It’s a sad year when you’re so busy, you forget your own blogiversary. But it’s a happy one when the reason you do so is because you are about to give birth to a whole new creature!
Yes, mid-April marked 5 YEARS of this site, something that I had hoped to celebrate with a big giveaway for all of you who’ve made this virtual house feel like a home over the last half decade.
Hopefully a few weeks late is better than never! Because today also marks exactly 1 WEEK until The Wellness Project book hits stores. And I’ve got a whole lotta sweet swag from my year of health to celebrate.
One of the reasons I started The Wellness Project was to try to figure out what products are actually worth the money we spend on them. For years I felt like I was bleeding green on everything from foam rollers to green juice to magnetic back braces.
My experiments were designed to cut the fat and focus on the bigger picture. But of course, I also acquired lots of awesome things along the way. Below is a list of some of those much-loved items (many of which are mentioned by name in the book), and a little bit on how they fit into my wellness journey.
I am choosing a grand total of 50 Winners for this giveaway. Each person will receive one of the below prizes. Needless to say, in these parts, the odds are forever in your favor 🙂
To enter, simply send your pre-order receipt for The Wellness Project book to: [email protected] (you’ll also get the free e-calendar). And feel free to request the item you most want. I’ll do my best to accommodate, but be warned, there are only 2 squatty pottys! You can order the book at the following retailers:
Amazon / Barnes and Noble / iTunes / McNally Jackson
I’ll be choosing winners at 8pm EST on May 15th!
Let the countdown begin!
Xoxo
Phoebe
If you are not familiar with this fantastic toilet extension from Shark Tank, or from having used the facilities at my apartment, let me educate you. According to science, we’d all be better off pooping as we did in the old days, squatting over an open hole in the ground with no stacks of Us Weekly magazines nearby. Luckily, this position can be recreated while still using your modern toilet thanks to the wonderful Squatty Potty! The platform raises your knees, opens the colon and gets your intestines into the proper position for evacuation. I acquired one during Eater’s Digest month of The Wellness Project and have officially become addicted to it and can never go back.
One of the first experiments I did for my year of wellness was eliminate sugar for 30 days, which had an insane effect on my skin. Since then I’ve mostly kept refined sugar out of the house and use raw honey as my (occasional) sweetener of choice. In its unprocessed form, honey was used in ancient remedies for its anti-inflammatory and anti-fungal qualities. Just remember not to heat it if you want to retain them. I keep a stockpile of Wedderspoon’s various organic, medicinal grade Manuka honeys and use them in my tea once it’s cooled slightly, or for a little extra sweetness in overnight oats or chia pudding.
When I started my transition to natural beauty a few years ago, it was such a different process than it is today thanks to amazing stores like Follain who have created brick and mortar boutiques dedicated to these products. They’ve also made online shopping for natural beauty brands that much easier by allowing you to take a little skin quiz to get you started. I am SO excited to be joining the team at their Beacon Hill store for the Boston launch party of The Wellness Project! In the meantime, you can see two of my favorite makers they carry here and here.
Big Spoon Roasters Ginger Almond Butter
If you subscribe to my newsletter, you’ve no doubt read my Better Breakfast Starter Guide and heard me evangelize starting your day the right way with a high fiber low sugar breakfast. One way I’ve kept fruit smoothies in my diet is by adding lots of fiber to them with spoonfuls of seeds and dollops of nut butter. Big Spoon Roasters is the real deal. Their nut butters are quite literally hand roasted (Mark still does every batch himself!) with love and care. His flavor combinations are insane. The almond ginger is my favorite and I love using it in the Raw Gingerbread Cookie Ball recipe from the Green Beauty chapter of the book.
I’m a big believer in eating lacto-fermented foods every day for good gut health. But if you’re facing an extreme extinction (like during frequent antibiotic courses) or are always on the go, you can use a little help from the supplement aisle. Ashley Harris, founder of LoveBug Probiotics, is part of the autoimmune community and created her brand after bottled bugs saved her own health. They are truly some of the best I’ve found, and made with all the love advertised on the label, as well as LOTS of industrious bugs.
Bobble Infuse Water Bottle
Perhaps the area where I bought the most products was in the name of hydration!! If it weren’t for my portable water bottle, I wouldn’t drink even close to half my body weight in ounces of water a day. Bobble bottles have the added bonus of letting me infuse flavors (like mint leaves and fresh ginger) into my boring H20. You can also use a filter!
One of my mentors in the book, who offered so much wisdom around my hormone health, was Alisa Vitti. Her protocol for designing your life around your cycle was such an eye-opener for me, and something that has forever changed how I look at my weekly diet, exercise and social choices. Though it wasn’t available yet during my year of wellness, she recently launched a new app, My Flo, and I’m obsessed. It not only lets you track your period, but gives you nuggets of wisdom for how to tailor your life to your cycle. And it lets you schedule your intentions! She’s giving away 10 free downloads as part of this bundle of wellness.
Seventh Generation Home Cleaning Products
After my natural beauty transition, the next step was to tackle my home cleaning supplies. I’ve always put my trust in Seventh Generation for unscented non-toxic counter cleaners, dishwasher soap, and equally important, laundry detergent! This prize will include a small bundle of these items in their Powerful Clean Non-Toxic Formula, with zero fragrances or dyes.
LOLA Tampons (One Month Subscription)
A dispatch from The Wellness Project’s Healthy Hedonist Tips section: Don’t stick toxic substances in your cooch! Ingredients get absorbed through the vagina even quicker than the skin because there’s no barrier for protection, and disrupting the delicate vaginal ecosystem can also make you more susceptible to STD’s. Always opt for organic, chemical-free tampons. My current favorite is LOLA, not only because they’re made with 100 percent organic cotton, because they offer a subscription service that prevents me from having to run down the street to CVS while bleeding into my black granny panties!
Lastly, my other obsession from hydration month were these Kishu Japanese charcoal filters. These thin, porous logs look like something you pull out of a campfire, but they are surprisingly good at absorbing impurities. Activated charcoal bonds with toxins on a molecular level, and it’s the material used in most carbon block filtration systems. Even your trusty Brita uses granulated charcoal, hence the black bits at the bottom of your glass when the filter is on its last leg! Having the whole solid charcoal stick is a more eco-friendly alternative. They last for up to six months, fit nicely in a carry-on back, and once retired from their water filtration duties, can find a second life absorbing the odors in your stinky fridge. They are also a great conversation starter in a carafe of water on your dinner table!
Remember, to enter the wellness swag pre-order giveaway simply:
- Pre-order The Wellness Project Book from one of these retailers: Amazon / Barnes and Noble / iTunes / McNally Jackson
- Email a copy of your receipt to: [email protected]
- (Optional) Indicate which item you most want (I’ll do my best to accommodate!)
I’ll be choosing all 50 winners at 8pm EST on May 15th!
Congrats on the book and congrats and the blogaversary!!
thank you Cara!!