Movement Practice 

You know what they say: mi pine es supine. Today, Lindsay works through a series of supine stretches to help unwind tight glutes from long bouts of sitting. 

Holistic Health Deep Dive

On Day 1 we spoke about what stress is and what it can do to the body, and why in this 14-day challenge, we’re optimizing focus, energy and productivity by tackling stress. 

When it comes to the daily Superblend practice component of the Reset, we said that consistent use of adaptogens helps our body adapt to, and resist the effects of stress. Since consistency is crucial in order to experience these benefits, let’s double-click on that.

Why consistency? Let’s use an analogy to demonstrate.

Exercise: whether you’re weight training, running or practicing yoga, you don’t get stronger, faster or better doing any of these activities only once a week – these benefits build over time with consistent practice. Moreover, if you stop exercising, you’ll eventually lose any gains that you made.

Adaptogens: similarly, reaping adaptogens’ stress-fighting benefits requires consistent use, as these benefits compound in the body over time. And as these benefits don't have a "memory function", regular use is required to maintain the body’s adaptive state.

This is why we’ve structured the Reset as a 14-day program. It’s often said that it takes around 2 weeks to create a new habit, and that “habit stacking” – tacking a new practice onto something you already do every day – makes habit creation more effective. We all eat and drink every day, so by incorporating your adaptogenic Superblend practice into your daily meals, you’re setting yourself up for adaptogen habit success!

Consistency is super important. But I’d also like to leave you with 3 more ingredients that are required for an effective adaptogen and stress fighting practice:

1. Quality matters – it’s important to look for adaptogens that are safe and grown in a way that maintains optimal levels of their active compounds. You’ll also want to stick with supplements (such as JOYÀ Superblends and Functional Chocolates), since unlike food products, supplements are required to be 3rd party lab tested for toxins and contaminants.
2. Quantity matters – adaptogens work when used in doses that deliver effective amounts of their active compounds. Beware of food products labeled as containing adaptogens, as doses are not specified on their labels (and often, neither is whether the ingredient used is a whole ground herb or a more potent, concentrated extract). Supplement labels, on the other hand, specify the form of the ingredient and the dose per serving.
3. Adaptogens are not a replacement for the foundations of health – these powerful botanicals can help us live a healthier life, but they’re not a panacea, and can’t compensate for abusive behavior, including poor diet, or lack of sleep or exercise.