On "The State of Wellness"

My unfiltered thoughts on the idea of ~being well~ as a functional medicine nutritionist and someone who's been in this space for 10+ years.

This is something I’ve wanted to write about for a while now and this Substack feels like the perfect place to lay it all out.

I’m a functional medicine nutritionist, but many of you likely view me as a “wellness influencer” too. 

But the thing is, wellness is nuanced. It can (and should) look different to everyone. 

For me, how I choose to be well now as a mom about to turn 40 is very different than when I was living in New York City in my 20s or even 3 years ago before I had Leena.

We’re constantly bombarded to buy x product or hop on a new viral trend that’s going to give us glowing skin, a flat stomach, and balanced hormones for bounding energy.

It’s no wonder we’re so confused as women re what’s actually good for us. 

To be perfectly honest, I do follow a lot of practices — like collagen and mushroom tinctures in my coffee, laying on my PEMF mat, dry brushing, and magnesium mocktails.

I like trying what’s new to the market and feel a responsibility to vet things for you. But, it has to make sense for what my body needs in the moment, actually *work*, and easily fit into my daily flow too. 

Wellness is meant to inspire us to feel good, take a much needed moment for ourselves, and promote optimal health — all great things! But we get so caught up in the newest, shiniest “it” item that’s going to fix all our problems that we forget about the basics. 

No amount of ARMRA colostrum or sea moss gel is going to heal your gut if you’re not chewing your food. Just like no amount of progressive overload training is going to help you shed fat and build muscle if your hormones are in the tank.

So what are the takeaways I want to share today? 

My thoughts and opinions on The State of Wellness?

Let’s dig in.

First and foremost, about the basics.

I get a lot of DMs on my instagram account about supplements and products. I also see laundry lists of supplements when going through my 1:1 client health histories — and more often than not when I ask why they’re taking Nutrafol for hair growth (you too?), it’s because they saw it on social media or their friend was taking it and said they should too.

But then, when we get into the nitty gritty or things I learn they’re stressed beyond belief, not eating full meals, and have suboptimal thyroid function. Which all can cause thinning hair. It’s not a vitamin marketed for hair growth that they need — it’s focusing on basic nutrition, lifestyle, and wellness habits first. 

We underestimate the basics.

Things like eating real food (enough of it!), sitting and enjoying our meals, getting morning sunlight, taking a walk, calling a friend to catch up, going to bed at a decent hour, or simply sitting in silence with a cup of tea.

They’re not necessarily exciting, and there’s no marketing agency promoting sunlight or chewing, but they’re the foundation. If you’re bypassing these, you’re missing the mark.

Not a competition.

I fell into this trap too when I was first getting into the buzzy wellness world in my late-20s. Everyone is doing the next, newest thing and we feel FOMO if we’re not doing it too.

You’re trying the new sauna place that opened down the street? I bought the unlimited pass! Oh, you went to HIIT pilates 3x this week? I changed my schedule to make it a fourth! Or, your friend just started adding creatine to their smoothie to help with building muscle mass and now you feel like you have to add it too. 

Another way to look at it? Let’s say you’re really proud of your new morning routine where you wake-up an extra 30 minutes early to do a quick sculpt workout and shower in peace before the kids wake-up. But then your friend (or an influencer on social) shares their routine of getting up an hour earlier so that they can also get into their cold plunge and meditate for 20 minutes. 

All of a sudden, you feel inadequate even though what you’re doing is a huge feat given your hectic schedule. Your wellness routine counts just as much as hers or anyone else’s. Because it’s what works for YOU and makes you feel GOOD starting out your day.

Shouldn’t be stressful.