6 Wellness Products I Use Daily To Support My Healthy Lifestyle Goals
While we are all bio-individual and have unique lifestyle needs, there are basic rules of thumb in optimizing your health and well-being that everyone can benefit from. Think proper hydration, eating more whole foods, fruits and vegetables, and hitting the recommended daily activity levels.
When it comes to achieving your healthy lifestyle goals, I’ve found that some tools can work for one person, but not for the next due to the fact that we all have diverse lifestyles, come from different environments and have varying tastes and goals. That’s why as an Integrative Health & Wellness Coach, I’m always exploring new tools and resources that can be easily integrated into my own personal wellness practice as well as my client’s personalized programs.
These six tried and true staples have been with me since close to the start of my journey and have continuously supported me and many of my client’s in reaching our unique wellness goals so we can feel healthy, energized and balanced.
MY FITNESS PAL: This dynamic app helps you track your meals and stay on top of your nutrition and fitness goals. While I don’t believe in obsessively counting calories, I DO believe in eating balanced and nutritious meals. That’s why I use the Premium plan to keep track of my macro goals (ie. carbohydrates, protein and fat breakdown), monitor my nutrient consumption (ie Vit A, C, Iron, Calcium, etc.), and minimize my sugar intake to support healthy digestion, muscle recovery and optimal health. Eating a well-balanced diet with enough protein and fiber helps to manage weight loss, improve blood-sugar levels, and boost your strength and energy.
The #1 reason I love recommending this app to client’s is that keeping a food diary can help you understand your habits and increase your likelihood of hitting your health goals. It’s easy to use and the motivating fitness tips and recipes they provide can help you add variety and fun as you work toward your goals. Getting a handle on your diet and becoming aware of the impact it has on your digestion, energy, weight and cognitive health is made easier with a monitoring system like this one. I do have one disclaimer with this method, though: I wouldn’t recommend using it if you have a history of eating disorders, you have a restrictive relationship with food or think you’ll be obsessive about your diet in an unhealthy way. In these cases, seek out support from a coach or a licensed professional instead.
FITBIT: I was late to the party in embracing the Fitbit, but it was a real game changer for me once I got onboard. Working from home has made it more difficult to hit 8-10k steps a day, especially when I get in my zone or have back to back phone meetings. For those working an office job, you know what I mean - it can be a regular occurrence to stay sedentary at your desk for hours on end. The Fitbit’s hourly reminder to move my body has been a welcomed feature.
In addition to monitoring my daily steps, it’s been instrumental in helping me understand my sleep patterns and when my body is in need of active rest and recovery. During workouts, you’ll receive insights into your heartrate activity, which can help you push yourself to the “optimum” level (ie. your fat burning or cardio zones), ensuring you reap the maximum benefits for your weight loss and cardiovascular health goals. As with any great tracker, this tool will help you recognize your patterns, monitor your progress and increases the likelihood of hitting your goals.
The premium package is great because it allows you to create a wellness report, enabling you to start a better conversation with your doctor(s) as you advocate for your own health. Similarly to My Fitness Pal, the app provides a wide-range of video support on mindfulness, workouts and recipe inspiration. When I first signed up, I received 6 months of the premium package for free so that I could get a handle on my patterns and take advantage of the video support BEFORE deciding if I wanted to pay for this service. If you’re looking for some motivation to get more physically active, this could be the tool for you.
A QUALITY PROBIOTIC: As someone with a long history of digestive issues, I needed something to address the bloating, irregularity, low energy, and breakouts. And I noticed that these symptoms were compounded every time I got sick and took antibiotics. There are so many benefits to taking a daily probiotic. For starters, they help your body digest food. They restore balance in the gut so there is a healthy amount of good and bad bacteria, and your immune system can be strengthened. Probiotics also support the lining of your gut so that bad bacteria you may have consumed doesn’t enter your bloodstream.
Over the years, I’ve tried many versions and it took some time to find the right probiotic for me. The Cleveland Clinic generally recommends choosing probiotic products with at least 1 billion colony forming units (CFU’s) and containing the genus Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium or Saccharomyces boulardii, which are some of the most common types. If you’re not getting probiotics from fermented foods like yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut or kimchi, then supplementing may benefit you. I’ve found that store brands aren’t as powerful as the more expensive name brands that have been backed by studies. As always, it’s best to check with your Doctor first to see if it’s safe for you.
AN INSULATED STAINLESS STEEL WATER BOTTLE: Knowing many plastics contain BPA, an endocrine-disrupting chemical, and that everyday approximately 8 million pieces of plastic pollution find their way into our oceans, I decided to make a commitment to use less plastics and put more sustainable practices in place. It’s not perfect, but small steps over time add up to positive outcomes and big change, and I strive to do better every day. In any case, a couple of years ago I decided to start moving away from single-use plastics like plastic bags, utensils and water bottles. Like my former workplace, I added a watercooler at home and started using a re-useable stainless steel water bottle. I take this water bottle with me EVERYWHERE because I practice what I preach about hydrating and I can’t live without it.
Staying hydrated supports cognitive function, improved digestion, increased energy levels, joint lubrication, weight management, detoxification and more! Carrying a water bottle with you wherever you go is one simple habit that can support your general health goals. Stainless steel, specifically, is more sustainable and while it may seem more pricey than purchasing plastic water bottles initially, it will actually save more money in the long run. Not only that, but it keeps your drinks hot or cold for hours on end, so you can be boiling in the heat and still have a nice, cold drink handy to quench your thirst. I call that an easy win.
A FOAM ROLLER: The older I’ve gotten, the more important stretching, rest and recovery have become for my fitness routine. Using a foam roller has a whole host of health benefits including relieving muscle knots and inflammation, increasing your flexibility and range of motion and boosting circulation. On top of that, it’s a great way to facilitate a deep tissue massage without breaking the bank.
There are many sizes, shapes and levels of pressure to choose from, so look for 1-2 options that meet your unique needs. Personally I own several rollers to support how I’m feeling from day to day. For instance, sometimes I could use a full back massage and for this, I use a flat, medium pressured, longer foam roller. Other times I prefer to focus only on my neck and the space between my shoulder blades where I have a lot more knots. In this case, I use a narrow foam roller with hard pressure. If you’re like me and sometimes work with a chiropractor, then a foam roller can be a great tool to keep you feeling flexible and strengthen your mobility in between office visits.
INSIGHT TIMER: A meditation practice can be instrumental in managing stress and anxiety, releasing difficult emotions, increasing creativity, focusing on the present and strengthening your connection to your mind, body and spirit. While there are many great apps available to help shape your mindfulness practice, I’m partial to Insight Timer because you can find a plethora of topics that cover all of your well-being needs for FREE.
No matter what level you’re at, searching for different types of meditation, music, talks and more can help you discover what types of mindfulness practices best suit your unique tastes and needs. A lot of well known teachers like Tara Brach, Stephen Procter, and one of my personal faves, Sarah Blondin, are affiliated with Insight Timer. What’s even better is that you get to support new, up and coming teachers by providing optional ratings, feedback and donations on their work. For anyone just getting started on their mindfulness journey or simply looking to change up their regular practice, I couldn’t recommend this app highly enough.
Now that I’ve shared some of my favorite tools to support a healthy lifestyle, I’d love to hear what what works for you. Tell me in the comments: What are your go-to health and wellness tools?