📝 Editors Note
I appreciate a good routine.
I live on the east coast but work west coast hours, which gives me the benefit of long mornings. I try to take advantage by doing an hour long “family walk” to preschool drop-off. This is my favorite part of the day.
Recently, I’ve been trying to get back into a better sleep routine. At night the west coast work hours work against me, so I’m realizing I need to be very diligent about:
Charging my phone out of reach: if not, I tend to use it before bed and press snooze in the morning
Dog sleeps in another room: it is like WWIII trying to get Etta, our lab, out of our room at night. However, it felt like every other night she was waking us up
Reading before bed: crazy how much better my sleep is when I read instead of watching Netflix
Stop cheering for the Carolina PanthersLastly, my brother-in-law Will just got an 8 Sleep Mattress based on a recommendation from Hunter H. It is worth reading Hunter’s well-being recommendation, easily the most talked about recommendation ever shared on Rambull. The early reviews on the mattress are positive and the fomo is real.
Without further ado….
Why Drew?
My God brother, HK recommended I reach out to Drew, his good friend from college. Drew has had a very unique path post graduation as a cancer survivor. You can read more about it on his blog. Also, I’m jealous that he gets to call Valencia, Spain “home” as I loved my time there during a high school summer abroad trip.
Follow Drew on Instagram @dr_ewstock
Self-Description
Mountain lover, wellness fanatic and forever ATLien exploring internal and external landscapes with passion and playfulness.
Drew’s Recommendations
Written in His own words…
Book
My brother gifted me this book Christmas 2018 and I've since excitedly returned the favor to many others. A fascinating, high level summary of the history of our species that has forever changed my perspective. The new perspective has helped me better understand myself and some of the unique challenges our society faced and continues to face in a deeper, more coherent way.
Well Being
I’ve been a student and teacher of yoga and meditation for 4+ years, yet I’ve come to view breathwork practices as the most accessible, actionable and therefore practical of all mindfulness exercises.
Simple breathwork practice for Rambull readers to try next time you feel stressed or anxious:
Find a comfortable posture.
Start a stop watch for two minutes.
Inhale (through nose) for 4 seconds and exhale (option through nose or mouth) for 4 seconds.
repeat until the two minutes are up.
feel the effects and slowly return to the regularly scheduled programming of your day.
Food
Bliss Balls
Ideal for those that appreciate simple, healthy and sweet. These little balls are always a hit and surprise people when they learn there are just 3 ingredients and all natural sugars. A nice complement to a work-out, a sweet and healthy desert, and a low effort way to impress your friends/guests.
Ingredients:
1/3-1/2 cup cacao powder
2 cups raw walnuts
8-12 mejdool dates
Instructions:
Add ingredients to food processor (or blender) and blend
Roll into little balls about one inch in diameter
*tip have extra dates ready if you need to add for extra stickiness
**refrigerate to harden and better maintain form
Professional
Take the time to brainstorm and implement systems NOW that prioritize your wellbeing in conjunction with your work and are sustainable over the long term. Break the pattern of telling yourself you’ll be calm and happy after some future event: the deal closes, win the new client, get the promotion, buy that new car, take vacation, etc…
You don’t have to be like me (a Hodgkins Lymphoma cancer survivor) and wait for a crisis to start truly prioritizing yourself and living your life to the fullest. There's really no better time than now.
Music
A Spanish mantra artist that I’m pretty confident no Rambull reader has heard of, and while I know some of my friends will tease me for being a little too hippy or woo-woo here, the truth is that I’ve found so much peace through this man’s music since I first discovered him summer 2021.
Yes, you may hear a Hare Krishna every so often as well as the Indian language of Sanskrit, but for me it’s not so much about the lyrics (they’re usually beautiful), but the way the music makes me feel.
Recommended places to start on Spotify: Bhakti album (2014) or Love album (2022).
Travel
While Peru is most famous for Machu Picchu, and deservedly so, I’d also highly recommend those who appreciate hiking, adventure and big mountains to add a few days to their Peru itinerary and check out the lesser known Huaraz, a small city about 7 hours drive north of Lima. There are countless day hikes and multi day treks to choose from whose beauty and magnitude are breathtaking.
Plug
A big current focus at MÁS Health is corporate wellness, bringing these mindfulness practices I've been sharing (breathwork, yoga + meditation) into corporate environments. I'm most excited by breathwork and see a HUGE need and potential in bringing it to the corporate world.
Please reach out if you think your company or group could benefit from any of the mindfulness offerings or more generally from health coaching/consulting (could include nutrition, habits/routines, mindset, and more).
Want to get in touch with Drew? Reach out on IG: dr_ewstock or email: drew@bemashealth.com
P.S. thank you to those that provided specialist recommendations (e.g. Coach, Therapist). Pay it forward by anonymously recommending a specialist that has made a difference for you.