If you’re just joining the Bare Minimum Mondays posts, here’s the premise…
Action always gets more results than ideas. (Related to this: the thing you do is better than the thing you don’t do, progress is better than perfection, consistency, even with something small, is more effective than occasional bursts of excellence).
Every Monday, we send out things to try in four areas: movement (exercise), nutrition, sleep, and stress management. These are, without question, the four most powerful tools available for tackling a massive number of maladies. The goal isn’t for you to do all of them forever. It’s not even for you to do all of them this week. The goal is to give you enough things to try that you can find a couple that stick, and then for you to have some intentionality in each of those areas that you can stick with for the rest of your life.
Take what you need, discard the rest.
Let’s get into it.
Move
After meals, take brisk 5-minute walks—repeat at least three times this week. Short post-meal walks improve glucose metabolism and support cardiovascular health even with minimal time investment.
Eat
Batch-cook a healthy, fiber-rich snack for the week (e.g. veggie sticks + hummus, fruit + nuts, black bean burritos, yogurt and chia seeds). High-fiber snacks promote satiety, support digestion, and are beneficial for metabolic health and cholesterol management.
Sleep
Avoid screens at least 30 minutes before bedtime. I know we say this one a lot. It’s because it’s important. Evening screen exposure disrupts melatonin and delays sleep onset, undermining sleep quality.
Manage
Write down one thing you accomplished and one simple task for tomorrow before sleep. Planning ahead and reflecting on achievements reduces anxiety and improves mental clarity.