☆ Editors travel staples, a hot take on grounding, AG1's glow up

This edition is brought to you by Bahé.

Hey lovely,

Jasmine here, Editor of Daily Rituals and back with your Wellness Dose.

As I’m writing this, I’ve just got back to my desk (& my 9-5) after a dreamy week in Montenegro. When it comes to holidays, I'm firmly in the overindulgence camp - give me all the snacks, sugar, carbs, and cocktails. That way, I'm actually excited to get back to my usual routine when I return, and it's nice to give in to the constant food noise I have, for once!

That said, I do have a few non-negotiable travel staples that keep me feeling human while living my best pasta & pizza-fueled life.

• These detox patches are surprisingly effective and take up zero carry on space - I wore one every night, especially after any drinks (and weirdly, my Oura scores stayed decent enough).

• This gut support tonic is my secret weapon when my digestive system realises it's not getting its usual nurturing care for some time, and bonus: it doesn't need to be refrigerated either.

• I never skip my morning beef marrow bone broth - that way, my holiday diet isn't 99% carbs.

• I also carry a hypochlorous acid spray on me at all times so I avoid catching anything on the plane & give my face a spritz during the day to keep potential breakouts at bay.

PS. our referral programme got a major facelift this week - did somebody say £10 Sephora gift cards with just 5 referrals?! You know what to do.

As always, thank you for being here. I'm so grateful for you. 

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It’s time to get down to earth

^{A HOT TAKE ON GROUNDING}

If you've been here a minute, you know I'm partial to digging into the data behind wellness trends. One that I initially felt was a little too woo? Grounding (or "earthing" if we're being fancy). The thought of ditching my shoes and planting my freshly pedicured feet in wet, (typically) muddy grass to "recharge" felt too tree-hugger, even for me - and I've tried a lot in the name of wellness.

Yet searches for grounding mats have skyrocketed 738% in the last 5 years, alongside the resurgence of other ancestral practices. Think beef tallow, bone broth, full-fat everything & raw cacao - the good stuff, the whole stuff. There's a growing sense that our ancestors already had things figured out pretty well, and honestly? I can get behind that.

★ WTF is grounding anyway?

Your body carries electrical charges - and that's not me getting deep talking about our "energy", it's actual science. Your nerve signals are electrical, your heart runs on electricity, and your cells generate and store voltage. Remember GCSE science when you connected a circuit to light a bulb? Ah, those were the days. Well, your body works similarly - your fluids contain charged ions (aka, electrolytes) that conduct electricity.

That's where grounding comes in.

Quick question, don't overthink it: when was the last time your bare feet touched actual earth? Not tarmac, not your kitchen floor - I'm talking sand, dirt, grass. For me, I realised it had been embarrassingly long. And suddenly, I craved it.

The concept is simple: grounding helps discharge excess electrical charge we accumulate from our modern environment (think electronics, synthetic clothes, and endless hours at the office under fluorescent lighting - ew). It's essentially reconnecting our body's electrical system with the earth's natural frequency - something we evolved doing for thousands of years before synthetic rubber-soled shoes became the norm.

★ The benefits? 

Studies point to reduced inflammation (the villain behind countless modern ailments) as the main perk, which was enough to get me interested. "Vitamin G" apparently also tackles oxidative stress, boosts immune function, improves circulation and sleep quality, and could even help regulate blood glucose. All from simply reconnecting with the earth beneath us? For free?

I was skeptical too, but the science is intriguing enough to have me (nearly) scheduling a barefoot park walk into my calendar. The issue? Well, aside from likely getting sectioned, the weird looks & it not being particularly on brand, the less-than-ideal UK weather had me eyeing up alternatives.

★ The (realistic) options

For me, there were a few obvious contenders: grounding sheets, a mat, or shoes. My boyfriend vetoed the sheets (plugging our bed into the wall was a hard no), and the mat failed the logistics test (not enough outlets, potential extension cord chaos).

That left the shoes. When you search for "grounding shoes," most options look like something you’d wear to a woodland fairy retreat with crystals around your neck. So, when I discovered Bahé, I immediately reached out. They've created grounding shoes you'd willingly wear in public and get bonus points for using vegan and plant-based materials (like their 72% corn-based foam footbed or 5% sugar cane-infused midsole) to create a high performance trainer with low environmental impact.

