Make time

Happy Thanksgiving! We’re grateful to have you here for another edition of Wellworthy, your go-to source for what’s new in health and wellness. 

This week:

• CorePower Yoga’s CEO shares her wellness non-negotiables.

• Why digital detoxes work (plus, tools for limiting screen time).

• A sleek new water filtration system designed to remove PFAs, lead, and microplastics.

• Plus, the best Black Friday deals from brands like Nike, Peloton, Hyperice, Oura, and more.

Let’s go!
- Ash Read and Joe Niehaus

Health Stack: Niki Leondakis

Each week, we tap into our network of health and fitness experts to offer personal insights and recommendations.

This week: Niki Leondakis. As CEO of CorePower Yoga, her schedule is always packed. But wellness remains non-negotiable.

Taking a "Minimum Required Practice" approach, Leondakis scales sessions from two-minute meditations to full workouts as time allows — blocking time on her calendar to fit everything in. 

Recently, she's added strength training to her yoga routine. "As I get older, I'm acutely aware of how important muscle is for longevity," she shares.

Here’s Niki to share her Health Stack:

• MUD\WTR: “I swear by my morning adaptogenic mushroom tea. When historically I would have relied on coffee to fuel me in the morning, I now turn to my adaptogenic tea to give me clarity of thought and sustained energy.”

• Oura Ring: “The Oura Ring has helped me be more aware and stay committed to my well-being. I love the readiness score — it’s such a great reminder to set myself up at night for a successful next day.”

• Tropical Oasis Mega Plus Liquid Multivitamin: “Because my diet is heavily plant-based, I want to ensure I’m getting enough nutrients. I like to supplement my diet with multivitamins.”

• Davidson’s Organics Ayurvedic Infusions Tea - Sleep: “Through my yoga studies, I discovered Ayurveda, a sister science to yoga. You can buy this in bulk as loose-leaf tea, so it’s really affordable.”

• WelleCo Evening Elixir: “If I’m craving something sweet before bed, this does the trick. It tastes like hot chocolate, but is a mushroom and botanical blend with cacao, and also has magnesium to help me sleep.”

• Truvani Protein Powder: “It can be challenging to find plant-based protein options. Truvani’s vanilla protein powder has 20g of protein per serving and only five ingredients, so it’s simple and I love the taste.”

Healthy eating, simplified: Get 50% off Factor

^{Presented by Factor.}

This Black Friday, enjoy 50% OFF Factor’s fully prepared meal delivery service — plus FREE shipping on your first box!

Factor makes eating well effortless. With 35 rotating, dietitian-designed meals and 60+ add-on options like smoothies, snacks, and juices, its ready-to-eat meal service offers convenience without compromising on flavor or nutrition.

Crafted by gourmet chefs and optimized by registered dietitians, Factor’s meals are fresh, never frozen, and made with premium ingredients. Each meal arrives fully prepared — just heat, and eat, with no prep or cleanup required.

Take advantage of Black Friday savings and let Factor take the hassle out of meal planning. Delicious, nutritious meals are just a click away!

Unplug

Too much screen time is taking a toll.

Hooked. "If we're being honest, most of us spend an unhealthy amount of time on our phones," says Myles Farmer, co-founder of sauna and ice bath studio Othership. Our devices are with us “from the moment we wake up until we go to sleep," he adds. 

Mind the gap. Constant connectivity comes at a price. Excessive tech use is linked to anxiety, sleep issues, ADHD symptoms, and musculoskeletal issues. Worse, doom-scrolling creates an addictive cycle that’s difficult to break.  

Break free. The good news? Unplugging offers immediate benefits like better sleep, improved creativity, and deeper social connections. As Harvard Medical School’s Michael Rich notes, "Boredom is the space in which creativity and imagination happen"– something we lose when staring at a screen.

Ready to disconnect? Try these tools: 

• Opal reduces screen time by gamifying focus.

• Brick locks you out of distracting apps to remove temptation.

• Endel creates personalized soundscapes for focus, relaxation, and deeper sleep.

• Light Phone offers minimalist phones with essential features like cameras and 5G – minus the addictive apps.

Find balance. Phone-free experiences are gaining popularity. Social wellness clubs like Othership and Sauna House ban phones to encourage human connection. As Farmer explains, "It's a liberating feeling, knowing you have designated time away from screens."

The bottom line: Technology can enrich—or disrupt—our lives. Take control by creating boundaries – designating phone-free zones, embracing analog moments, and prioritizing life beyond the screen.

Just Dropped: Cleaner water at home

Water filtration startup Rorra debuted its stainless steel Countertop System. The 2.5-gallon gravity-fed system uses proprietary Enfinity™ Filter technology to remove PFAs, lead, microplastics, and 50+ other contaminants, all verified through NSF testing.

The installation-free system produces 200 gallons of clean water per filter. Available in sleek stainless steel, the system retails at $399 with a $65 quarterly filter subscription. Reserve here.

More drops perfect for:

• Smarter snacking. Hims & Hers debuted meal replacement bars and shakes designed for GLP-1 medication users, packing 15-30g of protein and essential vitamins into cinnamon, peanut butter, and chocolate flavors. Learn more here.

• Musical meditation. FivePointFive launched its functional breathwork app syncing custom routines with popular music from Coldplay to Post Malone. The platform uses Apple Watch data to deliver personalized sessions targeting stress, sleep, and performance. Download for iPhone.

• Weather protection. Gorewear’s CONCURVE GORE-TEX LE1 Jacket is designed for all-weather running. Made from GORE-TEX’s new ePE fabric, it’s lighter and thinner than previous versions, and PFC-free. Add to cart.

• Immunune support. Physician-founded ARMRA released limited-edition Arctic Chai-flavored colostrum sticks, using proprietary BioPotent™ technology to preserve 400+ bioactive nutrients from grass-fed dairy. Subscribe here.

• Clean energy. Oasis launched with a natural energy blend combining green coffee, Guayusa leaf, and Alpha GCP for crash-free focus. The zero-calorie drink hit the market in Blue Raspberry, with two new flavors planned for early 2025. Order here.

• Muscle support. Creatine gummy brand Create unveiled a limited-edition Cinnamon Cider flavor. Each gummy contains 1.5g of creatine, with a suggested dosage of 2-3 gummies per day. Pick up a bag. 

Black Friday deals 

We’ve curated 30+ offers across fitness, recovery, nutrition, and more. Check out the full guide here or shop these quick picks: 

• Connected fitness brand Peloton is offering up to $800 off its bikes and treadmills.

• Gainful crafts protein, hydration, and pre-workout blends tailored to your fitness goals and needs. Get 50% off with code BF50.

• Stride combines testing, telehealth, and wellness support to optimize your health journey. Get 30% off sitewide.

• Premium activewear Rhone has 25% off everything and 30% off orders $300+.

• Ritual delivers science-backed, traceable supplements with third-party tested ingredients. It’s offering up to 40% off sitewide.

• Injoy analyzes your microbiome to deliver personalized gut health insights and actionable recommendations. Save 50% on Injoy’s gut health kits.

• Gummy brand Grüns packs 60 powerful nutrients into one formula, targeting common deficiencies for whole-body health. Get a pack for 52% off.

Today’s newsletter was brought to you by Joe Niehaus and Ash Read.

P.S. Hit reply to share your thoughts and feedback on this newsletter — we read every response.