Cover Photo: @Kristina_at_home
Do you need a good reason to start incorporating wellness habits into your life? We can give you 8. Since ethical brands have been on the rise in recent years, putting in the effort to make wise choices every day has become a trend—and it’s definitely one we can get on board with. We can no longer make excuses because healthy alternatives are now at our fingertips everywhere we go, and we can actively make sure wellness becomes the focus point of all daily activities.
So why is it important? Long-time readers know that we boast about a healthy mind and body whenever we can. When you fuel your body and soul with great food, energy, and positive surroundings, it will repay you. Today we’re focusing on how you can do that naturally, after being inspired by our attendance at the Toronto’s Wellness Market. Doctor Erica Arcuri and co-founder and holistic health practitioner Natalie Kehren encourage self-care and healthy well-being in all aspects of life—and we love the event vendors they’ve aligned their brand with. In this article, we want to share a few of our favourites, along with other wellness habits that will not only benefit you but will help you take part in caring for our precious planet as well.
Start From Within
One of the most important steps you can take in developing healthy habits is to make sure your physical health is in good shape. When you start to see and feel a difference, you’ll want to maintain those habits—because they actually work. A great example of a brand that can help you get started is Well BYND.
“Well BYND is a wellness space and community of health junkies who are curious about self-development, health & wellness, spiritually, and entrepreneurship. They offer one-on-one Naturopathic consultations, have an on-site skincare specialist and host intimately curated events & workshops!" -Dr. Erica Arcuri
The focus on hormones and gut health is still under-appreciated, and Well BYND (IG: @wellbynd) helps educate on their importance, along with providing tips for skin rejuvenation. If you attended the Wellness Market this year, make sure to follow up with these ladies.
Choose Natural Products
While we’re on the topic of showing your body some love, clean products are the way to go when you want to focus on leading a more natural lifestyle. Whether it’s hair, makeup, or skincare you’re looking for, you can count on finding your perfect product at The Spa Truck. It’s actually a super cool mobile spa with relaxing treatments totally worth a try, and they also encourage using sustainable, cruelty-free products as part of their service. They’ll help you find exactly what you’re looking for and show you how to use it. Another Wellness Market win.
Replace Afternoon Coffee With Natural Energy Boosters
Avoid the caffeine crash and replace your afternoon coffee with something a little more sustainable. Drink Raiz makes delicious coconut milk super drinks using adaptogens—adaptogens are a naturally occurring substance that have been used in Ancient Chinese Medicine and Indian Ayurvedic Medicine for centuries due to their immune-boosting effect that also helps us normalize and adapt to stress in order to overcome it. Instead of grabbing a coffee full of sugar and working straight through stress, Drink Raiz aims to naturally prevent that negative cycle from being part of your routine.
Choose Ethical Fashion Brands
Fast fashion might still be very much alive, but if you’re trying to shop mindfully, you might want to think about shopping with sustainable brands. Instead of indulging every few weeks in “cheaply” made clothing intended for short term use, choose ethical brands that use less water and way less harmful chemicals in their dye and finishing processes. The plus is that clothes will last longer because they’re made to be durable, and in turn you would be helping the environment and producing less waste when you invest in a piece with a longer life cycle. Some of our favourite brands like Levi’s and Everlane have moved towards sustainable production practices, but we’re also fans of Canadian brands on the rise such as Toronto’s Preloved and Jennifer Glasgow Design in Montréal.
Surround Your Space With Beauty
The sooner you can create a soothing, positive, and beautiful environment around you, the better you’ll feel in your surroundings every day. A minor change can make all the difference, and in this case, we’re talking about dressing up your bedroom, office, and anywhere you spend the most time in with some fun décor. Check out local Toronto artists at the Art of Marina vendor this year at the Wellness Market. Marina handprints all her designs—in her collection you can expect to find prints to frame, intention cards, pillows, and even the most gorgeous kimonos. Support a local artist and make your space more inviting so you can peacefully coexist with your surroundings. The plus: you’re buying from an individual and not a company that mass produces paper!
Make Time To Move
This needs to be on every wellness list, because you can’t heal internally and externally without allowing your body to sweat out toxins and stretch out those stressed areas. We love Oxygen Yoga, Pilates classes at Core Studio, or a good boxing session at DROP. You can even do at home exercises if you don’t want to leave the comfort of your home, but it’s important to turn your preferred form of exercise into a habit.
Vitamins To Keep You On Top
Vitamins are essential in keeping our body functioning at its optimal health, so it’s critical that we consume the necessary vitamins daily. They help us function better, and nobody wants to pay regular visits to the doctor because of a vitamin deficiency. Most people don’t get enough vitamins from eating 3 meals a day, which is why we love the idea of VTMN Packs. VTMN Packs is another great Canadian brand, specializing in personalized vitamin subscriptions! It’s a great idea if you’re looking for something catered just for you—and to have it all in one place delivered to your door every month? They give you the option to build your own pack or simply fill out a questionnaire in order for them to create a vitamin pack that is unique to your needs. One of our favourite vendors that showcased at the Wellness Market!
Practice No Waste Grocery Shopping
The last habit is one that takes lots of practice (unless you’re someone who has easily perfected this, and if so please share your tips and tricks!). We try our best to buy just the groceries we need for the week, and actually eat everything in our fridge and cupboard before buying more food. We’re guilty of it too, so don’t feel bad when you have to throw away those soggy vegetables in your drawer.
But—you should start feeling a little bad because the goal here is to practice no waste shopping! When we shop, we tend to head straight to the produce section and spend most of our time there. A quick stop by the fridge is also necessary and a must when it comes to getting in all our nutrients! The objective at the grocery store is to keep it natural and avoid most packaged goods, so if possible we try not to walk through the snack aisles. This way we’ll be forced to eat the produce we purchase and it brings us one step closer to reducing unnecessary food waste.
Pro tip: we always keep canvas tote grocery bags on hand, and we love these reusable mesh produce bags for fruits and veggies. No more plastic waste!
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