So yesterday, I told you all about the Ultimate Healthy Living Bundle that the Ultimate Bundles team has put together this year. If you haven’t read that post yet, be sure to check it out here as it provides a lot of details about the awesome stuff in the bundle.
Today, I want to take you a little more “behind the scenes” and share my top 10 picks from this year’s bundle with you. These are the 10 products from the bundle that I will be focusing on over the course of the next year.
You see, every year, I set some healthy living goals for myself. Most of those goals get accomplished, but not all. (Hey, I’m not perfect here!) However, many of my goals originate from this specific bundle and the products offered in it. Let me show you how I do it!
My Top 10 Picks From The 2016 Ultimate Healthy Living Bundle
Below, you’ll find 10 products from the 2016 Ultimate Healthy Living Bundle that I’ll be using this coming year to grow myself and move forward in my natural living journey. I’ll tell you why I chose this product and how I plan to use it to accomplish my goals.
1. Heal Your Microbiome Optimize Your Health: Identify the Root Cause of Your Chronic Illness and Learn How to Recover by Dr. Jill Tieman
In my studies as an herbalist and learning about nutrition, I’ve come to know just how important gut health and our microbiome is and how it impacts so many areas of our lives. Thankfully, no one in my family has any major health problems which means I may or may not (okay, I may) take our gut health for granted at times. However, I do realize that chronic illnesses can happen, and that, as a parent, it’s my job to teach my children and set an example for them in how we care for our gut health and our bodies. That means I want to learn more about how to care for our microbiomes in a healthy way in order to prevent these chronic, gut-related diseases from happening in my family.It’s also why I’ve picked Dr. Jill Tieman’s book to read. Not only does she teach about things that inhibit gut health (such as antibiotics), but she teaches you how to figure out if your microbiome is out of whack and how to get it back into shape. With a kid that just had a round of antibiotics after cutting his finger off, I’m definitely interested in restoring his gut health!
2. The No Poo Method by Ashlee Mayer
Now, I’m not sure what you think about when you hear “no poo,” but it’s referring to the whole idea behind not washing your hair with store-bought shampoo. Instead, you “green” your hair care routine and use natural products to clean your hair instead. I’ve heard about the whole “no poo” movement for quite a while, but I’ve really not been able to bring myself to go there… until now. At least I think. Making the switch from unhealthy to healthy skin care products takes time. For me and my family, the time for shampoos and conditioners has come. My husband and my kids already use natural healthy shampoos, but I’ve had trouble finding products that I like and am willing to stick with long-term. It has to clean my hair, it can’t leave it feeling heavy or greasy, it needs to leave my hair soft and shiny, it still needs to be able to be styled, so on and so forth. I’m really excited to use Ashlee Mayer’s book to figure out what products will help me go “no poo” and still end up with pretty hair! She breaks it down by helping you figure out hair type, explaining all the “no poo” options available, and then helps you create your own personalized routine. Oh, and there are a ton of DIY recipes to make this switch affordable.
3. The Natural Beauty Recipe Book by Stephanie Rose
In my effort to minimize toxins in our lives, I’ve made the choice to not use flea medicine on our animals. My boys love on our dog and cats way too much for me to be comfortable slathering them with toxins each month. Unfortunately, though, the fleas got the best of our poor dog this year. She itched and scratched so much that the lower half of her body had no hair, was covered in open wounds and scabs, and she barely moved. Now, in my defense, I did try using some natural remedies on her. However, she was too far gone and irritated at that point for them to work. Eventually, I caved and got her a steroid shot to ease the inflammation and itching and better quality flea medicine to keep the fleas from biting her. I couldn’t stand to see her suffer any longer… natural or not natural. Thankfully, modern medicine worked well and quickly. She’s now a happy, hairy dog, and it’s only been a month! With summer coming to an end, I think she’ll be okay for the rest of this year, but next year, I need to start early with the natural flea preventatives for our sweet girl so I can, hopefully, avoid the chemicals and she can avoid the misery. Now, you may think that Stephanie Rose’s book is all about natural skin care for humans, and it is, but she has a whole chapter and dogs and dealing with fleas! I’ll definitely be making the remedies and following the suggestions she has in this book come early spring next year!
CLICK HERE to learn more about this year’s bundle.
