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Creating Space for Healing, Energy, and Bone Health
When most people think of bone health, they picture lifting weights, eating calcium-rich foods, or doing balance exercises. But what if the clutter in your home was also affecting your health—your stress, your weight, and even your risk of falls and fractures?
In this week’s episode of the Stronger Bones Lifestyle Podcast, I sat down with Heather Aardema, founder of The School of Living Lighter. Heather is a former corporate executive turned functional medicine health coach who discovered firsthand how clutter — both physical and emotional—impacts our wellbeing. Through her journey with toxic mold illness and letting go of nearly everything she owned, Heather uncovered a powerful truth: creating more space in our lives helps us feel lighter, healthier, and safer.
The Hidden Weight of Clutter
Clutter is more than “too much stuff.” It’s anything that distracts us from living our best lives. Heather explains that clutter can show up as:
- Physical clutter: piles of books, closets full of clothes, storage units filled with things we don’t use.
- Calendar clutter: saying yes to everything and burning out.
- Body clutter: toxins, mold, and even excess weight.
- Mind clutter: the stories we tell ourselves about our worth being tied to things.
Research backs this up. Studies show that clutter increases cortisol (the stress hormone), influences poor decision-making, and contributes to anxiety and depression. And if your home is cluttered, it can even create fall hazards—an important factor when it comes to preventing fractures in osteoporosis.
Decluttering as Prevention and Healing
Both Heather and I shared personal stories of how clutter impacted our health. For Heather, toxic mold forced her to let go of nearly everything in her home—teaching her that her identity wasn’t tied to her possessions. For me, moving out of my family home after 28 years made me realize just how much unnecessary “stuff” we had accumulated.
By decluttering, we create:
- A safer home environment that reduces the risk of trips and falls.
- Mental clarity to make better lifestyle choices (like choosing the apple over the candy bar).
- Space for healing and growth, whether it’s bone health, stress relief, or simply enjoying life more fully.
Actionable Tips to Start Decluttering
Heather shared some powerful ways to begin:
- Write a letter from clutter. Start with: “Dear [Your Name], I am clutter and this is what I want you to know…” This exercise often reveals why it’s hard to let go.
- Shift your language. Instead of saying “I have to declutter,” try “I get to create a home that supports my health.”
- Start small. Focus on one drawer, one shelf, or one corner at a time.
- Think prevention. Fewer rugs, clearer walkways, and intentional placement of furniture can drastically lower your fall risk.
- Choose quality over quantity. Buy fewer things, but choose items that truly serve you.
The Bigger Picture
Decluttering isn’t just about tidying up—it’s about designing a life that supports health and longevity. For women with osteoporosis or osteopenia, removing clutter reduces hazards, lowers stress hormones that weaken bones, and creates the physical and emotional space to thrive.
As Heather puts it, “When we subtract the things that no longer serve us, we open the door to possibility.”
> Learn more about Heather’s work at School of Living Lighter
Podcast Subscribe Links - Reversing Osteoporosis
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Oxalates, also known as oxalic acid, are naturally occurring compounds found in many plants, vegetables, and fruits. They are part of a plant’s defense mechanism against predators and can be found in high concentrations in foods like spinach, rhubarb, beets, nuts, chocolate, tea, and certain beans.
Regarding bone health, oxalates can bind to minerals such as calcium in the gut, forming calcium oxalate. This compound is not easily absorbed by the body, meaning the calcium that could have been utilized for bone strengthening is instead excreted. This process can potentially lead to lower calcium availability for bone health, which can be particularly concerning for individuals at risk of osteoporosis or other bone-related issues.
However, for most women, dietary oxalates do not pose a significant threat to bone health, especially if their diet is balanced with enough calcium and they do not have a history of kidney stones.
Your gut is crucial for stronger bones for several reasons:
- Nutrient Absorption: The gut is where most nutrient absorption occurs. For bones to be healthy and strong, they need a variety of nutrients, particularly calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, and vitamin D. A healthy gut efficiently absorbs these essential nutrients from your diet and facilitates their transportation to the bones.
- Gut Microbiome and Bone Health: Research has shown that the gut microbiome (the community of bacteria living in your intestines) can influence bone density. Certain gut bacteria help in producing short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) like butyrate, which have been shown to promote bone health. SCFAs can enhance the absorption of minerals necessary for bone strength and play a role in reducing inflammation, which can negatively affect bone health.
- Hormone Regulation: The gut helps regulate hormones that are involved in bone metabolism, including insulin, thyroid hormones, and sex hormones like estrogen. For example, estrogen is vital for bone density, and gut health can influence estrogen levels through the enterohepatic circulation, where estrogens are processed in the liver and intestines.
- Reducing Inflammation: Chronic inflammation, which can stem from poor gut health, is linked to many conditions that compromise bone strength, such as osteoporosis. A healthy gut helps to reduce systemic inflammation, protecting bones from inflammatory damage.
- Immune System Modulation: The majority of the immune system is located in the gut. An imbalance in the immune system can lead to autoimmune conditions, some of which affect the bones. Maintaining gut health helps to ensure the immune system works correctly, protecting against autoimmune reactions that could impact bone health.
In essence, maintaining a healthy gut contributes significantly to stronger bones by ensuring the effective absorption of vital nutrients, regulating hormones, reducing inflammation, and supporting a healthy immune system. Therefore, a diet rich in bone-healthy nutrients, prebiotics, and probiotics, along with lifestyle factors that promote gut health, is key to maintaining strong bones.