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Wellness Wednesdays

Wellness Wednesday: Learn to Brew Your Own Kombucha

Wellness Wednesdays are ongoing classes at Impact Hub HNL that allow our multitalented members to share their health and wellness knowledge with our community. To see upcoming events, visit our Facebook events page.

In February we hosted our first Wellness Wednesday event with Diana Dymarsky of Awakened Mana, a local organization that focuses on conscious, sustainable events. In addition to running her events company and a grocery delivery service, Diana is also a kombucha expert, and she shared her funky ferment skills with almost 20 eager students.

Diana Dymarsky of Awakened Mana

Kombucha is a fermented tea drink that has been sipped for centuries around the world, and in the past decade has become increasingly popular for health-conscious consumers here in the US. Kombucha (or booch) is tangy, fizzy, and flavored in hundreds of ways to please a wide range of palates. Diana says that she fell in love with kombucha over four years ago, and it’s become daily staple for her. “I love all of the health benefits of Kombucha, but mostly my ability to swap out my coffee habit for ‘booch,” she says.

While the recipe is quite simple, the magic of fermentation makes the drink extraordinary (and offers a bunch of great health benefits, too). Kombucha is made by brewing black tea and sugar together, then adding a bit of premade kombucha to a large jar with a SCOBY (symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeasts). During the two week fermentation period, the SCOBY digests the sugars in the mixture, resulting is carbonation, and changing the flavor considerably. Kombucha can then be flavored with fresh or dried fruits, spices, and other ingredients to personalize your ‘booch. Diana’s favorites are Mango/Ginger, Blueberry/Ginger and Peach/Ginger! Yummy!

Awakened Mana offered organic kombucha starter kits at the event that consisted of everything you need to start your own brew:

  • 1 Gallon glass jar with lid
  • 1 SCOBY
  • 2 Cups starter liquid (premade kombucha)
  • 1 Cup organic sugar
  • 2 Tablespoons organic English breakfast tea

This class was very popular, so we hope to be offering it again soon! Diana said after class, “Teaching my first workshop at Impact Hub was such an honor. The students were so engaged and asked such wonderful questions, and I really look forward to offering the class again.” Be sure to sign up for our newsletter to keep up with upcoming events.

 

kombucha starter kit

Wellness Wednesdays: Powering Up Your Productivity with Wildkraft

Wellness Wednesdays are ongoing classes at Impact Hub HNL that allow our multitalented members to share their health and wellness knowledge with our community. To see upcoming events, visit our Facebook events page.

Blair from Wildkraft Herbs

Many of us deal with mid-morning slumps or afternoon crashes. Why do we experience energy crashes of this sort, and how can we improve our productivity throughout the day?

In March we hosted another Wellness Wednesday event called Power Up your Productivity, to help our coworkers and community be their most productive selves. The workshop was taught by Blair Townley, a Western Clinical Herbalist and owner of Wildkraft Apothecary & Clinic, based at Impact Hub HNL.

Blair talked about four areas of optimization in our lives that can help combat the sleepiness, blood sugar crashes, and energy dips: food, sleep, movement, and environment.  She chose this topic because of client needs: “One of the things I see often in clients is need for better focus and clarity, and it’s important to make the connection between diet and lifestyle and our overall energy.”

Her first food tip is to avoid blood sugar spikes by maintaining a healthy diet that reduces simple carbs (like white rice and bread) and instead focuses on fiber-rich vegetables, healthy protein, and healthy fats, which digest slowly for more consistent energy. Blair has lots more tips for healthy blood sugar balancing on her website.

The second main way to keep your productivity high is to ensure you get a good amount of sleep each night. Lack of sleep, even for one night, can lead to impeded memory, reduced multitasking ability, slower creative thinking (thinking outside the box), and can lead to feelings of depression.

To ensure you get enough sleep, blackout your room at night (ie: avoid streetlights, gadget lights, and television), avoiding caffeine after noon (or entirely… scary, I know!), and turning off computers and phones an hour (or more!) before bed.

Other tips for better productivity include getting more movement (if you work here it’s just a five minute walk to the beach), and keeping a clean, organized workspace, which can help your brain feel more free.

If you are seeking further guidance, you can make an appointment with Blair. Wildkraft specializes in plant medicine via custom blended herbal tinctures, teas and tonics made from mostly European and North American plants. Off the shelf offerings include teas and tinctures for immunity, sleep, allergies, grounding, anxiety, depression and digestive support.

You can learn more about Blair’s offerings in this recent clip from KITV Channel 4 news.

Images from  Unsplash