One of my favorite wellness products is a Vitamix, or any high-powered blender. From exploring and researching the Blue Zones—the places around the globe where people live the longest, healthiest, and happiest lives—I’m a big believer in eating greens every single day. And I’m not necessarily a big greens eater, but when I add a handful of spinach or kale or broccoli in to my blueberries in the Vitamix, any sort of bitter taste just goes away. One of my go-to combos: half a cup of frozen blueberries, a handful of spinach, a scoop of plant-based protein powder, unsweetened soy milk, and a dash of cinnamon to bring out the natural sweetness without adding actual sweeteners.

This is my protein powder of choice—it’s a plant-based complete protein source made with a combination of pea protein, sunflower and pumpkin seed protein, and alfalfa protein. Because muscle mass naturally starts to decline after age 30 (and I’m over 50), I definitely make sure I’m getting enough protein on a daily basis through my smoothies and other foods. In the Blue Zones, meat consumption isn’t high, so I tend to eat vegetarian, and occasionally vegan. A protein powder like this is great because it doesn’t have all the saturated fat of animal products. This one also contains tart cherry to help reduce soreness and inflammation after a tough workout.

Patagonia’s Black Hole Backpack is my go-to for travel. It’s a pretty simple bag that gets into any overhead bin on a plane when it’s fully packed. It’s not huge, but I’m on the road 200 days out of the year and I’ve learned not to overpack! The simple act of traveling with a backpack means I never have to check a bag or drag one up airport escalators (a major stress reducer), and it provides me with a nice little workout as I walk to my gate. Some other wellness essentials you’ll always find in my bag: workout clothes and elastic resistance bands so I can do simple isometric exercises even when I’m living out of a hotel.

When I’m traveling, I always have some packets of peanuts, almonds, or another type of nut on hand. It’s very clear from my research on the Blue Zones that you want to be eating four types of foods every single day to stay healthy: whole grains, greens of all varieties, beans, and a couple handfuls of nuts. If you can get those four things into your daily diet, you're probably adding a half-dozen years to your life expectancy. Nuts in particular are great because they’re very satiating and help maintain balanced blood sugar. They’re also a great source of protein, healthy fats, and fiber. The fiber in nuts helps feed your healthy gut bacteria, which in turn produce health-promoting substances called short-chain fatty acids that have anti-inflammatory effects1.

My bicycle is of the most important wellness tools I own. I have both a regular bike and a Haibike e-bike for when I need a little boost. I bike all the time for a couple reasons. One, it’s a fun and easy way for me to get my physical activity in. Two, I use it to replace my car—so instead of getting stressed out in traffic or trying to find parking or having to fill up the gas tank like my motorist counterparts, I can just whiz through traffic, feel the fresh air on my face, and wave at my friends. For me, it’s one of the absolute best stress relievers.