New Year Goals, Healthy Living Tips & My Vacation Schedule

Happy New Year! I hope this year is filled with health, balance, and joy for you and your loved ones. During the month of January, many of us are focused on making positive changes through New Year’s resolutions. I am here to provide my thoughts on continuing those resolutions throughout the year that will ultimately make you feel healthier, happier, and more grounded. At Balancing Harmony Within, I want to support you in maintaining those goals while keeping overall wellness at the forefront.

In this newsletter, I will also provide some ideas to reduce the chemical load that the body is exposed to every single day. It’s inevitable to interact with chemicals on a daily basis, but if you do what you can to reduce some exposure it’s much better than nothing at all!

I will be out of the office from February 24th- March 6th for my African Safari Honeymoon. I will have very limited cell service, if any, while away. I apologize in advance!! Please make sure to schedule your February appointments ahead of time as I’m filling up quickly especially for the week before I leave.

As always, thank you for your loyalty and putting trust in me to help you on your healing journey. Follow me on Instagram BalancingHarmonyWithin for any updates. I look forward to seeing you!

With gratitude, Brittany Moore

In our society, there’s a significant emphasis on setting New Year’s resolutions and striving to hit your goals throughout January. By the end of the month (if you’ve made it that far), many people find themselves tempted to do the exact opposite of their initial resolutions. Almost like a binge after feeling starved from something. This is perfectly normal—we're only human, and being extremely strict with one aspect of life isn’t always sustainable. I always try to keep my goals moderate and sustainable so that I can withstand for longer periods of time and then create habits out of it. It’s important to be adaptable with current life stressors, situations, and life events.

I encourage you to reassess your situation and be honest with yourself. If your goal was to have a dry January but you found it overly challenging, consider shifting to a more moderate approach. For instance, limit drinks to social events on the weekends instead of complete abstinence.

If your goal was to exercise every day but you’re now feeling exhausted and dreading the gym, try scaling back to 3-4 sessions a week and incorporate gentle at-home stretches or walks on your “off” days. On the flip side, if your January goal was easy to maintain, it might be time to set a new challenge.

Remember, we are constantly evolving, and our situations or lifestyles inevitably change too. It’s important to acknowledge and celebrate when you reach milestones within your goals. Set small, achievable goals that encourage a healthier lifestyle while not draining all your energy and fun in life. Reward yourself for your dedication with a relaxing massage, an acupuncture session, or a revitalizing facial.

We encounter chemicals daily, every small step to reduce exposure can make a significant difference. Some common things that we don’t realize have a lot of chemicals are laundry detergents, deodorants, air fresheners (including some candles!), and cookware/food storage. As always, do what you can for your individual life. We all have our own life stressors and situations, I’m not trying to add to those, but even being cognizant of the chemicals is a good first step. Here are some practical ideas to help reduce your chemical load:

1. Switch to Natural Cleaners: Opt for DIY solutions with ingredients like white vinegar, baking soda, and essential oils instead of chemical-heavy products. Many essential oils have anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, and anti-virus effects!

2. Clean Up Your Personal Care Routine: Look for shampoos, body washes, deodorants, and skincare products labeled paraben-free and free of fragrances. Deodorants are especially important because some of your lymph nodes are in the armpit. These chemicals are easily absorbed through the skin and transported throughout the body, which can have systemic effects. As for shampoo and conditioners, I use soap bars! These tend to have all natural ingredients, and no parabens, preservatives, fillers or silicones. I like the shampoo and conditioner bars from One Earth Body Care.

3. Choose Organic When Possible: Reducing pesticide exposure through organic produce can have significant benefits. I shop whenever possible at farm stands when the weather is better, but recently I’ve been getting my produce at Trader Joe’s and the organic prices aren’t too much more than the pesticide-free non organic options! Always wash your fruits and veggies well!!

4. Rethink Food Storage: Swap plastic containers for glass or stainless steel and avoid heating food in plastic to prevent chemical leaching.

5. Freshen Air Naturally: Use houseplants like spider plants or peace lilies to improve indoor air quality and diffuse essential oils instead of using synthetic air fresheners. Burn candles made from soy, coconut or beeswax and scented with pure essential oils.

6. Reducing Pharmaceuticals if & when possible: Many drugs have effects on the body that aren’t always seen or felt, but long term use can certainly add up. I completely understand that there are many individuals required to take certain medications for their health. However, for symptoms such as headaches, stomach aches, colds, and sleep issues, I always turn to herbal medicine and acupuncture. I use herbs to help clear the root cause of my issue and that gets my body back into equilibrium without all the additives and side effects!

Speaking of herbs….I have two formulas in my office that I swear by when traveling and interacting with sick people. The first is Immunity+, an herbal formula that I take daily for a week before traveling or in general to stay healthy. It helps to boost the immune system and allow my body extra energy to fight off any pathogens that I come across. When we are traveling there are typically more stressors, tiredness, and often a lot of people packed into small spaces, all of which can negatively impact our immune system. Supporting your immune system to be in tip top shape can help fight off any sicknesses your neighbors on a flight may have. The second is ColdQuell. I keep this on hand in the event that I feel like I caught a bug. If I start to have sniffles, sneeze, or feel a headache I immediately start taking ColdQuell. This is an amazing group of herbs that help to fight off sickness before it develops into something stronger in the system! It’s imperative that you take it as soon as you start to feel something come on, that’s why I travel with it!