What the Heck are Essential Oils, & Why Should I Use Them?

I have a confession to make…I’ve been a “closeted” essential oil user for over two years.  Why closeted, you ask? Is this some sort of dirty little secret? Absolutely not! Essential oils are one of the best discoveries I’ve made in a long time.  They’ve benefitted my family in SO many ways, and have definitely changed our lives for the better.  So, why have I been keeping them under wraps?  Well, the focus of my business is to help support your “fit lifestyle” with tips, tricks, blogs, recipes, and plenty of cute clothes of course!  And, even though I am a little (ok, maybe a lot) obsessed with my essential oils, I never thought of talking about them here on a site that’s all about health and FITNESS.  Wait, WHAT?? Of COURSE I should share about them here on page that’s all about HEALTH and fitness! 

#DUH

So here’s the deal…are essential oils the magical serum you’ve been looking for to make your workouts more effective and the pounds melt away?  NO. Are they going to immediately cure all your ailments, aches, pains & problems? NO.

Well then, what ARE they going to do?  Oy vey…that is a LONG list, but don’t worry, I’ll try to keep it brief.

Essential oils and chemical free cleaning products are a super important part of the toolbox I use to support my family’s healthy and fit lifestyle. We use them for so many things!  Here are a few of MY favorite ways to use them:

Energy & Hydration

Looking for a little extra PEP in your step?  PEPPERMINT essential oil increases energy and mental alertness. I like to take a few deep breaths of peppermint oil (or diffuse) first thing in the morning to help me feel awake and energized for the day.  It is great before a workout too!  Fun tip…place one drop of Peppermint Vitality on your thumb, and press your thumb to the top of your mouth, holding for about 15 seconds.  You will instantly feel awake, alert and refreshed!  Your breath will smell amazing too 😉

LEMON essential oil is also known for its energizing properties and its ability to help flush toxins from the body. I LOVE adding a couple of drops of Lemon Vitality to my water to encourage hydration, energize and detoxify throughout my workout.

System Support & OVERALL Wellness

Essential oils can be used to support the various systems of the body, and can help to promote overall wellness. There are literally hundreds of oils that can be used to support various systems of the body and overall wellness. 

Here are a few of my favorites that I use to help to support my “fit & busy” lifestyle:   

THIEVES is an oil I simply could not live without.  It is a powerhouse oil that supports the immune system, and is an absolute must-have to help keep us healthy during cold and flu season. I use a roller to apply this to my kids (I like to put it on the bottoms of their feet and along their spine) before sending them to school.  I diffuse it in the house whenever I know there’s a bug going around, and I take it internally when I feel like my immune system needs an extra boost.  I’m going to assume you hate getting sick as much as I do, so trust me when I tell you, this oil has been a game changer for me and my family!

ENDOFLEX is something I use to support my adrenal system on a daily basis.  First of all, it smells amazing.  But, more importantly, it helps to keep my adrenal system functioning in tip top shape.  If you’re juggling family, business, fitness and about 20 other things like I am, your adrenal system is likely working overtime.  Endoflex will help show it a little love and support!   

DIGIZE is amazing for digestive support, RC for respiratory support, COPAIBA for overall wellness, and OREGANO for a super immune boost.  So many amazing oils, so little time!

Weight Loss Support

GRAPEFRUIT, LEMON & PEPPERMINT…the weight management triple threat!

GRAPEFRUIT to support a healthy metabolism, LEMON to help flush toxins, and PEPPERMINT to aid in digestion and suppress appetite.  They’ll even help banish the bloat! Add the Vitality oils to your water, dilute with a carrier oil and ingest in a veggie capsule, and even diffuse for an energizing, uplifting aroma that will help keep you on track with your health and fitness goals.

Mood

Our moods and emotional health play a HUGE role in our overall health and wellness. HUGE.  Stress and negativity and emotional imbalance can severely impact our health, can sabotage our weight, and can destroy our motivation.  Essential oils play a DAILY role in boosting my mood, decreasing my stress, and balancing my emotions.

STRESS AWAY is my all time FAVORITE oil.  Not only does it smell amazing, but a couple of dabs on my wrists and behind my ears leave me feeling instantly calm and relaxed!  Picking up a car full of noisy kids?  You need this oil.  Stuck in traffic on the way to the gym from a stressful day at work, and worried you’ll miss your favorite  class?  Stress Away is your new best friend.

ORANGE essential oil is a favorite of mine for diffusing.  It smells amazing, and is a total mood booster.  I love it diffused with LAVENDER for a calm, peaceful, happy mood. Perfect for unwinding after a long day.  Orange and peppermint is another awesome diffuser combo.  Happiness is in the air!

Sleep

Getting enough good quality sleep is a critical piece of the puzzle when it comes to health and wellness.  In fact, if you’re trying to lose weight, and seem to be stuck in one place, despite your best efforts, you might want to look at your sleep!  It could be sabotaging your efforts.  Stress and long to-do lists can negatively affect the length and  quality of our sleep, but oils can help! 

My very favorite sleepy time oils are LAVENDER, CEDARWOOD and PEACE & CALMING.  I like to diffuse Peace and Calming in my room just before and during bedtime to help   me eliminate the clutter from my brain after a busy day.  I use Lavender to make a DIY pillow spray that makes my bed smell just like a day at the spa.  And Cedarwood, how I love thee for promoting a calm and restful night’s sleep.  In fact, I make a special roller bottle that lives in my bedside table containing these three oils, rub it on the bottom of my feet each night before bed, and I sleep better than I have in years!

