IN CONVERSATION: MIA CAINE

Sun Potion: Where did your journey as The Healthlete start?

Mia Caine: I would say the Healthlete started in 2018, although the journey to becoming The Healthlete really began in my youth when I was a competitive track & field athlete for almost 16 years.

It wasn’t until after I spent a summer traveling & competing in West Africa with my team to try to qualify for the 2012 Olympics (which we missed by a fraction of a second), that I realized that I was ready for a new direction in my life. When I chose to end my athletic career shortly afterwards, I was a little lost because I didn’t understand the world of health & wellness outside of being an athlete.

For those track & field years, I was only in the mindset of constantly working to run faster & jump farther. Being healthy to me back then meant always working to be in peak performance mode. As I changed paths, it took a lot of trial & error to find movement & wellness rituals that felt good to me. The name ‘The Healthlete’ came during a time when I really started to embrace the transition from a highly competitive athlete to authentically living a health & wellness-focused life on my own terms, with my new found love of yoga and sharing my journey with my ‘health is wellth’ blog.

Do you see intersectional wellness and sustainability as being connected?

Oh most definitely. Our individual wellbeing is connected to & directly impacted by the well-being of the Earth. If taking care of your health is important to you, caring for the environment should be a significant part of that equation. Why? Because we can only be as healthy as the environment that we live in, & the health of the Earth depends on how we care for it. It’s a feedback loop.

With that in mind, sustainability to me is not about perfection, it is about mindset. Real change comes from taking the small steps & making the everyday decisions to develop a mindset where those choices within our own means become natural. Where thinking about your wellness journey & the welfare of the planet go hand-in-hand, because being & living well should not come at the expense of others.

Are there any practices you have started over these past few months to help alleviate stress and bring calm into your day?

Actually, I picked up casual biking recently and now I bike to the beach some mornings to meditate & journal during the sunrise. That is such valuable time for me, as it helps me to feel grounded & start the day with a heart full of gratitude. After leaving the beach I aim to bike at least 10 miles to get my exercise in before heading home to clean up & start my day.

We love to see you sharing your monthly goals with the community on Instagram. What are some of the steps you take to accomplish them?

That is one of the few Instagram trends I really enjoy! I consider those to be my monthly intentions, but they do help me to be more mindful of how I’m showing up in the world (for myself & others) to achieve my goals.

In terms of how I maintain my monthly intentions, I keep the notebook that I write them in visible so I can reference it regularly. Life can get busy & complicated, & it is natural to forget sometimes. But having that reminder visible and available helps me to keep those intentions top of mind.

We recently read about your new minimalist jewelry line using sustainable materials, Wellthy, can you tell us more about this project?

As a brand strategist, Wellthy is my first project that I’ve taken from an idea & brought to reality. The first line launched in May with 5 versatile, yet minimal styles with every piece crafted from recycled precious metals.

It was not easy launching Wellthy during the beginnings of the pandemic, however, to show support for many of the vulnerable communities as a result of COVID-19, I made a decision to donate 100% of profits to a relief charity (here’s the twist) of the buyer’s choice. It has been amazing having so many people from all over the world support the front line though supporting wellthy.

Currently, we are on a summer break to work on additional designs and are excited to bring more conscious jewelry for the mindful minimalist this fall!

A recent book you’ve read or listened to? Any recommendations?

I don’t think that this is the kind of book you are referring to, but I’ll share it anyway. When I started journaling, I used to write in my 3-minute journal which had daily quotes that I enjoyed. Since finishing that journal, now I write my gratitudes & intentions in a regular journal, but I also read a short excerpt each day from this Good Mornings book. It has very thoughtful entries & shares different rituals & ideas on how to improve my mornings in a way that fits with my lifestyle & allows me to live in line with my purpose.

We are inspired by your commitment to recovery through your daily practice after suffering through an injury. Can you share a bit about what that process has been like?

It’s been a difficult process with many ups & downs. Since my car accident last December (I was a passenger in ride share), it has been challenging to manage my changed body while also experiencing chronic pain (& the mental & emotional gauntlet that comes with it).

Movement is what makes me happiest and ultimately making the decision to put my yoga practice on hold was not an easy one. However, it has allowed me to embrace other activities like biking that are more gentle on my vulnerable areas. Though the pandemic definitely complicated that part of my existence, I’m looking forward to life after my spinal surgery (scheduled for early September) & slowly getting back to yoga which, in my opinion, is when the real recovery journey begins. 

Favorite holistic wellness tips/tools?

Right now, I’m very into my body skincare routine. As a New Yorker, partially living in Miami, I’ve really had to change a lot of my products because my skin was having a hard time acclimating to the humid & hot weather of South Florida. Currently, my skin is loving a combination of SKIN & CO Roma Truffle Therapy Body Oil & Le Whipped shea butter. My skin drinks this up and has never looked better!

Also, with all this extra time at home, I’ve been really enjoying my Happy Spritz diffuser, especially with the Halcyon essential oil blend from Even Keel. I highly recommend it as to me the scent is the essence of good energy.

Do you have a favorite tonic herb or adaptogen? 

Totally, Mucuna Pruriens has been my go to for most of this year. Makes sense that it is referred to as the “dopa bean,” as it both elevates my mood & lowers my stress levels, which is very needed at this time.

Do you have a go-to wellness recipe, such as a tea or smoothie?

Definitely, I have a go-to celery ginger turmeric juice recipe, that has some unconventional ingredients in it, but I swear it’s so good!

Fresh Celery Ginger Turmeric Juice

Tip: Drink immediately after preparation on an empty stomach for best results.

Are there any virtual events you are hosting these days? And how can we sign up!?

I recently hosted an “Acupuncture as a Wellness Journey” 3-week webinar series with ORA Space (an acupuncture wellness space in NYC), & we covered a lot of topics from the basics of acupuncture, to guided demos on activating different acupressure points, & talking about stress & trauma and how it can manifest in the body. It was very informative & educational, especially being able to learn from a licensed practitioner like Amie Castaldo (@amieacu on IG) who also believes in the blend of traditional & modern medicine.

For more from Mia, check out the links below!

 Website: healthiswellth.co

Instagram: @TheHealthlete

Sustainable jewelry line: Wellthy