Despite my being someone who is surrounded by primarily those educated and employed in the sciences, the well-being of our earth has never really—here’s where several of you will disown me— touched home base with me. Closed-minded as this may seem to some, it has been true since the whole global warming phenomenon took root years ago. I just never really bothered to care. Recently, however, I have taken a slightly different approach. How can someone who is careful to avoid using cleaning supplies with harmful chemicals really not stop and take a look at the bigger picture? So I did. Now I’m buying organic with a dual purpose—not only am I saving my body from the detrimental pesticides, but I’m also saving the earth. Don’t we breathe this crap anyway even if we don’t buy the pesticide-infested produce? This is something that really does affect us all—in a huge and scary way. Despite my usual indifference to our environment, I do understand the recycle bins, using paper bags, and buying organic—not just for our health, but for our earth. But one thing I don’t understand is how the average 20-something can delve into a campaign to save the world, all while staying sustained on processed food and neglecting to breathe some fresh air by leaving the couch. We jump on the bandwagon to improve the world we live in, but we forget to save the most important environment of them all: the human body. How can we have a healthy earth without starting with ourselves?
As 20-somethings, it would be naïve to say that we are new to the health craze that has recently taken hold of our society. People love fads, and I can’t help but think that this is just another to add to the repertoire. However, as a devout and self-proclaimed health-nut, I for one am pleased that awareness has been brought to such a vital topic amidst what most deem “news-worthy”—politics, war, global warming, Charlie Sheen, etc. etc. etc. We all know the basics of what it means to be healthy—eat wholesome food, cut back on sugar, exercise—right? But there’s so much more. There is an entire iceberg of health that most of us do not even consider, let alone touch the tip. Many people take the route of judging health by weight, and this couldn’t be farther from accurate. Let’s think for a second— what toothpaste are we using? What deodorant? Shampoo? What are we putting on our face that not only harms us but the environment? Healthy bodies and a healthy world are not and cannot be mutually exclusive. Name-brand toothpaste contains fluoride, the main ingredient in rat poisoning, as well as Triclosan, a proven carcinogen. Even though we brush, rinse, and spit, we absorb these toxins into our blood stream within seconds (we won’t even get started on the fact that fluoride is added to our water supply). Name-brand deodorant contains massive amounts of aluminum, which is widely known to cause breast cancer and Alzheimer ’s disease. Shampoo contains parabens—destructive preservatives—and synthetic chemicals that damage the skin and seep into the epidermis and on into the blood stream, carrying these substances to all areas of the body. Over time, these chemicals from the elements of our daily goings-on compound at astronomical rates, leaving our already-weakened immune systems to desperately fight for life. No wonder we always feel sluggish, foggy, and tired. We may do everything right for our health—eat lots of greens, run five miles every morning, and get enough z’s, but all this is for naught if we don’t look at the whole picture—the picture that includes protecting ourselves from everyday chemicals and artificial substances which in turn keeps our environment cleaner.
Why is all this relevant to us? Think of the abuse our bodies underwent as teenagers and young adults. We grew up on Taco Bell and Dr. Pepper, hot tamales and movie-theatre popcorn, Frito boats and Twinkies. Fried, artificial, processed. Now fast forward to college—we may have started eating better on a daily basis, and the athletics kept us slim, but never in our lives before or since did we receive fewer hours of shut-eye, more booze, more medium pizzas (………and hot wings, and potato wedges, and fresh-made midnight brownies) on those countless late-night binges, and more days in the sun without sunscreen. By the mid-20’s, our bodies are miraculously still surviving considering what we have already put them through. Now is the time—and it’s certainly not a second too early—to start taking care of ourselves if we really want to have a manageable quality of life, let alone a better environment, later.
Please note: I’m not saying ditch the hair bleach and buy only clothes made from organic cotton. I plead most guilty for buying Mac makeup, feeding my dogs animal by-products made on pollution-inducing machines, and drinking out of more plastic Starbucks cups than the average American. I also am guilty of being a complete stress-basket most days of the week, drinking way more vino than could possibly be considered “heart-healthy,” and rarely getting more than seven hours of sleep each night. Also on the rare occasion, I enjoy myself several items from the Taco Bell menu or indulge in a giant ice-cream delight at the local creamery. I’m not saying go nuts with this, just give it some serious and real thought—make the larger, more important choices that will impact your body and your environment as a whole.
So girls and boys, let’s take a second to read some labels on something besides the soup can. Opt for the natural stuff—not because it’s a fad, but because it’s better for you and your environment. Buy organic—avoid the harmful pesticides that cause cancer and birth defects. Start using natural skin-care products that contain sunscreen to protect your no-doubt already damaged skin. Pretend you’re not a gym-rat and try some yoga or running outside—give the cardio machines a rest and save some energy! If we don’t start doing these things in our 20’s, it may be too late to prevent those crow’s feet and…..ahem…..heart disease…..when we think about them in our 30’s. If you care about the world you live in, you know that everyone must do their part to make a difference—a huge part of that difference is you taking care of you.
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