Rethinking Healthy Living, Starting at Home

Written by Allison Goodhart

Health & Home with Allison Goodhart | A Healthier Home. A Fuller Life.

A year ago, I would have told you I was a pretty healthy person. I exercised regularly, ate reasonably well, maintained a healthy weight, and generally felt good.

Then I was diagnosed with breast cancer at 40. Now, I look at health through a whole new lens.

I’ve written about my breast cancer experience and, more recently, the things I wish I’d known before my diagnosis. But there’s another part of this experience I’ve been wanting to share. One that’s changed the way I think about health and, probably unsurprisingly given what I do for a living, how our homes can impact it.

Which brings me to Health & Home, a new series I’m starting about the connection between our health, our homes, and the lives we build within them.

Over the past several months, I’ve gone down more health-related rabbit holes than I ever imagined possible. I’ve read books, listened to podcasts, researched ingredients, and questioned things I’d never given a second thought to in my pre-cancer life.

Somewhere along the way, I realized my definition of health was pretty narrow.

What Does Being Healthy Actually Mean?

These days, I think a lot less about the number on the scale or the size of my jeans as an indicator of my health, and a lot more about what being healthy actually lets me do.

I want to feel strong in my body. I want to be able to play basketball and throw a football or lacrosse ball around with Brooks and Wesley. I want to travel, be active, and keep doing the things I love for as long as possible. Undergoing four surgeries in six months and not being able to do many of those things was really difficult for me.

I know there’s no perfect combination of choices that guarantees a long, healthy life. I certainly don’t know why I got breast cancer, and there’s only so much any of us can control. But I want to feel confident that I’m doing what I reasonably can to take care of myself and my family.

And I want our home to support that. A place that makes it easier to eat well, move, sleep, rest, and recharge. Somewhere that feels peaceful and calming, but is also full of activity, laughter, friends, family and, last but certainly not least, fun.

I don’t want to spend my life worrying about every ingredient, every product or every little thing I might be doing wrong. But I do want to make thoughtful choices that help us live better, without losing the joy of actually living.

Because what’s the point of working so hard to be healthy if your life just gets smaller?

What If Our Homes Could Help Us Live Healthier Lives?

I’ve always believed that a home is about so much more than square footage, finishes, or resale value.

It’s where we celebrate life’s big moments and live all the ordinary ones in between. It’s where we raise our families, build relationships, make memories, and become part of a community.

Helping people find a home that supports the life they want to live has always been central to how I approach real estate with my clients.

But lately, I’ve started thinking about another dimension of what makes a home a good place to live.

What if we thought more intentionally about how our homes can support not just a good life, but a longer, healthier one too?

Our kitchens influence how we eat. Our bedrooms can support better sleep. Our homes and neighborhoods can make movement easier or harder. The spaces we create can encourage connection, relaxation and time together.

And then there are the things we don’t necessarily see or think about. The air we breathe, the water we drink, the products we use, and the materials that surround us every day.

We can’t control everything about our health, but our homes are one place where we can make intentional choices, both in how we live and how we care for the spaces around us.

We don’t have to renovate our kitchens or replace everything we own. Even one or two small changes can help create an environment that makes healthier living a little easier.

It’s made me realize there’s another dimension to what makes a home a good place to live.

We’ve covered homeowner topics on the blog before. Here are a few more posts you might find interesting:

A Few Things I’ve Changed

I certainly haven’t figured all of this out. In fact, the more I learn, the more questions I seem to have.

But I’ve started making changes. Some were pretty simple. Some were expensive. Others have involved more research than I’d care to admit.

In the kitchen: I’ve started thinking more about nourishing my body rather than just watching calories. I’m prioritizing whole foods, protein, fiber, and getting more variety into what we eat. I try to get at least 30 different plants into my diet per week. I’ve also started prepping meals and snacks so the healthier choice is actually the easier one. I never thought in a million years I’d be one of those food-prep girls, but here we are! We even grow our own broccoli sprouts after I went down a rabbit hole researching their potential health benefits. Who even am I?! I’ve also replaced pretty much all plastic with glass, wood, stainless steel and cast iron, particularly when it comes to anything that touches hot food or drinks.

Around the house: I’ve swapped out a number of everyday products for options with ingredients and materials I’m more comfortable using, including laundry detergent, cleaning supplies, paper towels, dish soap, dishwasher detergent, and hand soaps. I’ve cut back almost entirely on scented candles (probably the most difficult and saddest change for me!) and started paying more attention to what we’re bringing into our home. As I started learning more about the ingredients in everyday household products, I realized I’d never really questioned what we were using or how often we were exposed to them. I don’t think every conventional product is dangerous, but I do want to make more informed decisions about the things we use regularly. And if a few simple swaps can help reduce unnecessary exposure to certain chemicals, why not?

Movement: I’ve shifted some of my focus from cardio and the scale to building strength and maintaining muscle. I’ve also developed different walking routes around our neighborhood depending on how much time I have, whether I want some hills or whether I just need to clear my head. It’s such a simple thing, but having those routes (and knowing how long they take) figured out makes it easier to get outside and move, whether I have five minutes or fifty. My daily walks are my new favorite ritual for both my mental and physical health. I’ve also learned more about the benefits of getting outside in the morning, when natural light can help regulate our internal clocks and support better sleep, and taking a short walk after meals, which can help regulate blood sugar.

Water and air: I’ve started paying more attention to our drinking water and different filtration options. Now, I mostly drink Mountain Valley water from glass bottles. I’m also learning more about indoor air quality, ventilation, and the filters and systems we tend to forget about until something goes wrong. Opening our windows and airing out the house regularly has become another favorite ritual.

None of these changes is particularly revolutionary. And some advice I’ve come across just isn’t practical for our family (like the people who insist you should never use a microwave!). You have to decide what makes sense for you.

What I keep coming back to is this: How can we make the healthier choice a little easier in our everyday lives?

Introducing Health & Home

That’s what I want to do with Health & Home. Take what I’m learning, figure out what’s actually useful, and share it in ways that might help you make healthier choices for yourself and your families too.

We’ll explore everything from food and nutrition to movement, strength, sleep and recovery. But we’ll also look at the houses themselves – indoor air and water quality, everyday products and building materials, ventilation, home maintenance, and the ways our spaces and neighborhoods influence how we live.

And just as importantly, we’ll talk about the things that make life worth living in the first place. Family dinners, friends around the table, time outside, travel, celebrations, community and simply enjoying being home.

I’m not a doctor, scientist or wellness expert. And I don’t want to be!

I’m a real estate agent who’s become intensely curious about how our environments affect our health and happiness. I want to understand what the research actually says, learn from people who know more than I do, and turn that information into practical ideas we can all use.

Some changes will be simple and free. Others might take a little more thought, effort or investment. And some just won’t make sense for every family. But I hope we can explore the possibilities together.

Here’s what Health & Home isn’t about: creating some perfectly healthy home where nobody eats dessert or has any fun. That is not my vibe!

Instead, it’s about making thoughtful, realistic changes that help us feel better and enjoy our homes and lives more.

I want to feel strong, enjoy my family and create a home and a life that support the things that matter most to me. And if Health & Home can help you do the same, even better.

Not a perfect home. Not a perfect lifestyle.