The only three wellness things I'd tell you try
spoiler alert, it's not sea moss or colostrum
Facemasks and eye rollers are cute, but when it comes to wellness products, I’m a tough cookie to crack. After three years in Los Angeles, safe to say I’ve run the gamut on wellness consumerism. I drank the kool-aid on all the bee pollen, chaga, prebiotics, probiotic, vegan, gluten free, sugar free, alkaline products out there. A friend and I even reviewed the different kinds of water at Erewhon — analysing how the different pH levels would make us feel.
And to be honest, besides needing to pee and failed attempts to describe the taste of water, we didn’t notice any serious health benefits.
As a consumer, I find a product “worth it” when it delivers on it’s claim. Meaning a perceived change in my life that’s made me feel better than before. In my own experience, these products and potions were fun to try, but ultimately didn’t lead to any substantial change in my experience of life.
I learn from my mistakes, meaning my supplement consumption has decreased dramatically (and so has the alarming bright colour of my urine), which has actually given me more joy than pretending to enjoy the taste of Athletic Greens.
Now, there are three outliers in the constellation of wellness products I’ve collected throughout my time as an avid consumer. And let me tell you, they most definitely deliver.
p.s. product links below!
for when you need a little space….
A big pillar in my movement philosophy is to move my body in ways I habitually don’t. Rooted in the belief that a life spent hunched down at a screen, isn’t quite what the human body was designed to do.
In a similar vein, feet stuck in shoes all day means feet that do not move in the way they were designed to. Intentionally walking barefoot is a nice way to feed the foot the kind of movement it craves, but living in a city where the streets are often littered with broken beer bottles…. makes this a little difficult.
Here’s where the toe separators come in. The first of the trio that make up my wellness trinity. Toe separators do exactly what they claim to — they create boundaries in between each toe, forcing them to live a little further away from one another. They’re a lot like the foam separators at a pedicure salon, but they come in gummier materials that are not only flexible, but also stay on your feet longer.
So how does this help my feet you may ask?
For myself, I found joy in the sensation of relief upon removing the separators. Pulling from my moving in new ways philosophy, I could tell that the spacers were doing something different, which I found to be a good thing.
Upon doing a bit of research, turns out that stretching the toes is actually quite important. Toes play an important role in supporting and facilitating your balance to stand, walk, run, dance, etc. Working up the kinetic chain, the alignment of the toes affects the joints above them (knees, hops, back), meaning that a misaligned big toe will result in maladjustments in gait, balance, dancing, and all other movements that require you to be on your feet.
Stretching the toes back to their natural shape also means more blood circulation and movement to aid in natural and normal foot function. Some claim the separators to cure foot problems like runner’s knee, bunions, and hammer toes, but it’s difficult to find evidence that supports these claims. It may be useful however to think that spacers on the toes are like glasses for the eyes. Instead of correcting the root of the problem, the spacers work to alleviate symptoms of the problem.
In terms of prevention for the above ailments, toe separators seem to be good. yay.
foot rollers
Sticking with the feet here, we’ll move on to the second pillar of my wellness trinity. I think all the Katonah yoga (a practice centred around the lower body) has emphasised the importance of the foot health. I’ve started to incorporate more foot movements in my flows to try and keep my feet as happy as possible. One item that has made this process easier, is a foot roller.
Think, it’s like a massage roller, but it stays on the floor. To use, place the sole of one foot over it’s arch, and rock the feet front to back — the rod in the middle will massage out any kinks and crusty bits in the arch of the foot. For me, this has become a morning routine staple — we keep ours in the bathroom for convenience. Its the perfect addition to teeth brushing, because it doesn’t interfere with the act, but I end up brushing my teeth for longer because I was dealing with that sticky part on the arch of my left foot.
This is another instance where something that feels good just so happens to be really good for you. Massaging the feet turns on the parasympathetic (rest & digest) nervous system, meaning lower levels of stress and overall pain in the rest of the body.
The arch of the foot is also the home to the plantar fascia, a complex system of nerves, tendons, and muscles that function to support the foot, absorb shock, aid in propulsion, cushioning, balance, and stability. The plantar fascia is easily tightened (from running, wearing high heels, etc.), and you’ll know when you need a trip to the roller. When you iron the arch of the foot out (a tennis ball also works), you’re relaxing the nerves, stimulating circulation, eliminating toxins, and enhancing proprioception (your body's ability to sense where it is, where it moves, and how it moves). All the good things.
for your best nights rest
So now we take a pivot into dreamland. Mouth tape — an apparatus that allows one to seal their lips closed to enjoy a night free of mouth breathing. Mouth breathing, for those of you who are not aware, is when one inhales and exhales through the mouth. You see, mouth breathing isn’t so good for us. Not only is it good friends with sleep apnea, but it also puts you at risk for tooth and gut issues.
The alternative, is a better route. Nasal breathing — inhaling and exhaling from the nose. Not only does it increase oxygen intake by activating the lower lungs, it allows you to take deeper breadths. Reduced snoring, improved oral hygiene, better breadth, better sleep are just a short list of its other benefits.
Here’s where mouth tape comes into play. Mouth tape prevents mouth breathing from joining the party.
For myself, I’ve noticed a massive increase in my quality of sleep. I used to be quite an insomniac, which led to a difficult relationship with the concept of sleep. But then, something happened and all of a sudden I could slip into dreamland with the ease an olympic gymnast does a cartwheel.
I never knew what it was, the silver bullet. At first, I pointed to meditation, which I had been unintentionally diligent with for the past four years. Then I thought it was A, my boyfriend who rekindled my love for cuddles, but the timelines never added up. Somehow somewhere, I realised that the only dramatic change was the mouth tape. Not only did it improve my quality of sleep, but it also triggers my body to know when sleep is approaching. I won’t say that mouth tape cured my insomnia, because the answer was probably a mix of factors, but I will say a little pavlovian effect never hurt.
Even on long plane rides, when sleep isn’t a want but a need, I wear mouth tape. If you wear a face mask over it (think: covid), the look is much more chic. I’ve even turned some flight attendants onto it.
If mouth tape sounds weird. Try it. Give it a week and then report back to me. It’s weird I know, but you know what’s worse? A bad night of rest.
If there’s anything I missed or something else worthy to this list, let me know and I’ll fact check.
xo
P
Product links (warning, all in german amazon)
Toe spacers (Loft is where I get mine, they’re a little more subtle than this)
Disclaimer: this article is not intended to offer medical advise of any kind. None of the products mentioned have been sponsored. They are all things I genuinely enjoy and want to share :-P
Love mouth tape! Plus all of these are so much cheaper than Erewhon😂