On Oprah right now...

[Anastazia]

...they're talking about how clutter & carrying extra weight is connected...& that when people have de-cluttered their homes, they began losing weight, by being able to make better food choices, having room to exercise, etc.:)

I know the days my place is a mess & the dishes aren't done, it's very difficult to have to wash everything before I can juice or make a smoothie, etc.:o ...never mind room to get down on the floor!!!

Time to go clean up!!! THEN make juice!!!:D

Do dishes multipy when you're not looking
& they're sitting dirty by the sink???:eek:
~Anastazia~

[c'estlaviebelle]

Its true! Plus I think there is a certain element of Mindfulness about the whole thing- when you are mindful about your environment, you are mindful about what you put in your body, and visa versa. Have you ever seen a cluttered zen temple? :p

And my dishes seem to spawn as well, but only the dirty ones! (of course that is because my bf puts dirty dishes in the sink but never cleans them! :rolleyes: )

[SuziS]

yep, my dishes spawn for sure! I feel like I am a restaurant. I am CONSTANTLY feeding my boys and my hubby and I are both eating raw now. It is a little overwhelming at times. I have to admit that my house is very cluttered and I hate it. It makes me feel awful.

[earth_sista]

for sure. our outer reality definitely seems to be a reflection of our inner reality.
that concept is well illustrated by the transcendentalist writers, like thoreau and emerson. i remember in high school, we did a unit on transcendentalism and i felt so inspired that i came home and sorted out and gave away probably half of my belongings that felt i didnt need anymore.
ever since then, i like to be very simple in my possesions.

good for oprah! she's really been doing some enlightening shows recently!

[greenday]

I ABSOLUTELY feel this way! The cleaner and more clutter free my environment is = in direct proportion my sense of ease, balance, creativity and ambition to take care of myself better. Yep! :D Cheers to decluttering!

[Anastasia Alston]

Hmmm... Well I guess I'll be the first to say that for me outer clutter, mental peace & clothing size seem to have zero connection! I am perennially messy, rarely stress out & wear a size 2. I have no problem exercising, but I definitely have issues with house work. If someone else can do the work, then I'm happy to let them! :D I have a husband, 3 homeschooled boys, 2 parrots & 3 dogs; there are frequently dirty dishes on the counter & since I don't cook anymore the stove gets rather icky (I don't use it so I don't clean it).

If I have a mind to do something I do it; my nose is frequently found buried in a book studying something or I'm off training some critter or another. I'm a happy person very much at peace with myself. So long as the dust bunnies aren't gathering for a coup & I have plenty of dish soap to clean any counters & dishes I need at any given moment, I don't worry about it. When I use something I clean it out or at least rinse it so the food doesn't turn to cement before my son gets to put it in the dish washer (dishes are my oldest son's job). My mom spent my childhood trying to civilize me. Then I got married & my very tidy husband tried for years; he's since given up. So lack of tidiness in my case at least isn't connected at all to inner peace or unwanted weight.

- Stasi, Pea Pod (Morab), Rosie Cotton & Binnabik (the Pibble Posse)

[Firicia]

I think for me it rings true. For the past few years I haven't had my own place, so I've been constantly sharing a kitchen. It is always a mess, and it stresses me to know if I clean it the next day it will be bad again:mad: so I stop trying most of the time. Then it gets gross and I don't want to prepair food in it, hense me eating out and gaining weight.

But I am just gonna keep trying, I am feeling more and more ready to start trying to be raw again, and I will be moving in a month or two, so we'll see how it all falls into place;) .

[beppa66]

Me too clutter makes me not even want to be home...let alone fixing dinner in the kitchen. OIY!

[Ginger]

I notice this in reverse LOL, everytime I go all raw I start to look around me and think 'this stuff has so got to go' and I end up getting rid of lots of stuff. It like dosn't suit the way I feel inside! :D

[rawstrength]

Wow! I definitely have more motivation to be more organized now.
Stress can add weight, and my disorganization is definitely causing me stress! Now I feel finally motivated to do a little cleaning up.

[Rawmommie]

Well I guess I'll be the first to say that for me outer clutter, mental peace & clothing size seem to have zero connection!

I guess I have to agree for the opposite reason! I'm a neat/clean freak, can't stand clutter and love my house in order. I'm overweight. So, doesn't seem to correlate to me either. *shrugs*

[Vivafree2]

LOL - i should be anorexic by now - i live life of minimalist! and declutter compusively!
I agree - declutter is step number one in the "letting go" process, detoxification and changing life, but .... let life be life - not all life is related to food, weight and body. Body is a servant, home we live in. We need to take care of it, but hopefully there is more going on.

[GoingtoRAW]

For me the cleaner my environment and the more organized I am the better I take care of myself. When my house is cluttered and I have dishes piled up - I feel overwhelmed and I don't function as well. A quote that has stuck with me for years came from one of Marilu Henner's books - she wrote "the key to your life is organization". That's true for me. The more organized I am the more I get done and I treat myself better.:o