Combine 2 parts vinegar and 1 part baking soda with 4 parts water. Apply with sponge, scour then wipe it away. Note that club soda works wonders on plumbing features.
• Floors - Mix 4 cups of white distilled vinegar with about a gallon of hot water. For a nice aroma consider adding a few drops of pure peppermint or lemon oil. The vinegar smell should dissipate quickly after damp mopping the floors and leave behind only the scent of the oil.
• Furniture Polish - Mix equal parts of lemon juice and olive oil. Apply a small amount to cloth then rub onto the furniture in long, even strokes.
• Mold & Mildew Cleaner - Just wipe with straight vinegar.
• Disinfectant - Mix 2 teaspoons of borax, 4 tablespoons of vinegar, 3 cups of hot water, and ¼ teaspoon of liquid castile soap. It can be wiped directly on surfaces with a dampened cloth or can be sprayed on and then wiped clean.

---

Spring clean your tech

I’m writing this blog from my laptop while the TV is on, I have lots of tabs opened to videos to watch during commercials and my smartphone is beside me so I can message my friends. It’s probably time for me to declutter and clean up my digital life so I can get more done with fewer distractions and have more time to relate in the real world.

• There are numerous ways you can simplify and declutter your digital devices.
  • Keep on top of your emails and file them, turn off Facebook notifications, and try saving Facebook posts you like, use digital post-it notes, organize your documents and pictures into folders on the cloud so you can access them from any device.
• Evaluate how you use it.
  • Try using an app like “Moments” that keeps track of the number of minutes you spend on your phone in a day.
• Set boundaries
• Email
  • Try to get your inbox to zero.
• Surfing the Web
  • Try One Tab for Chrome. Like I said before, I usually have lots of tabs open at once.
• Facebook
  • Turn off notifications.
  • Save Facebook posts you like.
• Google
  • Google Photos. Organize the photos on your phone to Google Photo and automatically synch your photos to the cloud. This way, you can delete any photos from your phone which will free up space and keep it from becoming sluggish.
• Use digital post-it notes.
  • Available for both Windows and MAC.
• Organize your documents into folders on your desktop. Tidy. Efficient.

---

Sources

• http://drhyman.com/blog/2014/03/08/5-reasons-need-detox-5-ways-detox-lose-weight-feel-great/
• https://www.lifehousechiropractic.ca/the-fats-of-life-by-dr-janna-house-chiropractor/
• http://www.eatthis.com/stop-eating-processed-foods
• https://www.lifehousechiropractic.ca/eat-more-veggies
• https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/breathe-daily-breathing-reminders/id976954751?ls=1&mt=8
• https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.fundriven.breath_ball&hl=en
• https://health.usnews.com/health-news/living-well-usn/slideshows/8-ways-to-become-an-optimist
• http://finefitday.com/2015/04/10-ways-to-spring-clean-your-fitness-routine.html
• https://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-5018/5-Reasons-Why-We-Should-Practice-Deep-Breathing.html
• https://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19930073077.pdf
• https://greatist.com/connect/houseplants-that-clean-air
• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1360273/
• https://draxe.com/tea-tree-oil-uses-benefits/
• https://draxe.com/pine-oil/
• https://draxe.com/clove-oil-uses-benefits/
• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14611892/
• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24163946
• https://sustainability.ncsu.edu/blog/changeyourstate/improve-home-air-quality/
• https://www.cleanmama.net/2015/01/ultimate-natural-cleaning-resource.html
• https://www.startamomblog.com/declutter-simplify-digital-life/