To start taking care of yourself, we want you to begin with the simplest things:
- Feeding
- Rest/Sleep
- Motion
I'm sure you already knew this, but did you know that if you don't work on all three things, you're more likely to not do any of them consistently?
Let me explain: if you don't eat well and don't get enough sleep, few people have enough energy to exercise. If you don't exercise and don't rest, even if your diet is excellent, you're going to feel fatigued—it's truly ironic that exercise gives us energy. Finally, if we eat well and sleep well, but don't move, our bodies also suffer, with muscles losing tone, lack of strength, aches and pains, etc.
The good news is that once you start improving each of these three areas, improving the rest becomes much easier. So, where do we begin?
Nutrition: The modern Western diet is full of ultra-processed foods. These foods are often high in sodium, low in fiber, and offer little nutritional value. In other words, they don't give us the energy we need. The best thing you can do to eat better is to cook and use ingredients in their natural or minimally processed state: vegetables, fruits, eggs, fresh meat and fish, whole grains like rice or corn, and sourdough bread are the basic ingredients.
If you don't know where to start, invest in a healthy cooking class, a cookbook of simple recipes, or simply search online for recipe blogs. If you're still learning, you're going to make mistakes; some of your dishes won't be amazing, but your health will thank you.
If this still seems like a lot or too difficult, start by making one healthy meal at home every day. For example, a breakfast of porridge (here's a recipe for making it in the fridge without having to turn on the stove), and gradually add more healthy homemade meals.
And don't forget to drink water. If you drink soda or packaged juice, switch to water now. Gradually reduce the sugar in your coffee and tea (and milk too; there are better dairy products) and learn to enjoy their natural flavor.
Rest and sleep: Sleeping well is essential for our health, but many of us sleep poorly and for short periods. The recommended amount of sleep for adults is 6 to 8 hours per day. But how can we get all those hours of sleep?
Go to bed early. Sleeping from 2 to 10 hours is not the same as sleeping from 10 PM to 6 AM. Our hormones and our body's circadian rhythm make nighttime the optimal time for sleep. Not everyone can do this due to different jobs, but if you're one of those who can, we recommend it.
- Eat dinner early. At least 2 hours before going to bed, and light if you can, so your body has enough time to digest the food before sleeping.
- Move: Your body needs movement, move around during the day (walks, yoga, gym) so that your physical body gets tired.
- Rest your mind: Anxiety and stress make it hard to sleep. Find ways to relax your mind before going to bed. Don't use electronics before bed; read, meditate...
- Create a sleep routine: Just as children are taught to sleep through the night by implementing a bedtime routine, create one that helps you too. I make myself a dandelion infusion an hour before my usual bedtime, 10:30 pm.
Movement: Start with something you enjoy, and prioritize moving every day. I like walking and yoga. But I also run, do strength training, and try to incorporate physical activity into my social life—for example, meeting up for a hike instead of coffee, or taking a dance class with a group of friends.
The exercise you do doesn't have to be the same as what celebrities or your neighbor do; it just has to be movement that you enjoy enough to do daily. By the way, sitting for more than two hours at a time isn't good. So if you work in an office, remember to get up and move around.