The State of Self-Care: Summer 2023
What's in style in Silicon Valley, plus everything I did this season to level up
Last week, The Information released the results of its first ever Brain-Body Investment Survey. Though I am a subscriber, I didn’t personally participate in the survey. Instead I’ll reveal my own obsessions here, alongside The Information’s results, which asked over 500 readers about their spending on exercise, wellness, and beauty. Reminder: The Information skews tech-forward and costs about $400 per year to subscribe. As you might imagine, its readership is largely based in places like the San Francisco Bay Area, New York City, Austin, Los Angeles, and the DC Metro.
While I’ve been hiding out in the forest for the last 15 weeks, I’ve been dialing in a bunch of new health, wellness, and beauty practices. Some people have asked me for more details, so in today’s read, I’ll offer a behind-the-scenes look, juxtaposed with what I learned from the results of the newest primary research from The Information.
EXERCISE
Survey Says: More than half of surveyed men (52%) self-report exercising 5-10 hours per week. An additional 15% report getting more than 10 hours per week of exercise. Just under half of women (48%) get 1-4 hours of exercise per week. Another 38% are keeping up with their male peers and partners by logging between 5-10 hours each week. According to national data captured in the American Time Use Survey, the US mean is 2 hours and 18 minutes per week for men and 1 hour and 45 minutes for women.
Silicon Valley is voting with their exercise habits.
The top five forms of exercise were:
Weight training
Running
Cycling
Walking
Yoga/pilates
In terms of investment, the norm for most men and women surveyed by The Information was $100-500 per month. But nearly 10% of men were spending more than $1000 each month, typically on personal trainers or expensive equipment like bikes, Tonals, and Peloton treads.
My Old Habits: $143/month for memberships
🚲 Peloton - I’ve had a Peloton since 2017. It’s currently on an 18-wheeler truck, somewhere between New York City and the San Francisco Bay Area. At peak, I did about 3-4 rides per week. Over the last couple of years, I started using the in-app ($44/month) yoga, meditation, strength, and outdoor workouts even more than the bike.
🚶🏻♀️ Walking - During the pandemic, I started taking long walks around the neighborhood (along with everyone else) and now try to walk 3 or more miles at least 3 times a week, as part of my “fitness” routine.
💪 Classpass - I’ve had a Classpass subscription ($99/month) since 2014, and during the pandemic, it was on pause for about 18 months. Post-COVID, I use my monthly credits to drop into classes while traveling to other cities or save them to get massages and facials.
New (as of Summer 2023): $49/month for memberships
🏋🏻♀️ Gym Membership - In Whitefish, I joined “The Wave” using my Columbia University ID, getting me the student rate ($49/month). I developed my own 30-40 minute weight training program that I did once or twice a week, in addition to taking a couple yoga classes each week. I’ve really enjoyed going to a gym again.
⛰️ Living at altitude - I’m only at about 3,000 feet, but being in the Northern Rockies has afforded all sorts of altitude-related activities that have helped build some additional aerobic capacity. Last weekend I hiked to 7,000 feet, followed by a river kayak adventure. When I get back to sea level next week, I look forward to having a couple weeks of “superhuman” performance.
WELLNESS
Survey Says: The most common investment in wellness reported in the Brain-Body Investment Survey was nutritional supplements. Nearly 25% of respondents reported spending more than $100 per month on supplements, which is about four times higher than the national average, as per NIH data.
Responses in the survey showed that women outspend men on massage, acupuncture, and IV drips with 26% of women (versus 16% of men) reporting monthly spend of $100-500 on such activities. As for new wellness trends on the rise, infrared saunas, cryotherapy, and preventative scans/tests (such as Prenuvo’s elective MRI) were mentioned.
My Old Habits: $150/month for services (bodywork)
👐 Ortho-bionomy - I discovered ortho-bionomy in 2018 and for me, it is much more effective than massage therapy. I tend not to like intense pressure or pounding. It’s painful and not relaxing. But I do hold a tremendous amount of tension in my cervical column, traps, and glutes. For this, the light touch, low pressure practice (performed clothed) of helping the body “remember” its natural posture by working through proprioceptive aspects of the nervous system has been life changing. In NYC, I used Andrew Smith who works in Midtown and Flatiron at $150/hour.
🔛 Massage gun - After a big workout or a long hike, I use my Sportneer to cut through muscle tension, particularly in my quads, calves, and glutes. I’ve written about this model in previous posts, but I love that it’s travel sized (it usually accompanied me on my cross country flights to school on the weekends) and has a great battery life. I’ve been using it here and there this summer and charged it for the first time since May, a few days ago. Also, it’s just $45 on Amazon right now. (I paid $82 when I bought it in 2021.)
💨 Aromatherapy - I have a Vitruvi diffuser and also love to put a couple drops of essential oils in my hands to inhale before getting to bed when I’m feeling anxious or out of sorts. I always have lavender, mint, and something citrusy around. Other favorites include lemongrass. I also adore a bit of Palo Santo.
