I’m sharing some of my favorite wellness essentials from my favorite snack bars to staple supplements I take.
Fresh air. Morning snuggles. Winter walks. Friendship talks.
Those are some of my true wellness essentials–that are free!
But, as a health enthusiast, I admittedly have quite the arsenal of wellness essentials that help me to feel and look my best.
My Favorite Wellness Essentials
My Apple Watch
I use for it for tracking steps, miles on the soccer field, my heart rate during HIIT classes, and its variety of safety features. Not to mention for triaging my inboxes, too (wink wink) and checking the weather / temperature on the reg. You can read my blog post on why I love my Apple watch here.
Hypervolt Plus Massager
This has been a GAME CHANGER for my chronic foot pain! I wake up with a lot of stiffness after a lot of plyo jumping classes, lots of walking, or a 90 minute soccer game. This percussion massager gets all that stiffness out in one minute. It would take me 30 minutes of limping to shake the stiffness on my own. I use the attachment that looks like stacked discs on my foot because it is squishier and allows the Hypervolt to go around and over bone more easily. We use it on all sore muscles too. There is a less expensive GO version without the foot attachment.
Bed Buddy
Also in the sports recovery department is a new-to-me tool called the Bed Buddy that was recommended by a friend. It’s one of those “rice in a sock” things that you can heat in the microwave. Perfect for when you sleep on your neck wrong. But you can also freeze it for injuries too! Sometimes I just heat it up and wrap it around my neck on a particularly cold day!
KIND Bars
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I’m always on the hunt for bars made with real food, and KIND bars have always been a favorite. The company has a mission of creating a KINDer, healthier world, and has commitments toward sustainability and good nutrition across the planet. Check out their new KIND Almond Acres Initiative!
Nonalcoholic Drinks
I feel like a broken record writing about how much the nonalcoholic options I’ve discovered have improved my health for the better. Having a great replacement for alcohol means that I’m sleeping better, I’m less dehydrated, and I’m feeling my best. I do still drink alcohol, mostly when I’m away from home these days. It’s somewhat of a catch 22 because the fewer drinks I have the more alcohol has a negative effect when I do have some!
I love the Surely non-alcoholic brut, rosé and bubbly reds. And Athletic Brewing NA beers are so, so good! I’ve been seeing them more and more in restaurants. Check out my post all about the best nonalcoholic wines and beers, and why I’m drinking more NA beverages.
Sun Protection
I can not live without Beautycounter’s safer sun protection products. The face sunscreen (SPF 25) blends in seamlessly under my makeup, and the body mist (SPF 30) is a must for the entire family – all summer long.
I also love my Carve Designs Cruz Rashguard (size medium and it’s ON SALE!) for more protection on beach days. (Sidebar I am obsessed with their Bali shorts and have 2 more patterns coming in the mail for this summer! I wear a size medium.)
Here is the hat I bought last year that has been awesome for the beach (and isn’t too floppy!)
Gratisfied Bars
Gratisfied bars are made down the road from me in Richmond. They taste like someone baked them fresh in their kitchen and are made with all wholesome ingredients:
Ingredients: Sunflower Seed Butter, Organic Gluten Free Rolled Oats, Organic Honey, Organic Sunflower Seeds, Organic Unsweetened Shredded Coconut, Avocado Oil, Organic Coconut Sugar, Organic Cinnamon
Use code KATHEATS for 15% off.
Routine Probiotics
I eat plenty of yogurt and love kombucha, I want my GI tract to be in great shape at all times. Routine Probiotics is a high quality prebiotic + probiotic made especially for women. The brand keeps sustainability and minimal eco impact in mind. I have a post all about their probiotic for women here.
Splendid Spoon Smoothies
These smoothies are not inexpensive, so I don’t have them all the time, but they are a wonderful treat if you want to focus on nutrition! I like to ship a box of Splendid Spoon smoothies to anyone going through a challenging time, like surgery or postpartum recovery, since they are ready-to-drink and uber nutritious.
Our Peloton Bike
I’m missing our Peloton bike (and the best Peloton instructors) big time during our house renovation, as it’s a definite staple in my weekly fitness routine. While the classes are great, my favorite part about it is the convenience. Rainy day? Cold weather? Short on time? No excuses for a 20 minute ride! Thomas uses it, too!
