We missed you last month! We decided to take a month away from our email blasts while traveling and recharging in beautiful El Salvador. Allison also held a small women’s wellness retreat, so it was a busy February! She is hosting a Wild Womxn’s Yoga Retreat this May with Paisley. It is almost half full so please do not wait on this!
This Month’s Resources
Grounding Shoes
Do you remember our email about earthing/grounding back in August 2022? If not, you can find it here. Earthing is the simple practice of having direct skin contact with the Earth’s surface (grass, dirt, rocks, ocean, sand, etc.) by walking barefoot, sitting, or lying on the ground outside. Maintaining a connection to the earth we call home is vital for our overall health and well-being, and research suggests that a disconnection from environmental rhythms may be a major contributor to physiological dysfunction and unwellness. Free electrons from the Earth help to re-balance your body, stabilize it’s bio-electrical system, and fight free radicals. The stream of electrons work as anti-inflammatory, pain-relieving, anti-aging antioxidants — squelching inflammation, all day long.
From a scientific perspective, the idea is that the earth has a mild negative charge to it. Over time, especially in modern life, our bodies build up a positive charge. Direct contact with the earth can even out this positive charge and return the body to a neutral state. When you spend all day indoors or wear rubber-soled shoes outdoors, you are never grounded (in sync with Earth’s charge). Unfortunately, it is difficult to go barefoot at all times! We knew grounding shoes existed and recently learned about RHIZALs which have a pure 100% copper plug which goes through the sole of the shoe. Your foot is making contact with the copper, and the copper is making contact with the ground. The natural leather sole is fairly conductive on its own as it is a biologically native material. The copper plug creates an undeniable connection. While they are designed to be worn without socks, you will still be grounded with most socks (especially if natural materials, and if you’re even slightly sweating). So you can protect your feet but still get the benefits of reducing inflammation, lowering stress, improving sleep, decreasing fatigue, and more. RHIZAL’s goal is to reconnect you with your feet, and your feet with the Earth. They also have a wide toe box (giving your toes the space they need), no raised heel, a flexible sole to be able to feel the ground, and they are perfect for natural foot movement. Use the code AY108 at checkout for 10% off. Learn more about the founder of RHIZAL and their story here.
Earth Runners might be a good choice if you like sandals better! They were created to “rewild” our lives in response to the typical modern domesticated lifestyle, which is causing numerous health, psychological and social issues. Through rewilding they aim to bring stronger, healthier, and more resilient individuals and communities back to our society. These sandals are also grounding shoes that have a copper plug like the RHIZALs. Earth Runners aspire to restore our relationship with nature and to rediscover our primal roots and their mission is to help recover our connection with nature and reestablish healthy physical and biological functions. We are lucky enough to have gotten a discount code with them too! Use the same code, AY108, at checkout for 10% off.
Learn more about earthing, the benefits, when to do it, and when not to do it here. There is also a very informative documentary called The Earthing Movie that you can find here. There is a shortened version (called Down To Earth) that is only 15-minutes which we have shared below.
Benefits of Butter
Yes, REAL, grass-fed butter (not fake butter with seed oils like canola oil, soybean oil, rapeseed oil, etc.). Butter is a health food! Butter contains fat soluble vitamins like:
- Vitamin D
- Vitamin E
- Vitamin A
- Vitamin K2 (which has been associated with lower rates of cardiovascular disease)
It contains healthy fats like stearic acid (a saturated fatty acid which is associated with weight loss, satiety, and improved mitochondrial function). Butter is also a good source of butyrate or butyric acid (associated with dampening inflammation in the gut and used to treat people with inflammatory bowel diseases). Oh, and it can lower your risk for cardiovascular disease! Learn about butter being good for your brain here.
Local to northeast Ohio? We have been loving Minerva Dairy’s butter. They are a 6 generation dairy farm that has been making butter for over 125 years! They are actually America’s oldest family-owned creamery. We also love Hartzler’s butter which is another farm local to Ohio. They are another family-centered business that we know and love!
Wellness Consulting
Did you know that Optimal Wellness offers wellness consultations? A wellness consultation, with Allison or Andrew, is a 45-50 minute, one-on-one session that includes, but is not limited to: lifestyle, goals, light, holistic health approaches, fitness counseling, nutrition counseling, longevity, and how to live a happy and healthy life. Each consultation will be individualized and will assist you with finding the motivation and tools to get to your very best physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. You will receive a detailed follow-up email within 5-7 business days with a compilation of everything we talked about during your consultation. The email will include resources, research, videos, podcasts, and other content that could be relevant or helpful for anything you shared. Each session is $99. You will also be given 6 months free of our Yoga Subscription ($72 value in itself!). If you have questions or are in interested in learning more about wellness consulting please do not hesitate to reach out.