New (as of Summer 2023): $249/month for supplements and co-pays
🧫 Seed - Like the 80% of Information subscribers who report purchasing supplements each month, I’ve bought myself a ticket to ride. In July, I started taking seed ($50/month), a “synbiotic” which includes pre and probiotics. My hope was that it would help with bloating. It’s probably still too soon to say whether it’s doing much in that department, but the documented benefits of microbiome health are so numerous, that I’m willing to continue taking these even if I don’t “feel” an impact.
💊 Vitamin D hyper supplementation - My Vitamin D levels have been low on every single panel of labs I’ve had run since 2013. After a winter in a cold-weather climate, I knew that I was severely sun deprived. Even getting outside every day is generally not enough for my body to maintain Vitamin D levels, which results in a lot of bone and muscle aches, and a tendency towards feeling tired and depressed. After some careful experimentation, I also discovered that the Vitamin D in my multi-vitamin (see “Not Today, Grey” below) was not enough to get my levels back into the normal band. As a result, I take 50,000 IUs of Vitamin D once a week, which my insurance pays for (I pay about $5 per month for 4 pills), but you can also buy over the counter (here’s a two-year supply for $18). Right now I’m trying out a protocol of 4 weeks on, 2 weeks off, and then rechecking the level every 4-6 months.
⛔ Not Today, Grey - I’m long overdue on probably needing to cover up my grey hairs, but as a last resort, I started taking Not Today, Grey ($34/month) in June. While I have noticeably less white hairs, the supplement hasn’t exactly stopped or slowed the rate at which new ones are coming in.
🧘🏻 Somatic therapy - This has been a game changer. This summer, I did 17 sessions of somatic therapy. This specific format is surging in popularity, thanks in part to the success of the book “The Body Keeps the Score.” For me, the focus was on helping my body learn how to find and feel safe and relaxed after so many years of overwork, constant stress, and unrelenting travel. I was finding that even during moments when I should be relaxed (such as playing a mobile game while laying on the sofa, or watching a tv show), I was clenching nearly every muscle in my body. I realized that this habit - born out of a desire to feel like I could avoid losing or successfully defend myself from any threat - led to extreme fatigue and a lot of muscle tightness and pain (worsened of course, by my vitamin D deficiency). In somatic therapy, I learned to identify difficult feelings or experiences, and then figure out where they were residing in my body. With the help of my therapist, we explored the history of the feeling, what purpose it serves, and how to either dial it down in intensity or learn to activate it more selectively. I was extremely fortunate that my health insurance paid for these sessions at a $20 co-pay per session. Since it was so affordable, I went twice a week for the bulk of the summer. It was a superb container to talk about feelings coming up in the present, as well as some baggage from the past. But it wasn’t just talking for talkings sake. The goal was always to support the body through the uncomfortable physical sensations that show up as tension, pain, exhaustion, etc.
BEAUTY
Survey Says: It should come as no surprise that women are vastly outspending men on beauty treatments. About one-third of female survey respondents spent money on cosmetic injections or procedures. This compares to just 7% of men. Over half of women spend 1-4 hours each month on beauty and grooming services. Another 21% of women spend greater than 5 hours per month. A full 30% of men spend no time at all on beauty and grooming. The dollarized spend tracks the gender lines as well. The vast majority of men (87%) spend between 0-$100 a month on hair care while 39% of women spend between $100-500 each month. Similarly, 66% of men spend no money on skin care, but 32% of women are spending between $100-500 each month. While 39% of women aren’t spending any money on nail care, 46% spend up to $100 per month, and 32% spend between $100-500. Some 35% of women are investing in cosmetic injections and procedures, versus 6% of men. Commonly reported investments in beauty were laser, microneedling, botox, Coolsculpting, IPL, hair transplants, lash extensions, laser hair removal, fillers, facials, eyelid surgery and tummy tucks.
My Old Habits: About $200/month, amortizing products (skincare) and services (facials)
👩🏻 Skincare - For years, I had a solid routine of AM cleanse (Nuori $37), vitamin C (IS Clinical $158 or Trilogy $48), moisturize (Skinceuticals or Trilogy), and SPF (Kiehls $46). In 2019, I started using OTC retinoids and in 2020, went to prescription tretinoin .025%. My key to success has been starting slow (every 3rd night, then every other night, then every night) and making sure to layer it on a cleansed and fully dry face, between a light oil and a moisturizer. By sandwiching it between two layers of moisture, I’ve had minimal issues with redness, flaking and irritation. When trying to fill my prescription tret recently, my insurance rejected the claim on the basis of my age (older than 35). Many plans will only pay for it up to age 40, but GoodRx usually has coupons that bring the price point to around $40-80 (depending on pharmacy) for a tube that will last one to two years.
🧴 Acne care - In my 30’s, something shifted hormonally, and I started getting acne on my chest and back. It was intermittent - a handful of minor breakouts a year, but they were painful and sometimes scarred. Enter Panoxyl (a $9 benzoyl peroxide wash that I use on my neck, chest, and back) and Clindamycin 1% foam (which I recently learned is $571 cash-pay, but $15 with good insurance).
