Is it worth the hype?! 5 popular wellness habits tried and tested.

If you are anything like me you will see loads of different suggestions for how to feel better...from supplements & saunas to naked sunbathing. How do we know which to do without breaking the bank (and running out of time in the day)?

I have tried some of them out for you (not the naked sunbathing one yet...but maybe watch this space). Here are my reviews of 5 wellness habits:

1. Meditation

   On this one I might be biased as I already have a meditation practice but this one gets a YES from me. The benefits of meditation are multiple (increased gratitude, lower cortisol levels, more even moods, and even a reduction in lower back pain (yes, that one is true due to increase in nitrous oxide in your tissues meaning your connective tissue is smoother!). It can be tricky though, with most people thinking that they can't do it or it's boring. If you want to give this a try come along to my monthly meditation class and see how you feel after it. You can find out more here.

   
   

2. Facial Gua sha

   This one also gets a big thumbs up from me. I was initally sceptical of just how good this was this as it seems to be a social media fad BUT waking up and doing a facial massage routine with a cool gua sha tool gives me a fresh feeling, reduces puffiness and genuinely made me feel more awake. I sometimes incorporate this into my facial massage and have a giant gua sha tool for body massage too. It's great for improving lymphatic flow and smoothing connective tissue.

   
   

3. Mushroom coffee

   Mushroom coffee is touted as having several benefits including mood regulation, immunity boosting and general wellbeing enhancement. I tried this for 30 days using a couple of products, including lions's mane and reishi mushrooms. I really wanted to feel a boost from this and hoped to replace my daily coffee with a 'better' blend. Unfortunately I have yet to be convinced that it made a big difference. If your experience is different let me know. I love fungi, they are essential to life and a healthy planet as well as being a great metaphor for the importance of connection and show how smart and community minded the natural non-human world is - but so far I am not seeing benefits. I'd love to hear from you if you have had more success with this!

   
   

4. Forest bathing

   I love how full on hippy this sounds but the benefits of being in forests, surrounded by trees have been researched and show that the microspores that we breathe in really do give us benefits. Spending time in nature always makes me feel better, mentally and physically so YES, I'm in with this one too.

   
   

5. Nasal irrigation (neti)

   Ok so this one was one I was forced into having had some issues with deafness and swimmers ear. I was diagnosed with eustacian tube dysfunction (basically my ears don't unblock and it is like being on a airplane - not much fun) and advised to use a sinus rinse daily. This has been amazing. It has made a HUGE difference to my ears and breathing. Warning - it is not very pleasant although you do get used to it. There are cautions on this one as you must make sure that you use sterilised water and follow guidance carefully (also don't use water that is too hot - your nostrils are sensitive to heat!) but this one also has the seal of approval from my daughter who tried it out due to having a nasty cold. She didn't love the experience but said it worked well and she felt much better afterwards! Want to try this - get in touch for more recommendations.

   
   
   
   

   All bodies are different so if your experience is different, or you want to add any comments or suggestions please drop me a line at charlottelattin.wellbeing@gmail.com.