The DR Verdict →

I chose the Recharge Runner in Eclipse - water resistant (should I ever attempt trail running, FYI - hasn’t happened yet), with a chic black speckled sole that won me over. The minimal branding and built-in probiotic odour control have made them a staple in my daily hot girl walk.

Lab-tested to have the same conductivity as our bare tootsies, these deliver grounding benefits without the judgmental looks. I recently went for an acupuncture appointment at Pricc (100% recommend - I’d quite like to move in there), and not only was the lovely acupuncturist telling me I ought to be grounding, she was in awe when I told her my Bahé Runners were doing exactly that.

My only regret was not sizing up - my size 6's are a little tighter than I'd usually go for, so I haven't run in them yet. I do wear them every day on my walks, and my Oura ring tells me I'm pretty de-stressed afterwards. That's likely a combo of simply getting outside and the grounding effect, but I'm all for an easy habit stack that means I'm taking my steps grounded.

The best news? The Bahé team have kindly given me a link to share with you, that'll give you ££ off their full range here. Plus, RECHARGE20 takes even more off my favourites Runners for a limited time.

PS, thank you for supporting our sponsors.

The best stories & updates that caught our eye this week →  

• 🌱 An AG1's glow up: After 8 years, AG1 dropped their updated formula (AG1 Next Gen) with five clinical probiotic strains and enhanced vitamins. If you're already an AG1 subscriber, congrats - it's a free upgrade (well, minus the £79 p/m sub you're already paying). Admittedly, it's good to see them not resting on their $1.2 billion laurels, since they could probably keep the formula as is and continue their greens domination.

• 🥹 Faith restored: This is the most wholesome thing you’ll see today.

• 👟 The spa for your feet: Created for athletes to support their warm up & recovery, the new Nike x Hyperice foot rehab shoe launching this month comes complete with built-in heat and air-compression massage. Testers said the shoes left them feeling lighter & less stiff, and frankly, we'd quite like a pair. Forget the athletes, have you ever been in the underground in heels? Priorities.

• 🔬 The fountain of youth: Scientists boosted the naturally-occurring Klotho protein in mice and the result? They extended lifespans by 15-20% with just one dose. Human trials are probably some time away, but we'd bet our entire supplement cabinet that Bryan Johnson will be watching closely.

• 📱 File under - no surprises there: In a new study, 91% of people felt better after blocking internet access for 2 weeks. We’re guessing the other 9% that didn't were influencers. Seriously, the hard part isn't knowing a phone break helps - it's doing it while still functioning in society, but let this be your sign to check your screen time this week.

• 🏃‍♀️ Sweat in the city: These London studio’s are offering free classes this month.

• 🩸 Oura updates: For the US girlies, that is. Oura just announced its launch with Dexcom to give users a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) to connect everything within the app. We're patiently waiting for the tech to be integrated into the ring itself (and to launch in the UK..). Meals also officially launched (after being in beta mode) to complement the Dexcom launch - simply snap a picture of your food to get estimated nutritional information without the admin of tracking.

• 👃 Nose strips, (slightly) elevated: Dream Recovery spent 2 years creating nose strips that increase airflow by 33% and somehow look mildly presentable for public athletic wear. Admittedly, we've no clue how they compare to regular plaster-style strips, but aesthetic improvement noted. Now if they could just create a clear (& smaller) version, they’d dominate the Hyrox girly market. 

• 🏛️ A Greek getaway: One on our radar, the Nao Longevity hub is opening at the dreamy Minos Palace Resort in Crete this month, firmly placing Greece on the luxury wellness map. Their spaces make you feel calmer just looking at them (even via a screen), and their "science meets soul" method offers programmes from 1 to 14 days or an à la carte treatment menu for those (ourselves included) who'd like to try a bit of everything and leave looking like a teenager again. 

• ⌚ Whoopsies: New WHOOP models (5.0 and Medical Grade) just dropped with 14-day battery life (up from 5) and tecchy features like ECG and blood pressure insights, but not everyone's happy. Existing customers aren't getting the upgrades despite promises of "free updates forever”. If you’re considering the new upgrade, unless you’ve got a heart condition you won’t get much benefit from the more expensive Medical Grade model, go for the 5.0 on the Peak membership.

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