💆🏻 Facials - At 2019 peak, I had an incredible facialist that I tried to book once a month, typically using Classpass credits (since I was mostly riding my Peloton and not taking group fitness classes). When I could get regular extractions and deep hydration, my skin was pretty happy. Then along came COVID and over two years passed without a single service. I finally started going back sometime in early 2022 and now I try to have a service about once a quarter. I think the key for making this successful is finding someone who understands your skin and will work with you to find the right approach to getting you glowing. Ideally a facial costs around $150/session, before tip, but I’m willing to pay up to $200 all-in for a great service, especially if I’m only doing it about four times a year.
New (as of Summer 2023): About $200/month, amortizing products (skincare, hair care, oral care) and services (laser)
💥 Fraxel - When I saw a friend’s before/after photos in 2020, I knew that someday I wanted to invest in laser skin resurfacing. It was out of my price range while I lived in New York City last year (the cost can be up to $2000/session in major metro areas), so I took advantage of being in a lower demand geography this summer ($750/session in Montana) to have my first laser skin treatment. My aim was to remove some of the accumulated sun damage from poor choices as a teenager and lots of time outdoors in the last few years.
The first treatment was so effective, I went back to repeat four weeks later, to take advantage of the price differential and the fact that I have plenty of downtime in my schedule right now. Fraxel recovery takes about five days. I also asked for a “repeat customer discount” and it worked! The clinic agreed to do my second treatment at a 30% discount. I imagine that an annual laser tune up will be part of my routine as I continue to age, even though the results are known to be extremely durable.
🧼 Double cleansing - I went down the double cleanse rabbit hole this summer. When I’m not recovering from laser (which requires about a week of extra gentle, special products), I do an evening cleansing ritual with an oil based cleanser and then a foam cleanser (either Nuori or EltaMD). When I’m not using retinol, I will rotate in an exfoliating cleanser, such as the Tata Harper Regenerating Cleanser ($46), which has beta-hydroxy acids for chemical exfoliation, and stone fruit fragments for mechanical exfoliation.
🚿 Hair mask - About twice a week, I use a hair mask to improve moisture and shine. I had good success with the Amika soulfood nourishing mask ($32) when I used it back in 2016 and used a gift card to add it back to my hair care routine this summer.
🧖🏻♀️ Leave-in conditioner - I use the hairdryer about twice a week and my latest hairstylist warned me that heat tools were causing my ends to split and hair to dry out and break. To combat this, I’ve added Ceremonia Guava Leave-In conditioner to my hair routine on days that I use my hairdryer (a Dyson Supersonic).
🙅🏻♀️ Arey Grey To The Root Serum - When I purchased my first bottle of Not Today, Grey supplements, I also ordered the volumizing serum that’s marketed to preserve hair pigment. I use it about 5 times a week, after I shower, and my first bottle ($41) has lasted me about 3 months. I will continue using the serum and supplements for the rest of the year and then re-evaluate in 2024, whether this is worth my continued investment.
💡 IPL (once/week) - I received the Braun Silk-expert Pro 5 ($350) device as a gift in 2020 but didn’t think to use it until three years later, when I finally worked up the courage to start zapping away my body hairs. After 10 weeks of once-per-week treatments, my leg hair is gone. At 5-10 minutes of time per week for 2-3 months and an upfront cost of around $350, this is a much better value than laser hair removal. I’m extremely happy with my decision to undertake at-home IPL this summer.
🦷 Teeth whitening - The last time I used Crest Whitestrips was in high school. But close to two decades of red wine consumption has finally caught up to me. In my 20’s, I did a round of in-office whitening and it was, no-kidding, one of the most painful experiences I’ve gone through. Never wanting to repeat that experience, I went back to Crest Whitestrips this summer. Back in July, P&G (the manufacturer of Whitestrips) had an incredible promo: Buy 1, get 2 free. For $45 (with free shipping), I got two kits of the 1-Hour Express ($40 on Amazon) and one kit of the Glamorous White ($38 on Amazon). Per the manufacturer instructions, you can use two kits per year. Since I have some sensitivity, I can only tolerate the strips when used every other day. I also change out my normal Crest 3D Whitening toothpaste for Sensodyne while I’m using the strips. This helps me knock down the discomfort level. With the 1-Hour Express kits, you wear the strips for 1 hour and there are 7 per pack, making it possible to finish the series of strips in one week. I did a two-week treatment (skipping a day in between to allow my teeth to recover) in mid-July and then decided to repeat it in mid-August. I had some immediate results the first time through, but was still dissatisfied with the color of my teeth in photos. Now that I’m almost finished with round 2, I can tell a big difference.
I’d love to hear your thoughts on new exercise, wellness, and beauty experiments you might be undertaking this summer. Drop me a note or leave a comment below! See you in September 🍂!
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