These are low effort, low cost, and high reward.

Establishing new habits and routines is not easy. I find if I commit and do the [insert new habit or routine] daily for 4-6 weeks, that’s typically enough time to feel a change in my body. When I feel a change, that’s motivation to keep going.

1) Choose 1 cruciferous vegetable and make it part of your daily meal

• May help reduce cancer risk

• Rich in vitamins, minerals and fiber

• Protects cells against DNA damage, shows antivirus and antibacterial effects

There are many cruciferous vegetables to choose from! You don’t have to like broccoli. I’ll highlight a few. Check out the full list on Wikipedia. When you look at the list, you’ll see many of these are traditional foods, eaten for centuries before iceberg lettuce came around. I love little gems and romaine, don’t get me wrong, but I’ve started to rethink my salad since experimenting with arugula. Sometimes my salad will be the entire 5 ounce box of arugula. Other times I’ll include the same box of arugula plus one bunch from a 3-pack of romaine hearts.

Kale
Collard greens
Broccoli, all types
Cabbage, all types — one of my favorites, low cost
Brussel sprouts
Cauliflower
Bok choy — one of my cooked favorites
Arugula
Swiss chard - pretty mild in smoothies, also high on my list of cooked favorites
Radish — my favorite of the favorites, especially with hummus or baba ghannouj. No cooking required

I haven’t gotten Covid, that I’m aware of, despite living in a densely populated city, traveling, riding the subway, and not wearing a mask, as soon as it was acceptable to do so. Could it be the cruciferous vegetables? I have no doubt it’s my diet, but of course that’s anecdotal. Read more about cruciferous vegetables and Covid in this article from Johns Hopkins Medicine.

Tip

Rather than thinking about the vegetable by itself, think about what you’ll enjoy eating it with. Examples: hummus, baba ghannouj, guacamole, salad, stir fry, soups. Get excited.

One of my favorite ways to get my greens in —> smoothies! I created the Plant Powered Smoothies Guide to help you get the most out of your smoothies. Get on the list for my newsletter and I’ll send over the guide!

2) Be intentional about your water intake

“Water plays a key role in many of our body’s functions, including bringing nutrients to cells, getting rid of wastes, protecting joints and organs, and maintaining body temperature,”according to the UC Davis health blog.

Try drinking 100 ounces of water daily for 2 weeks and see what changes — do you have more energy? Better stamina during exercise? Better recovery? You can add a little salt and lemon for electrolytes. A small amount of salt may also improve water absorption.

This water recommendation comes from Dr. Brooke Goldner’s hyper nourishment protocol, which includes 96-120 ounces of water daily.

If you have health issues, please talk to your doctor before significantly changing your water intake.

Tip

Get a 24+ ounce jar or water bottle. Refilling an 8 ounce glass 12 times each day is possible, but unlikely.

3) Get outside for 10 minutes each morning

source: Huberman Lab

• 10 minutes on a sunny day, 20 minutes on a cloudy day

• Don’t stare at the sun, but get the light in your eyes

• Within 1 hour of waking, if possible

• Most beneficial to setting our body’s circadian rhythms when the sun is still low in the sky. Natural light is also beneficial at any time of the day

• Impacts sleep and metabolism

• Sunglasses off, at least for the 10-20 minute time period

• Sun through a window doesn’t have the same effect

My experience? Morning walks positively impact my mood and energy. If you have a dog or leave your house early in the morning for a commute to work that involves walking, you’re already doing this! Check out the details on the Huberman Lab website.

If you can add some brisk movement like walking to your ‘morning light’ routine, you’re likely to receive an even greater boost to your energy and mood. If not, simply get outside to your yard or balcony, whatever you have available, within one hour of waking.

Living in NYC, I was walking outside by necessity on my commute to work. I felt the difference fresh air made prior to spending 8+ hours in an office building. Fast forward to the pandemic and my commute disappeared for several months. I’m not sure of the order of what happened next, but I was inspired by a friend who was taking walks. I made going to Blue Bottle in the morning part of my daily pandemic routine, this helped. I saw an interview with Andrew Huberman on the Rich Roll podcast. I watched Huberman’s podcast episode on the benefits of morning light. The rest is history.

Tip

Make it a coffee or tea walk, if it helps to have a destination. Drive to work? Consider taking a 10 minute walk around the block before you enter the office.

Did I say three? I’m going to sneak in one more.

4) Take sleep seriously

source: Why We Sleep, Matthew Walker

• Consistency is important. Go to bed and wake up at the same time each day

• Avoid large meals and beverages close to bedtime. If your body is dealing with digesting food during sleep, it’s likely impacting your sleep quality

• Don’t take naps after 3pm

• Dark bedroom, cool bedroom, gadget free bedroom

• Relax/unwind without screens before bed

I don’t get the recommended deep sleep most nights, according to Fitbit and now Whoop. I’ve struggled for a long time with staying asleep through the night. Devices telling me most of my time in bed was light sleep was not a surprise.

I recently bought a sleep mask, that helps.
I have blue light glasses, which I use here and there.
I’m mindful of screens, but there’s room for improvement.

This is a lot of ‘stuff’ to think about, but keep in mind how much life has changed in the last 100 years.

If you drink alcohol, it’s likely impacting your sleep. Check out this 5 minute video from sleep researcher Matthew Walker on caffeine, alcohol and sleep. I’m willing to lose some sleep here and there to socialize with friends and alcohol, but I can’t perform the same the next day in any area of my life when I drink. I’ll make that tradeoff from time to time.

Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker is a great, and important book. I talked more about it in this blog post.

Tip

Try a sleep tracker if you’re not sure how much restorative sleep you’re getting.

Final thought

Feeling overwhelmed by all of the things? Pick one and really commit to it. See what changes. Miss 1 day? No problem. Miss multiple days? Consider re-establishing and recommitting to your routine.

Let’s do this!

Do you have any sleep or other tips to share? Let me know in the comments below!

Thanks for reading!

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