4. The Hydrosol Quick-Start Guide by Lea Harris
I’ve been using herbs for around 10 years now, and I love making herbal remedies that use a variety of different ingredients. One of those ingredients is hydrosols. Hydrosols are effective, amazing, beautiful herbal preparations that are so versatile, and they’re even safe for our little ones. The only downside I’ve found to them is that they can be quite hard to find for sale and when you do find them, they can be a bit pricy. Thankfully, aromatherapist Lea Harris has written this amazing guide to hydrosols. Not only does she teach you what hydrosols are, how and when to use them, how to store them, and even how to use them on pets, but she even shares where to find affordable hydrosols online (and she just might offer a discount coupon code to one supplier too)! Now, I’ve made a lot of herbal preparations in my herbal journey so far, but I’ve NEVER made a homemade hydrosol. Well, folks… that’s going to change, and this book is going to help me make it happen. Wish me luck!
5. Harness Your Hormones for Effortless Weight Loss by Alisa Vitti
Growing up, I was a scrawny kid. I could eat whatever I wanted and never gain weight. Then puberty hit, and I filled out a bit (hello, boobs and booty). After that, I pretty much stayed the same weight and shape all through high school, college, and into marriage. The only time I gained weight was when I was pregnant, but I always gained a healthy amount of weight and seemed to get it off before I got pregnant with the next baby. But then, something happened with my third and fourth pregnancies. The weight was much more difficult to loose, and I held on to 10 pounds from each pregnancy. Here I was, 30 years old, short, and 20 pounds heavier that I should have been. As you can imagine, I did not have a healthy body image! So, I decided enough was enough, and I lost the weight. Every single last pound. During that process, I learned a lot about eating healthy, exercising, and the role of aging and metabolism have on weight. Here I am now, back to my regular weight, happy with how I look, but I’m finding that maintaining this weight isn’t as easy as it once was. So now, as I navigate the how-tos of maintaining a healthy weight, I want to learn how hormones play a role in weight, and this audio session by Alisa Vitti will help get me headed in the right direction. My goal is not to be “skinny,” but to feel good about my health and how I look. There’s a lot involved in that, and this is just one more step in the right direction.
6. Natural Hormone Balance Guide for Women by Wellness Mama
Speaking of hormones and weight, did you know that hormones affect so much more than your weight? It’s true. They do. Hormones are one of many chemical messengers that facilitate communication in the body. As I continue to learn about health, especially when it comes to health issues that arise during puberty, pregnancy, or as we age, this idea of keeping your hormones balanced continues to pop up again and again. That’s why I was really excited to see my friend Katie’s guide included in this year’s bundle. She’s written a comprehensive guide on how to keep your hormones balanced naturally which is something I’d like to start thinking about more now that I’m almost 33. (Holy cow… 33! My 16-year-old self now officially thinks I’m old.) This book not only explains hormones and how to keep them naturally balanced in an easy to understand way, but it also includes actionable steps and DIY recipes to help you make it happen!
7. Planning & Designing the Family Food Garden + Printable Planner by Isis Loran
With all the landscaping work going on this summer, a garden hasn’t even been on our minds. However, it’s never completely out of our minds, and with our big mountain landscaping project coming to a close, it’s starting to move to the forefront again. Before we moved up here on the mountain, we lived alongside a creek which gave us the best black, mineral-rich dirt ever, and we had a large, beautiful organic garden year after year. Four years after our move, we still don’t have a garden, and we both want one… terribly. Unfortunately, living up a mountain in the midst of a beautiful forest presents problems for a large garden. First, there’s not enough flat space. Second, there’s not enough sun. Third, the dirt needs lots of help. So I’ve been thinking that maybe I’ll use the space we’re creating with our retaining walls to have a terraced garden right in front of our house. That area gets the most sun and we’ll be bringing topsoil in for that area. It seems like the perfect place. When I saw Isis Loran’s gardening planner in this year’s bundle, I knew it was for me! If I use this space to grow food, I want it to look nice and I want it to be organic and healthy. Not only does Isis teach you how to design your vegetable garden, but she helps you learn how to extend your growing seasons and plan how to keep it healthy through crop rotation.
CLICK HERE to learn more about this year’s bundle.
