(Bonus: they don’t even involve breaking a sweat)
by Michael Plank
- Go to sleep 30-60 minutes earlier
- Wake up 15-30 minutes earlier
- Cook more meals at home
- Eat dinner at the table with your family (and no screens)
- Turn your phone off 15-60 minutes before bed
- Walk more
- Wait longer in the morning before checking your phone
- Start your day with a big glass of water and 1-15 minutes of stretching
- Spend at least 90 seconds doing absolutely nothing and let your mind wander
- Breathe deeply – long inhales, long exhales
- Use cold water in your shower for 30 seconds, build to at least 2 minutes
- Sit in the sun for 15 minutes – make your skin as bare as you can handle
- Eat more fiber
- Spend more time reading books and less time on social media – if you don’t love the book, find a new one
- Spend less time reading/watching the news
- Text or call someone you admire and ask them to hang out
- Spend 10 minutes dreaming about the future with your significant other – make eye contact
- Write down 5 things you’re grateful for
People come to us for health and fitness goals. Everyone knows that movement (i.e. exercise) is a good way to progress toward those goals. Most people know that eating (i.e. nutrition) is another good way.
But eating and moving are only two of the levers we can pull to improve health. Two other ways that are less obvious are sleep and stress management. They’re both powerful factors that influence everything from fat loss to muscle gain to longevity to recovery. And one of the best things about working on them is that it’s usually free.
Pick one thing from that list. Something that will be easy for you to do. Do it every day for a week. And see what happens! We’d love to hear how it goes for you!