I do need to get my bike tuned up and calibrated after we move back in. Does anyone has any experience with that?
Vitamix Blender
Vitamix recently sent me a housewarming gift – the Ascent series A3500, which is their latest and greatest edition of Vitamix, in the color white – to match our new kitchen! This is the one appliance that will be out on our kitchen counters : )
I have had my OG Vitamix for FOURTEEN years and it’s still going strong (I’m going to gift it to a friend who doesn’t have a blender).
All blenders can’t blend greens like it Vitamix can. I once made a spinach smoothie in a cheap blender on vacation, and I was chewing chunks of leaf! Vitamix is king of smoothies, and we use ours daily to make smoothies for kids and adults.
The Ascent series has one-touch program settings, including a clean itself button, a touch screen with timer, and sleek buttons. I love the slots on the sides for easy lifting and moving.
And it’s $100 off through Mother’s Day!
Daily Harvest
For quick weekday meals! What to put in the Vitamix? Instant smoothies of course! We always have a handful of Daily Harvest flatbreads and harvest bowls in the freezer for quick lunches. The ingredient lists are simple and straightforward, and they’re satisfying too! They even have oatmeal and chia bowls and delicious bites now plus grains mixed with seasonings and veggies for instant dinners – check out all the ways they can help you save time and eat healthier.
Use this link for up to $40 off your first box. You can mix and match products too!
What are some of your favorite wellness essentials?
You may also enjoy:
- 5 Pillars of Holistic Health
- My Daily Morning Routine
- Sustainable Swaps I’ve Made
- Thoughts On Living Greener
- Healthy Eating Habits + Patterns
KIND T&Cs: Take 20% off single purchases and first subscription orders with code KATHEATS at KINDsnacks.com. Valid only on kindsnacks.com. Discount will not be applied to recurring subscription orders. Excludes wholesale orders. Cannot be combined with other offers or promotions. In-stock product only. While supplies last. Offer is non-transferable, has no cash value and cannot be applied to previous purchases or the purchase of gift cards. Limit of one use of promotional code per customer. Void where prohibited by law. To redeem, use code KATHEATS in your Shopping Cart. Terms of offer are subject to change. Offer begins 5/5/2023. Offer ends on 12/31/2023 at 11:59PM PST.
Breyenne Carrier says
I’ve been looking for a good and trusted probiotic for SO long! I might just have to look into Routine!
Elisa says
Good topic to post on as we are entering almost the half year mark. It’s always nice to see how others take care of themselves. That’s cool Vitamix gifted you a new blender. I think that brand is worth the investment. I use mine to make hummus weekly and often make smoothies. I have a different model from yours, but it’s 4 years old and still strong.
Other wellness items I use often are: resistance bands in different weights, mini foam roller (easy to pack when traveling, yoga mat to bring to the gym, probiotics, sunscreen, and reusable shopping bags and water bottle (important to keep the Earth healthy too!)
Kath Younger says
Great list! I have a mini foam roller too – missing it at our other house!
Julie says
I’m going to check out those cute shorts, for sure!
I mainly just wanted to say that you do an excellent job of weaving sponsored content into a meaningful post that is enjoyable to read. A lot of times, when bloggers post sponsored content, I skip reading that day’s post. I completely understand the need for them from a financial standpoint, but, most of the time, they just don’t interest me. But, you have a way of truly making the sponsored content not feel like it is basically an ad. Just wanted to give you a little shoutout on that and thank you for all the time and thought that you put into your writing…:)
Kath Younger says
Thanks so much Julie <3
Jenn says
I’ve had my Peloton since 2017 so yes on the service question. You should have them come out and replace the bearings and the pedals.
Kath Younger says
Ok! I’ll look into it when we move back in. Hope it’s not too $$
Rachael says
Thanks for always talking up those non alcoholic options!! I quit drinking last year (after it was just making me feel bad after one drink!) and it’s so refreshing to be hearing more and more people discuss NA options and making it more mainstream
Kath Younger says
I have a new one for you to try! Wild AF sparkling rose. No fruit juice and zero sugar/calories!