8. Complete Wild Edibles Package by Sergei Boutenko
I’m slowly learning more and more about identifying and harvesting my own herbs from the wild, but when it comes to wild edibles… as in what plants, trees, and mushrooms you can collect and eat, I know very little about those sorts of things. When it comes to food, I spend most of my time focusing on how to eat healthy, real food that comes from a garden, farmer’s market, or grocery store. Of course that doesn’t mean I’m not interested in learning more about how to find and eat food from the wild. There’s something about having that sort of knowledge and being a bit more self-sufficient that really appeals to me. Dean and I want to teach these things to the boys so that this is the norm for them. Plus, wild foods are extremely healthy for the body! Why not learn about them? Sergei Boutenko has put together a video on common weeds and wild edibles as well as 9 e-books all about the various types of wild foods one can gather and use, and they’re all bundled together in this bundle! I love that everything is broken down into bite-sized pieces as that will make it easier for me to learn about one thing at a time!
9. A Mother’s Guide to Probiotics by Melanie Christner
Okay, so here we are back to gut health and the microbiome. Like I mentioned earlier, I’m interested in learning more about being more intentional when it comes to gut health. Sure, I have a few ideas as to how to do this myself, but I’m a bit of a nerd and really want to learn about it from someone who knows way more about it than I do. And, I don’t have tons of time to go out there and dig up all this info myself. I know that I want to be able to continue to increase the amount of cultured and fermented foods into my family’s diet as those are good sources of probiotics, but I’d also like to learn more about probiotics themselves. Plus, I have questions that need answers. Are cultured and fermented foods sufficient enough, or do I need to supplement with probiotics on a regular basis? My kid just had antibiotics when he cut his finger off in the tractor. How can I use probiotics to help keep his gut healthy during this time? These are two specific questions I’ll be looking for when I read Melanie Christner’s book this year! I’m also really looking forward to learning what the difference is in the different strains and whether or not that matters when choosing a probiotic.
10. Easy Paleo Instant Pot Recipes by Dr. Karen Lee
I recently caved in and bought an InstaPot, and so far, I’m really liking it. I mostly use it to cook beans, rice, and make chicken stock, and I’ve used it a few times to make soups too. It’s so fast, it’s one dish to clean, and it helps me make healthy food quickly. However, the InstaPot does WAY more than what I’m using it for which is why I’m really excited about Dr. Karen Lee’s paleo recipe book. No, I don’t follow a strict paleo diet, but I would like to learn more about using my InstaPot and making meals that minimize grains, and I think this recipe book will help me do just that! I’ve already experimented with some recipes, and they are great! This book includes recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert, and it also walks you through using your InstaPot step-by-step so the recipe will come out perfect every time. I’m really excited to try some more of these this year and see what my family thinks!
What About The Bonuses??
The bonuses offered along with the bundle are THE BEST. Every year, they never fail to excite me. Below are the 5 that I’ll definitely be getting this year!
- FREE 2-week supply (15 ml) of Kombucha Pro: Liquid Probiotics ($29.99 value) from Get Kombucha
- FREE Eye Shadow Trio ($18 value) from Orglamix
- FREE 1-ounce jar of Dirty Mouth Toothpowder ($15.97 value) from Primal Life Organics
- $15 off select products from Trilight Health
- FREE 8-ounce Organic Gelatinized Yellow Maca Powder ($15.44 value) from The Maca Team
So there you have it. My top 10 picks from this year’s Ultimate Healthy Living Bundle as well as my favorite bonus items too! I hope you’ve enjoyed getting this behind the scenes look at how I use my Ultimate Healthy Living Bundle for myself and my family. I’d love to know how you use yours.
Speaking of yours. Do you have it yet?
Don’t Forget!! FREE E-Reader Upgrade + My Exclusive GUH Bonus Offer
Today is the last day to purchase a bundle and get a free e-reader upgrade. And don’t forget… if you purchase your bundle through my link, I’ll send you my mini course – How To Use Echinacea Correctly During Cold & Flu Season ($15 value – FREE) when the bundle sale is over.
Don’t wait! This bundle is only available for 5 more days before it’s gone for good! The sale ends Monday at 11:59 Eastern time!
I bought the bundle (through your link) and I’m loving it so far. I’m looking to improve my health and my families health, and it’s funny because years ago I took for granted all the foods we’d eat and our lifestyle.. I’m also turning 34 this year, and I did think that is old! I don’t want to spend the next 10 years of my life unhealthy and fat.. so I’m super grateful to have these resources available.
Thanks for sharing, Lisa! What has been your favorite bundle resource so far?
Haven’t read much from the bundle yet, but really appreciate your top 10, Meagan. I looked those all over and decided I should look into most of those! I also liked seeing which of the bonuses you really thought were worth going for. Thanks! Will enjoy the echinacea class later!