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
Carry something moderately heavy once this week (groceries, laundry, yard work). It still counts as building strength even if it doesn’t look like strength training. Functional load-bearing activities improve strength and musculoskeletal health.
Eat
Eat one meal sitting down, without distraction. Just once. That’s enough to practice. Mindful eating improves satiety and reduces overeating.
Sleep
Start your wind-down 10 minutes earlier than usual on two nights this week. Small shifts add up. Gradual sleep extension improves alertness and recovery.
Manage
Step outside for 2 minutes and look at something far away (trees, horizon, sky). Give your brain a break from close-up work. Visual and mental breaks reduce fatigue and improve focus.
