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Can we all agree to stop conflating wellness with products, please?
Source: My own screenshots of @bonberi's Instagram Stories
Something both the wellness industry and the holiday season have in common is an obsession with products. The Season of Giving is mistakenly conflated with the season of buying; self-care is mistakenly conflated with having the 'right' products.
In an era where influencers and celebrities can capitalize on sharing the products they use, this focus is easy to normalize. "What is your skincare routine?" "What product can't you leave home without?" "What are you gifting to everyone this year?" While I love a powerful, innovative product as much as anyone, being well cannot be bottled or boxed. Wellness is a verb.
In anticipation of the holiday season's emphasis on gifts, objects, and expectations, I want to draw attention on the people in the public eye that make me feel well. Here, I highlight four wellness influencers who keep me fit, fed, and fly.
Bonberi Bonberi is a wellness brand created by Nicole Berrie, a wellness influencer who shares her recipes, interviews, and body positivity resources on Bonberi.com. A wellness entrepreneur, she started Bonberi Bodega, a health-food pop-up shop and cafe in New York City. It’s enjoyed success and even collaborated with the clothing company Madewell. What I like about her recipes is that they introduce ways of increasing flavor without increasing fat. As someone whose stomach is sensitive to too much fat, her use of miso instead of olive oil in a salad dressing or zucchini, broccoli, and cauliflower in a pesto instead of cheese or nuts is much appreciated. She is a strong proponent of finding body love through intuitive eating. She reminds her followers that she eats what works for her and reminds us that this is not for anyone but herself. Unlike many wellness influencers, she does not demonize a certain category of foods, such as gluten. In an era of vegan vs paleo vs keto diets, this has given me the agency to explore what works and doesn’t for me and empower others to do so as well.
Source: Hatch.com
Source: @bonberionbleeker
Erin Ireland Erin Ireland is a vegan advocate and owner of To Die For Foods in Vancouver, BC. On her website, It’s To Die For, and on her Instagram she develops recipes and adapts them in real time. For example, after sprinkling ample nutritional yeast on a cumin-spiced stew in her story, she quickly and hilariously advised her viewers that it was not a delicious combination. Her mantra is, “anything you can eat, I can eat vegan.” She is a fierce animal rights advocate, sharing stories from those in the meat industry, testimonies from nutrition studies, links to environmental organizations, and tips on how to feed children a balanced vegan diet. I appreciate that she’s given me the resources to educate myself, the vocabulary to speak about my dietary, environmental, and ethical choices, and the inspiration to practice this with my time (cooking for myself) and money (eating out).
Source: JillianHarris.com
Source: @erinireland
Blogilates Cassey Ho is the fitness instructor behind mega-influencer brand, Blogilates. First things first, her videos are effective. Through a mix of pop music, pilates moves, and her infectious energy, she makes solo workouts motivating. She is also an incredibly talented producer with an impressive variety of workouts, sets, outfits, and graphics. I appreciate how she strikes a balance between pushing her viewers to love their bodies no matter where they are in their fitness journey while simultaneously pushing them to do the more challenging variation of a move. I am a huge fan of her series, “28-Day Summer Sculpt Challenge” and “Bridal Bootcamp” for being especially challenging and posture-improving.
Source: Blogilates.com
Fightmaster Yoga Yogi instructor Leslie Fightmaster is as badass as her name suggests, despite the soothing voice she uses to guide her viewers. Leslie is strong, extraordinarily knowledgeable about many types of yoga, and a true proponent of body positivity. Her tagline is, “Fightmaster Yoga, where it’s not about the pose and you don’t have to be perfect.” Her videos range from soothing stretches to vigorous vinyasas. Somehow, Leslie finds a way to get me to let go, each and every class, because she’s an expert at connecting the breath, body, and mind. Every session, she uses the shivasana (or resting / corpse pose) to share an inspiring quote. I love this because it gently gives my thoughts a focal point, which deepens my meditation. However, what makes her stand out is her closing: “We’ll put our hands to our forehead to have clear and loving thoughts, hands to our heart to have clear and loving intentions, and hands to our forehead for clear and loving communications. Sending this wonderful energy we’ve created to all beings everywhere: namaste.”
Source: Facebook