The most productive things I’ve learned from the wellness world
Not gonna beat around the bush — “wellness” and the entire industry gets a bad rap these days. Expensive products, extreme elimination diets, seeing unqualifed “medical professionals” that claim they can cure you with crystals, or living off the grid and refusing to get v@xed during a global health crisis may be some (really horrible) negative assocations you have with the word.
But for me, wellness doesn’t involve any of these things and wellness has in fact changed my life for the better. So without further ado, here are 6 of the most productive things I’ve learned from the world of wellness.
1. Follow the 80/20 rule.
The 80/20 rule states that you should aim to eat a healthy diet of whole foods 80% of the time and not worry about it the other 20%. I love this because it emphasizes the importance of healthy habits but doesn’t make it an all or nothing thing, nor does it punish you for having cake at a birthday party or going out to dinner with your friends.
2. Focus on adding food, not eliminating it.
This is a HUGE one. There is sooo much talk in the world of nutrition about food we “can’t” have — but that makes them feel off limits, which at least for me, makes me want them even more. Instead, focus on what you can add to your plate: is there a salad at the restaurant you can add to share with the table? Can you make your favorite dinner and add some roasted broccoli on the side?
While in the short-term this may sound like eating more, the theory is that over time, your taste buds and preferences will crave what you’re adding—and your plate wil balance out more and more.
Here are some ways I put this into practice on the regular:
- Half of a pressed sandwich on sourdough, with a side salad of mixed greens and vegan ranch dressing
- Homemade chicken parm with roasted broccoli and side salad
- Cheese & crackers with bell peppers, garlic-stuffed olives from TJs, and blueberries
Note: none of the foods listed above are “good” or “bad,” but the reality is that they do hold different nutritional values, may affect my blood sugar in different ways, and generally make me feel a certain way after eating them. When I eat an entire sandwich with no salad, I sometimes feel overly full but not that satisfied. When I eat a plate of cheese and crackers, I also will end up feeling overly full and bloated. But the examples I gave above? They taste delicious, satisfy my cravings, AND I feel energized and satisfied after eating them.
3. What works for me won’t work for you.
Louder!!!! So many diets, wellness trends, and products are marketed as if they’re for everyone. But that just doesn’t make any sense. When I accepted this (like really accepted this), I was able to focus on what works for me with a deep sense of trust.
I don’t try to do intermittent fasting.
I don’t buy expensive skincare to try to help heal my acne.
I am not gluten free.
These examples genuinely work for a lot of people! My husband swears by intermettent fasting (ladies: this actually isn’t great for keeping our hormones balanced—there’s a reason it *generally* works better for men). I have friends that swear by their complex skincare routines (and have glowing faces to prove it). I know people who feel 100x better on a gluten free diet.
But they don’t work for me, and that doesn’t make me a “failure.”
There are a million other examples of binaries we’re taught:
- Caffeine is bad! No, coffee is a great source of antioxidants!
- Eating cows is killing the planet! But vegetarians aren’t getting enough protein!
- Strength training is the most important! Actually you need to be doing cardio!
- Morning people are more productive! Night owls are more creative!
And then, when we inevitably hear conflicting advice, it causes stress and confusion. In most cases, it’s not so binary, and while the extremes may work for some people, chances are you fall somewhere in between. Acknowledge and accept that, and you’ll be able to create habits that are for YOU instead of for someone else.
4. It doesn’t need to be expensive (read that again!).
There’s been a lot of stuff I’ve spent money on in the name of wellness (more on that next), but one huge lesson I’ve learned is that prioritizing your health does NOT need to come with a hefty price tag. Really, it’s a matter of focusing on the following things, and there are SO many ways to do so without spending a ton of money (this is deserving of its own post entirely):
- Food
- Hydration
- Movement
- Sleep
- Stress management
- Community
- Finding joy
Like I said: there are so many ways to optimize these areas of life in ways that are free or low cost. Next time you see a tempting ad for an expensive product claiming to help you with one of these things, pause. If you have the means and the product really resonates with you, go ahead and buy it! But if you don’t, don’t sweat it—you do NOT “need” it. Promise.
5. BUT investing in your health (and preventative care) in ways that make sense for you will pay dividends in the long run.
I’ve learned (through some trial & error) that there’s a big difference between buying into a trend vs. investing in your health. This will look different for everyone, but for me, some things I’ve prioritized in my budget have been:
- Buying high quality, whole foods at the grocery store, including organic produce (especially from the Environmental Working Group’s Dirty Dozen list) and organic animal products. (Since I’m buying groceries ANYWAY, I would actually argue that this practice is not all that expensive. In many cases, ultra-processed foods are more money than spending a few extra bucks on organic produce).
- Working with Parsley Health, a functional medicine platform, to heal from some chronic issues in a lasting way (this was a decently large investment, but they recently started taking insurance in NY and CA which is huge and making this waaay more accessible to so many people now!)
- Buying good quality supplements recommended by my doctor according to my test results / bloodwork. (Don’t let random ads and wellness influencers tell you you NEED to be taking a certain supplement! There are indeed a lot of amazing products out there, but choosing supplements based on YOUR body and test results is ideal).
- Buying a good quality, third party certified under-the-sink water filter so that I can be confident the water I’m drinking (and using for cooking, making coffee/tea, etc.) is free of heavy metals and “forever chemicals” like lead, chlorine, and (unfortunately LOTS) more.
6. And finally, it’s about SO MUCH MORE than just food.
When I first signed up for the Institute for Integrative Nutrition’s Health Coach training program back in 2019, it was because I was inspired by my own journey in discovering that food is medicine. I assumed, entering a program with “nutrition” in the name, that becoming a health coach basically revolved around helping people change their relationship with food. As I learned pretty quickly after starting the training program, I was so wrong. While I do still believe strongly in the power of food as medicine, I’ve since learned how many other lifestyle factors influence our health and wellness.
I can eat a bagel for breakfast, pizza for lunch, and ice cream for dinner, but if I had a good night sleep the night before and spent the whole day outside, walking around in the sunshine with my friends, I would FEEL just as rejuvenated (maybe even better) than if I had loaded up on veggies at every meal.
I can get a crappy night’s sleep but if I prioritize nourishing foods, drinking lots of water, and resting throughout the day whenever possible, I can still end up having a great day.
On the flip side, I can make 3 homecooked, delicious, healthy meals, but if I don’t leave my apartment to get some sunshine, move my body, or connect with family/friends, I can have a horribly lousy day.
Knowing that not everything has to be perfect, and that there are many realms of wellness that we have the power to play with on any given day, is so freeing and powerful.