Essential Oils IN…Toxic Chemicals OUT

If you’re concerned at all about eating clean and avoiding the junk that’s crammed into processed foods, then you get it.  We don’t want to put preservatives and chemically altered crap IN our bodies, and clean eating is a super important part of living a healthy lifestyle.  On the same note, we should also be highly concerned with non-food related chemicals that we are putting ON, AROUND or IN our bodies.  Did you know that the average woman puts over 300 synthetic chemicals on her body (in the form of cosmetics & personal care products) A DAY?! That’s a LOT of chemicals.  Our skin is our largest organ, and chemicals that come in contact with the skin are easily and quickly absorbed into our bloodstream. 

And, have you ever thought about this…your cleaning products are FILLED with chemicals that are proven, and sometimes even labeled as highly toxic, but for some reason we are OK with using them.  Perhaps because we don’t actually EAT them, we don’t think they can be getting IN our systems.  But they are.  Think about it, that chemical filled anti-bacterial dish soap goes on your plates, leaves residue behind and then your food goes right on top.  The bleach based disinfectant spray you use to wipe down your cutting board comes in contact with all of your food.  The kitchen soap you use to wash your hands gets absorbed by your skin. Read a few of the ingredients in your everyday household cleaning products, and then google them.  You’ll be amazed that some of this stuff is even allowed into our homes. 

But, did you know that you can replace many, if not all, of the toxic ingredients in your home with products made from essential oils?

Air fresheners and many scented candles are filled with synthetic scents that can wreak havoc on our bodies and neurological systems.  PURIFICATION oil is the answer to a naturally delightful smelling home!  I love to diffuse this near our kitty box to neutralize pet odors, and I ALWAYS diffuse it throughout the house if there’s a lingering smell from cooking, or just to make our house smell fresh and clean.  Combined with Citrus Fresh, it smells clean, refreshing and amazing.  Stubborn shoe stink?  Purification.  Yucky smelling sports equipment?  Purification.  Gym clothes?  Purification.  As a professional fitness instructor, most of my laundry is made up of sweaty workout clothes, and after a while, it can be hard to get the smell out.  I add a couple of drops of Purification to every load of laundry to help stop the stink from sticking around.  Bonus…wool dryer balls with a drop of Purification and Lavender eliminate the need for chemical filled dryer sheets, and will leave every load of laundry smelling amazing.

Goo Gone…one of the most toxic items I once had under my kitchen  sink.  Guess what works even BETTER at removing stubborn stickers, residue and other unwanted gunk? LEMON essential oil.  I know, you don’t believe me, but it is absolutely TRUE.  You’re welcome.

 Floor cleaners, window cleaners and multi purpose household cleaners are loaded with junk you wouldn’t want to breathe, much less have come in contact with your skin.  They can ALL be replaced by the THIEVES household cleaner, which is an organic and natural cleaning product that is safe to use on any surface of your house, and actually WORKS.  Trust me, I have a puppy, I know.  I trust this cleaner on my toughest messes, and then don’t have to stress about breathing in unwanted chemicals or leaving them behind on our floors. Plus, since the power of this cleaner comes from Thieves, it actually helps promote a healthy immune system while keeping the house sparkly clean!  How cool is that?

Dish soap, hand soap, dishwasher detergent and laundry detergent are all products that can contain dozens of harmful chemicals.  The THIEVES line of cleaning products can replace ALL of these with organic, chemical free alternatives that not only get the job done, but smell amazing, and help to promote your family’s overall health and wellness at the same time.

Are you still with me?  I know, I may have gone just a *little* overboard singing the praises of essential oils and natural cleaning products, but I strongly believe that a truly healthy lifestyle can’t be achieved through diet and exercise alone. We have to become more aware of the dangerous chemicals we allow into our homes.  We have to supplement our healthy way of eating with pure, natural products, like essential oils, that support the systems of our bodies, help to maintain healthy immune systems, and increase our overall health and wellness.  Exercise and healthy eating are SUPER important, but they are only two pieces of a much larger puzzle. 

Essential oils have literally changed my family’s lives.  We use them to promote restful sleep, to support healthy immune systems, to clean our house and to increase energy and boost our moods.  My kids ask for them daily…when they need help to settle an upset tummy, when they have an owie, when they need help calming down for sleep, you name it!  We literally don’t leave home without them. 

If you’d like to learn a little more about getting started with essential oils, click here and I’ll take you through a brief Essential Oils 101 video that explains what they are, how to use them, and why you need to these amazing oils in your life.

Already convinced and want to get going NOW??  You’re such an overachiever!  I highly recommend starting with the Young Living Premium Starter Kit with the Dew Drop Home Diffuser.  It is by FAR the best value and includes a diffuser, 11 of the best “everyday oils,” including many of the ones I discussed above, as well as samples of other great products. The retail value of the kit items are over $300, but when you purchase the starter kit, you receive everything for $160.00!! Purchasing this kit will also get you access to a wholesale membership and a 24% discount on all future orders, with no monthly requirements or minimums!  All you need to do is click here to create an account and purchase your Premium Starter Kit. Easy peasy. 

Have questions about the oils or how to get started?  I’m happy to help!  Send me a message and I will get back to you as soon as possible  I can’t wait to help you get started!

I only use and promote Young Living Essential oils because I know that they are 100% pure, and trust that they are the very best quality oils on the market. Statements regarding Essential Oils have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Products in this discussed here are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. If you are pregnant, nursing, taking medication, or have a medical condition, consult your healthcare provider before using these products.